Non-competitive beginner level sports for teens - does this exist?

[Anonymous]

There is rec baseball. You need to find a team and make sure the vibe is good. But 13 is a little old. Unless your kid has amazing hand eye coordination. Hitting a ball is a pretty specialized skill.

With rec basketball, you can't start totally cold at 13. Do they have the basics. Dribble. Pass. Shoot. Can they comfortably make a free throw. Or a lay up.

Agree with others with track and cross country. Most don't start until middle school. The vibe is usually very welcoming. At 13, you can get get good very quickly when you train. It does require discipline. But they'll get fit and make friends. It's a genuinely good sport to participate in.

[Anonymous]

(baseball) is going to be tough at this age but with a few months of training, you might be able to make it work. Depending on his birthday he’d either be in 5070 or senior Babe Ruth. The pitches are pretty fast so make sure he’s not afraid of the ball. if he’s eligible for 5070 you could sign up now and do the weekly events Which are working on skills. At this age there is a graft so you can’t guarantee that they’d be put on a team with friends but if he does have some who play, I would encourage them to get out and play catch as much as possible I Deko other people saying clinics or private lessons, Marymount and Metro baseball both have clinics going on right now

[Anonymous]

There is Rec basketball at this age. He might be the worst on the team but they will take him. The hyper competitive kids already moved on the travel/club basketball. Just do it! The sooner the better!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:13 is late to start rock climbing unless he is athletic and has a lot of strength already.

So even adults can't start rock climbing if they didn't do it as toddlers? Please, people can start a sport whenever they want to as long as there is a place to do it.

[Anonymous]

There are some private middle and high schools that do not overemphasize or recruit for sports that would allow a newbie to walk on to just about any team, including baseball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thank for these ideas. Will run them past him.

Anyone know of non-competitive options for baseball?

The Babe Ruth league for baseball. I would make sure to go to the batting cages once a week before practice started and to get otuside and work on his throwing and catching. It is doable.

[Anonymous]

You can do rec baseball with no experience. There are kids every year that do. I know little league stops in Arlington around age 13 though, but babe ruth continues through HS. Not sure where you live.

My kid started dive at 12. He is just learning to dive right now and can do meets if he wants but its not competitive if he doesn't want it to be.

[Anonymous]

My son tried volleyball and really liked it. He was a very strong tennis player already.

You kid can try tennis. He probably won’t make the tennis team in high school but it is a good sport to play as an adult. I know adults who are just learning to play tennis or pickle ball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son tried volleyball and really liked it. He was a very strong tennis player already.

You kid can try tennis. He probably won’t make the tennis team in high school but it is a good sport to play as an adult. I know adults who are just learning to play tennis or pickle ball.

Agree. And he just might be able to play in high school, depending on how competitive it is. A lot of high schools take players with little or no experience. I know someone who started playing in 9th grade and is now playing d3 college tennis.

[Anonymous]

Now is the time to sign up for McLean Intermediate Baseball. You can pick up a bat at 13 and be terrible or amazing - the team is really supportive regardless. Everyone who signs up gets on the team so no try outs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:13 is late to start rock climbing unless he is athletic and has a lot of strength already.

That’s ridiculous. Very few kids rock climb. It’s totally something that can be picked up later.

[Anonymous]

Some of the year-round swim clubs offer non-competitive groups. Most of the kids swim in the summer or on high school teams, but since they aren't doing meets it's more about technique and a good workout.

[Anonymous]

My oldest tried rec baseball for the first time at 13. I believe he played through MCLL, he played rec for two years and the level of play was actually pretty good and he had fun. Also MSI has a good recreational soccer league

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PPs that you really need to get a feel for the team vibe before your DS signs up for a rec baseball team. Our experiences have been mixed and my DS had been playing since 1st grade - so he came to the team with the expected skill level. If your DS has friends on the teams, that would be best.

We've had better experiences with rec basketball (DS and no experience before joining at 16) and lacrosse. In fact, the high school and rec teams were really welcoming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can try rec baseball at 13 with no experience. There aren’t try outs. Your little league will have a juniors division. Little league is by zip code, so ask friends who play from your neighborhood, they’ll point you to the right league. My daughter started softball in HS, It’s never too late.

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