is baseball the best team sport for non-athletic boys?

[Anonymous]

would like to starting having 8-yo DS focus on one team sport to really improve and build confidence and develop love for sport/physical activity. he's large for his age so is slower but stronger too. he likes baseball (but not crazy about it either), does not really prefer one sport to the other. but i think it'd be a good fit for him? thoughts? tks~!

[Anonymous]

My son is 8 and this spring will be his fourth spring playing. All of the kids on his team last year had played multiple seasons except for one boy who was 10 and it was his first season. He was non-athletic and all of his at-bats were painful. We (parents and players) shouted encouragements and cheered loudly when he would get a hit, but he struck out 90% of the time and he was just so dejected by the end of the season that I felt really bad for him. I think it was extra-upsetting because he knew that he was older than all of the other boys.

How do you think your son will react if he is the [obvious] worst player on the team? If he would be fine with that, then sign him up.

Also, there's really not a lot of physical activity in baseball. Yes, they run the bases, but it's not intense cardiovascular work. If you're looking for cardio work, look at lacrosse, soccer or track for the spring.

[Anonymous]

Baseball takes a lot of hand eye coordination and there's a lot of opportunity for big mistakes out on your own in front of everyone. I would not say it's a confidence builder.

That said, my 13 year old DS is a great baseball player and he's also big and kind of slow. So he developed a niche as a power hitter and pitcher. There are positions in baseball where you don't have to be a fast runner or extremely agile, so if that's what you mean, then yes. But that won't come for a number of years.

I would look for a supportive league and coach at that age -- Takoma Park Silver Spring comes to mind if you are in MoCo -- and let him try it. Coaches at that level/age group will encourage supportive behavior by the rest of the team and it will let him get his feet wet in a team environment.

[Anonymous]

Agree with first response. Baseball is too focused on individual achievement. Both great plays and poor performances are magnified. All the sports mentioned above are good, but I would also include soccer.

[Anonymous]

I think there is some sense that baseball might be a good spot for non-athletic kids because, particularly at a young age, there are positions where very little happens but the kids do bat and that is a tough activity, and with time, all of the positions become active. Soccer seems like a better fit because it is rare that a single kid, other than perhaps the goalie, matters quite so much, and if your son is slower, defense can work fine. In either sport, you should take some initiative to work with him by practicing baseball (a tee is cheap) or helping with with soccer.

[Anonymous]

Is your son coordinated? Can he at least make contact with the ball 50-60% of the time? Can he catch most of the time or at least make all the easy tosses from you?

If the answer is no, I wouldn't start baseball at age 8.

My son is completely uncoordinated. Did baseball between 2nd-3rd grade. It was very discouraging to be the only kid who dropped every ball and struck out every time. He had a patient coach and started to make contact by the end of the season and got most improved, but her did NOT want to play a second season. Too embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

OP, my very non-athletic son is now 9 and we had to try a different approach. No team sports, because he refused to be humiliated on stage, as PPs so accurately pointed out.

Although I, mom, very much see the value in team building and camaraderie, I instead push (insist) that DS do individual "sports" and "activities" instead to stay active. Hiking, kayaking, canoeing, skiing, cycling, rock climbing, "jogging" with me (omg, so painful, so slow). Oh, and a non-competing branch of the swim "team" in our city.

Let me assure you, this is so, so much harder logistically than driving a kid to soccer 3x a week to the same places at the same time. But IMO, it must be done for health.

I know that's not what you asked -- you wanted *team* sports -- but this is working for DS. Somehow.

[Anonymous]

Big and slow....football in the interior line

[Anonymous]

Does it have to be a team sport? Golf or tennis maybe? Swim team?

[Anonymous]

One sport that might work is wrestling, although it is an individual sport there is also a team element to it. There are many wrestling clubs in the area with great and welcoming coaches (season has started but they may allow your son in late). One advantage to wrestling, particularly for kids, is there is a sport for every size and ability, and it is a great workout too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One sport that might work is wrestling, although it is an individual sport there is also a team element to it. There are many wrestling clubs in the area with great and welcoming coaches (season has started but they may allow your son in late). One advantage to wrestling, particularly for kids, is there is a sport for every size and ability, and it is a great workout too.

+1 MoCo HS run wrestling clubs for ages 5-14. will be a good confidence booster. Would stay away from baseball as the PP said, it does magnify mistakes and the non athletic kids stand out for not being able to catch balls or bat.

Look at fencing as well.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone else think it's just sad that a child at the young age of 8 years old can't easily take up a new sport and learn it without feeling embarrassed about his mistakes as he's learning? Sports are just way too competitive for our tastes I guess.

[Anonymous]

What about a lesser known sport like fencing or archery?

[Anonymous]

Boys in baseball may or may not always be fast but they are athletic. I would only have him start baseball if he wants to, not if you want him to, because if he doesn't do well - the embarassment will be all his in front of everyone. At age 8, if he is consistently striking out or dropping the ball, people will notice and snicker - depending on the culture of the team/community. However, if he is a newcomer who hits and catches well, coaches and other players will be happy to work with him to teach him the finer points of the game.

Why not take him to the batting cages as a Sat. activity just to see what his hitting looks like? If he does well, you can always suggest baseball and if not, well then it was just a fun weekend activity for the 2 of you without all his peers watching. Or I believe there are also baseball coaches/clinics in the area -- why not get him 1-2 sessions with someone to see what his skills look like; those people will tell you whether he should be playing or not and he'll know if he liked or hated it.

[Anonymous]

Soccer would be a much better choice for a team sport.