Can we talk about specializing at an early age?

[Anonymous]

Anything can be an adult sport. There are plenty of people who play adult baseball or softball. Beer league hockey is popular and seems fun for those who do it. I see plenty of adult soccer and even ultimate frisbee is common in some areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anything can be an adult sport. There are plenty of people who play adult baseball or softball. Beer league hockey is popular and seems fun for those who do it. I see plenty of adult soccer and even ultimate frisbee is common in some areas.

This is my impression too. I did one of the sports everyone says is a lifelong sport, and... I have no interest in doing it as an adult. I will never be anywhere near as good at it as I used to be and it's just kinda depressing. It's more fun to try new things now.

Just let kids do what interests them now whether it's one sport or five, as long as your schedule and finances can support it. You can't predict what you child will enjoy in a few years let alone as an adult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anything can be an adult sport. There are plenty of people who play adult baseball or softball. Beer league hockey is popular and seems fun for those who do it. I see plenty of adult soccer and even ultimate frisbee is common in some areas.

This is my impression too. I did one of the sports everyone says is a lifelong sport, and... I have no interest in doing it as an adult. I will never be anywhere near as good at it as I used to be and it's just kinda depressing. It's more fun to try new things now.

Just let kids do what interests them now whether it's one sport or five, as long as your schedule and finances can support it. You can't predict what you child will enjoy in a few years let alone as an adult.

You must be a scrub

[Anonymous]

We maintained the new activity into MS. From one who played Rec, travel and AAU basketball it meant summer swimming and a field hockey camp plus 2-3 weekends skiing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anything can be an adult sport. There are plenty of people who play adult baseball or softball. Beer league hockey is popular and seems fun for those who do it. I see plenty of adult soccer and even ultimate frisbee is common in some areas.

This is my impression too. I did one of the sports everyone says is a lifelong sport, and... I have no interest in doing it as an adult. I will never be anywhere near as good at it as I used to be and it's just kinda depressing. It's more fun to try new things now.

Just let kids do what interests them now whether it's one sport or five, as long as your schedule and finances can support it. You can't predict what you child will enjoy in a few years let alone as an adult.

You must be a scrub

Huh? I had a lot of success in my sport... it paid for college. I just have no interest in doing it now. A lot of former teammates actually feel the same way. Probably because it became like more of a job at that point. I'm still in good shape, just not elite athlete shape.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anything can be an adult sport. There are plenty of people who play adult baseball or softball. Beer league hockey is popular and seems fun for those who do it. I see plenty of adult soccer and even ultimate frisbee is common in some areas.

This is my impression too. I did one of the sports everyone says is a lifelong sport, and... I have no interest in doing it as an adult. I will never be anywhere near as good at it as I used to be and it's just kinda depressing. It's more fun to try new things now.

Just let kids do what interests them now whether it's one sport or five, as long as your schedule and finances can support it. You can't predict what you child will enjoy in a few years let alone as an adult.

You must be a scrub

Huh? I had a lot of success in my sport... it paid for college. I just have no interest in doing it now. A lot of former teammates actually feel the same way. Probably because it became like more of a job at that point. I'm still in good shape, just not elite athlete shape.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anything can be an adult sport. There are plenty of people who play adult baseball or softball. Beer league hockey is popular and seems fun for those who do it. I see plenty of adult soccer and even ultimate frisbee is common in some areas.

This is my impression too. I did one of the sports everyone says is a lifelong sport, and... I have no interest in doing it as an adult. I will never be anywhere near as good at it as I used to be and it's just kinda depressing. It's more fun to try new things now.

Just let kids do what interests them now whether it's one sport or five, as long as your schedule and finances can support it. You can't predict what you child will enjoy in a few years let alone as an adult.

You must be a scrub

Huh? I had a lot of success in my sport... it paid for college. I just have no interest in doing it now. A lot of former teammates actually feel the same way. Probably because it became like more of a job at that point. I'm still in good shape, just not elite athlete shape.

Sorry you weren't any good. Hope you're not giving out advice on sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can swing it - winter or summer - kid competitive swimming is a life skill. 2-3 years of summer swim team (or winter if that timing works) and you won’t have to worry about going to a pool with friends.

I also recommend some level of tennis, golf and/or running. They are the grown up sports that you will benefit from playing as a teen. Just getting started. Lessons, having fun.

Most people don't start tennis, golf, running until they are older, that's why they are considered "grown up sports". Unless you want your kid to be a competitive golfer, there's no reason s/he needs to start in elementary school. Tennis is so easy to pick up. I didn't start playing until my 30s and I'm good now! I'm not winning tournaments regularly, but good enough that people ask me to play against them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can swing it - winter or summer - kid competitive swimming is a life skill. 2-3 years of summer swim team (or winter if that timing works) and you won’t have to worry about going to a pool with friends.

I also recommend some level of tennis, golf and/or running. They are the grown up sports that you will benefit from playing as a teen. Just getting started. Lessons, having fun.

Most people don't start tennis, golf, running until they are older, that's why they are considered "grown up sports". Unless you want your kid to be a competitive golfer, there's no reason s/he needs to start in elementary school. Tennis is so easy to pick up. I didn't start playing until my 30s and I'm good now! I'm not winning tournaments regularly, but good enough that people ask me to play against them.

Sure Jan I bet you’re a wizard at tennis now

[Anonymous]

My kid develops an overuse injury in knees while trying to keep up with multiple sports in late elementary. It got so bad we had to stop everything and kid couldn’t even play with friends in park or ski. Now just playing the one sport that hurts knees the least and causes minimal flare ups.

[Anonymous]

My kids do multiple sports by choice and I’ve definitely seen benefits. Competitive winter swim has provided conditioning that their lacrosse and basketball coaches have commented on. They’ve also really benefitted from the social aspects - getting to play on teams with their friends and being enthusiastic about pick up basketball and football in their spare time. Going into high school, they feel they have a lot of choices for continuing sports. They’re starting to get more focused, but not necessarily on the sports that we thought they’d end up playing when they were 4th graders.

This isn’t to say this is the only path, but it’s worked out well for my family, with the one downside of occasional craziness when seasons overlap.

We avoided anything with ridiculous time commitments (mostly stuck to rec) through elementary to make it work, and ramped up the intensity of their primary sports only in late middle school. They’ve both been doing fine and one is even now training for national-level competitions in a sport he was only dabbling in a couple years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid develops an overuse injury in knees while trying to keep up with multiple sports in late elementary. It got so bad we had to stop everything and kid couldn’t even play with friends in park or ski. Now just playing the one sport that hurts knees the least and causes minimal flare ups.

Damn

[Anonymous]

Keep encouraging them to try new things. They may surprise you. Mine picked up new sports in late elementary and middle school because friends were doing them and they wanted to try. They were low key rec sports and fun for them. One of my children would play a season here or there of different sports like this with friends for years. That’s what rec is for.

[Anonymous]

My DS 9 specializes in fencing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s fine to follow a kids interest, even if that means specializing, if they’re having fun. But not at the expense of never doing anything else. You have to make room for rec basketball (or whatever the friends are doing that is low key and fun) and summer swim or tennis or golf. Some balance, just for fun and social, is important but is easily skipped if you get sucked in too deeply to specialization early.

What's a grown up sport? When I was capable of doing the running, I played in an over 35 soccer league, now I play pick up basketball with a bunch of other old guys two nights a week

Some sports is are just harder to use as a way to stay in shape in as an adult. For example, lacrosse. I know a lot of ppl who played lax on high school and college but none of them play it in their 30s and 40s.