10 year old wants to start team sports
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Anonymous
| My 10 year old DD has always been a bit shy, withdrawn, slow to warm and uncertain of herself. After a few years of observing her younger sibs play different team sports (soccer, baseball, basketball), she has decided she is ready to try soccer. The thing is, she is not very coordinated nor athletic in the first place. And after reading the threads on here about house v. travel soccer leagues, I am worried that she will become discouraged playing with kids who have been playing for many, many years. She plays with her younger sibs, but I am afraid with kids her own age, she will be out of her league, so to speak. Should we sign her up anyway? How can we best prepare her and make it fun? Am I worrying too much? |
Anonymous
| Yes. House league. She may not be the best on the team, but hopefully she'll get something out of being ON the team and also learn some schools. And she should get even playing time. |
Anonymous
| How.about starting with summer camps or clinics before joining a rec league? Or find a babysitter who has played a bit to get a feel for it? |
Anonymous
| Try house league. Here's my favorite soccer story: My DD and her friends had been playing soccer (house) since age 5. Their team was well-coached with skilled players and they were a powerhouse team in the league. One of DDs friends decided to try playing soccer at age 10, never having played before. She was also not particularly athletic or coordinated. She was placed on their team and ALL the girls were nothing but kind and supportive to her (as was the coach, who was wonderful) They would coach her on the field, pass the ball to her even though it was likely no goal would come from it and would cheer her on. I never heard a complaint when she missed a play. I was more proud of all of them for how they treated her than I was of all the games they won. The world is not totally made up of crazy soccer parents, despite what you see on DCUM. Bonus--by age 10, most of those players have already moved on to travel, so house league tends to be a bit calmer without them. Good luck to your DD! |
Anonymous
| Any links to programs? |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thanks for the responses! And just to clarify, we would definitely put her in a house league! |
Anonymous
I like the clinic idea, but I don't know that she would find that as fun as being on a team if she's a complete newbie. |
Anonymous
| What are "house leagues"? |
Anonymous
House league is recreational -- the teams play against other teams within the same club. This is different from a "travel league" where the teams play against teams from other clubs. |
Anonymous
I think it would be a good way though to try some things out and learn about the game before starting a team. Those girls were very nice, but no one really wants to be on a team where everyone but you knows how to play the game. |
Anonymous
| Golden Boots is offering some 1-week camps in No. VA if thats where you are. My DD and some teammates are going to take a couple of them. |
Anonymous
| Similar story with my 8 year old DS. We signed him up for a soccer class this summer and will do a house league In the fall. |
Anonymous
| There are some 1 and 2 hour classes around as well. |