what new sport can my 9-yo try and still have a good chance to excel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we've done soccer, baseball and swimming. he enjoys them all but not self motivated enough to keep doing/playing. we want him to have one sport he does continuously and consistently for health and perhaps social benefits. tks!

Maybe that's not really right for him. You can want what you want with kids, but they are their own people. (Yes, I appreciate the fitness, but you can't tell another self how to be self-motivated.)

being able to excel at something may motive him to stick with it. that's the point.[/quote]

You don't need sports for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fencing?

+1

[Anonymous]

The team sports are the only ones that are difficult to pick up as you get older. Everything that is geared toward an individual or small number of players, you can easily pick up even into high school adulthood.

[Anonymous]

Wrestling

[Anonymous]

He's NINE. It is better for him to participate in multiple sports. Call it "cross training" if that makes you feel better about it.

It might be that you need to find different soccer, baseball and swimming teams, rather than different sports altogether. I think some of the teams around this area are too serious too young, which can take all the fun and enjoyment out of it.

I find my eight year old to be much more interested in a sport if her friends are playing it and if it is there is a good balance between play and drill. She is more social than competitive by nature.

Other athletics your son might enjoy:
running (track and cross country)
squash
tennis
basketball
golf
crew (if he is likely to be tall)
sailing
hockey
figure skating

[Anonymous]

bowling.

[Anonymous]

Diving hasn't been mentioned yet

[Anonymous]

Tennis or golf? They are good life long sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we've done soccer, baseball and swimming. he enjoys them all but not self motivated enough to keep doing/playing. we want him to have one sport he does continuously and consistently for health and perhaps social benefits. tks!

I have the same issue with my 9 yr old but after talking to lots of parents I found that it's pretty rare at this age for the kids to be truly self motivated and that most kids who were excelling were mostly doing it through luck - they just happened to be good at the certain sport - or having a talent for it. The kids kept doing it because it was easy. I also found out that kids dropped out of sports for that same reason as they got a few years older. They were no longer the best or that good with ease and would actually have to work at it. The kids didn't want to do that and dropped out for other activities.

[Anonymous]

Keep him in swimming and switch to crew when he is old enough to take classes (summer camp at age 12 or 13 at some places in town such as TBC in Georgetown and I think there are a few places in VA as well as Anacostia.

[Anonymous]

Rock Climbing
Kayaking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's NINE. It is better for him to participate in multiple sports. Call it "cross training" if that makes you feel better about it.

It might be that you need to find different soccer, baseball and swimming teams, rather than different sports altogether. I think some of the teams around this area are too serious too young, which can take all the fun and enjoyment out of it.

I find my eight year old to be much more interested in a sport if her friends are playing it and if it is there is a good balance between play and drill. She is more social than competitive by nature.

Other athletics your son might enjoy:
running (track and cross country)
squash
tennis
basketball
golf
crew (if he is likely to be tall)
sailing
hockey
figure skating

second hockey, but it aint cheap also try wrestling...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep him in swimming and switch to crew when he is old enough to take classes (summer camp at age 12 or 13 at some places in town such as TBC in Georgetown and I think there are a few places in VA as well as Anacostia.

tks for the info i'll keep that in mind. he's projected to be 6'1 though not too short for crew?

[Anonymous]

skateboarding

[Anonymous]

Admittedly my kids are young so perhaps I am lacking perspective, but why don't you ask him what sport he wants to play, or if he wants to play?