Strong but small athlete

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op mentioned lacrosse, basketball and baseball so assume DS plays one of those. I read the post as more of a “is this what’s happening with boys across the youth sports spectrum” post vs seeking sport specific advice.

The answer is yes. Very hard for small boys and girls in almost any sport. I know some short soccer player forwards. Middle school is when a lot of kids drop out.

[Anonymous]

Smaller kids will have a hard time in a lot of sports at the high school-middle school levels. Somewhat depends if you mean small weight-wise, height-wise, or both.

Smaller kids can have success switching to other sports- in cross country, track & field, wrestling, cheer/dance smaller size is not penalized and can actually be a plus. Most of those sports are also more welcoming to late starters. There are plenty of smaller kids on the tennis and golf teams at my kids’ HS also. (I’m talking about HS success, making HS teams only…I understand the size advantage for college and pros etc)

[Anonymous]

This thread is worthless without specifying the sport.

[Anonymous]

That's why you see Asian people play golf because size/height does not matter. If you look at Colin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, who are Asian and won multiple golf majors, they are under 5'10". Rory McIlroy, who is only 5"9, and won four majors. Gary Player, who is 5"8", won nine majors.

Most of HS varsity tennis roster is filled with Asians because, at the high school level, size/height does not matter much if you can not keep the ball inside the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's why you see Asian people play golf because size/height does not matter. If you look at Colin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, who are Asian and won multiple golf majors, they are under 5'10". Rory McIlroy, who is only 5"9, and won four majors. Gary Player, who is 5"8", won nine majors.

Most of HS varsity tennis roster is filled with Asians because, at the high school level, size/height does not matter much if you can not keep the ball inside the line.

Then you see college rosters of tennis and they are all European giants

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has this always been the way with youth sports? If not when did it start? I was a kid in the 1980s and played a lot of sports (soccer competitively, other sports were considered “rec”), but I don’t remember size being a big issue one way or another. Maybe I was oblivious as a kid?

I think it's a problem in high school sports because they don't have a lot of teams in US high schools - is it just varsity and JV, and you're cut if you don't make those?

I was on my high school's 5th ranked volleyball team with the other kids doing it for fun rather than glory, and we played other schools' 5th ranked teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's why you see Asian people play golf because size/height does not matter. If you look at Colin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, who are Asian and won multiple golf majors, they are under 5'10". Rory McIlroy, who is only 5"9, and won four majors. Gary Player, who is 5"8", won nine majors.

Most of HS varsity tennis roster is filled with Asians because, at the high school level, size/height does not matter much if you can not keep the ball inside the line.

Then you see college rosters of tennis and they are all European giants

And you see women college rosters of golf and they are full of Asians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This thread is worthless without specifying the sport.

Wow this open ended question really bothers you…. Since there are separate forums for soccer, lacrosse, basketball and swimming, how about if we say “baseball”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hitting a competitive sports wall with DS because he’s small (has not started puberty) and increasingly seeing giant boys getting ahead because they are physically stronger (although not necessarily as skilled). We are worried he’s going to give up on playing the sport altogether despite loving it and having talent. Seems like more and more coaches prioritize the big boys and write off the little guys beginning around 13, certainly 14. This was not our experience with DD (also late to puberty/growth but very solid athlete) so just wondering if people have success stories of their small DS making it through 13/14 years in their sport, going on to find success in HS. What got them through the years of size imbalance? What sport did/do they play?

"Giant boys" ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's why you see Asian people gravitate towards golf, tennis, and now Pickleball (it is now an official HS varsity sport in Montgomery County in fall '24) because these sports require skills and mental toughness rather than physical brute force. FWIW, my DS is 5'7" and he plays golf at an ACC school.

Pickleball requires mental toughness?

Pickleball was added as a "Varsity" sport b/c they wanted an activity that special needs kids could participate in.

[Anonymous]

Basketball is brutal if you are zoned to a big public high school. The kids under 6 feet who even want a chance of playing JV have to be absolutely incredibly athletes. It really is the toughest sport for HS b/c no matter how hard they work, they can't make themselves grow taller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has this always been the way with youth sports? If not when did it start? I was a kid in the 1980s and played a lot of sports (soccer competitively, other sports were considered “rec”), but I don’t remember size being a big issue one way or another. Maybe I was oblivious as a kid?

I think it's a problem in high school sports because they don't have a lot of teams in US high schools - is it just varsity and JV, and you're cut if you don't make those?

I was on my high school's 5th ranked volleyball team with the other kids doing it for fun rather than glory, and we played other schools' 5th ranked teams.

Yes. Some sports will also have a freshman team. And many high schools are very large. For example I think our school had like 70 girls try out for freshman volleyball, and at least that many try out for freshman boys basketball. Both very popular sports. Only 10-12 make the roster. For sports that are less popular or that have larger teams it is a bit easier- but often those do not have a freshman team, just JV.

Plenty of skilled kids who have played travel/club sports for years don’t make our school teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has this always been the way with youth sports? If not when did it start? I was a kid in the 1980s and played a lot of sports (soccer competitively, other sports were considered “rec”), but I don’t remember size being a big issue one way or another. Maybe I was oblivious as a kid?

I think it's a problem in high school sports because they don't have a lot of teams in US high schools - is it just varsity and JV, and you're cut if you don't make those?

I was on my high school's 5th ranked volleyball team with the other kids doing it for fun rather than glory, and we played other schools' 5th ranked teams.

Yes. Some sports will also have a freshman team. And many high schools are very large. For example I think our school had like 70 girls try out for freshman volleyball, and at least that many try out for freshman boys basketball. Both very popular sports. Only 10-12 make the roster. For sports that are less popular or that have larger teams it is a bit easier- but often those do not have a freshman team, just JV.

Plenty of skilled kids who have played travel/club sports for years don’t make our school teams.

Why is it designed so average kids can't do sports yet we go on and on about them not getting enough exercise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here—DS loves sport, will continue to play and train outside of team. As long as he wants to continue playing we will support him. I grew up with sisters and our oldest is a girl so this is really my first experience with the size/strength/growth timing issue with boys so was really just asking how other supported their kids. I fully understand the competition for spots in HS, but I guess I’m just a little surprised to be feeling that so intensely at this age when there is such a range of when boys hit puberty and grow. I wrongly assumed coaches would be more open to fostering strong athletes who have not had their growth spurts yet but many/most seem more interested in big boys only. I’m seeing this with friends’ kids too—baseball, basketball, and lacrosse seem to be the three where I hear about this most.

The truth is- by high school age- coaches want to win. They generally aren’t going to wait around for a kid to grow. They’ll choose kids who have already grown (and assume they will only get physically stronger from there with training).

It does stink- my DS ran into this and ended up quitting his sport altogether.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has this always been the way with youth sports? If not when did it start? I was a kid in the 1980s and played a lot of sports (soccer competitively, other sports were considered “rec”), but I don’t remember size being a big issue one way or another. Maybe I was oblivious as a kid?

I think it's a problem in high school sports because they don't have a lot of teams in US high schools - is it just varsity and JV, and you're cut if you don't make those?

I was on my high school's 5th ranked volleyball team with the other kids doing it for fun rather than glory, and we played other schools' 5th ranked teams.

Yes. Some sports will also have a freshman team. And many high schools are very large. For example I think our school had like 70 girls try out for freshman volleyball, and at least that many try out for freshman boys basketball. Both very popular sports. Only 10-12 make the roster. For sports that are less popular or that have larger teams it is a bit easier- but often those do not have a freshman team, just JV.

Plenty of skilled kids who have played travel/club sports for years don’t make our school teams.

Why is it designed so average kids can't do sports yet we go on and on about them not getting enough exercise?

There aren’t enough fields/courts/coaches/funding for most high schools to allow everyone who wants to, to play. In a few sports there may be rec leagues that serve high school age kids- but there isn’t always enough interest depending what sport it is. A small handful of kids play travel/club but don’t make their HS teams. But IME for most kids- when they don’t make their HS team, they quit the sport. It tends to be “all or nothing”.