Sports for short boys

[Anonymous]

My son is 8 and has tried some team sports like soccer, baseball and lacrosse. It seems that his height (or lack of it) puts him at a disadvantage and he doesn't want to continue with any of them. He does like indoor rock climbing but he says he wants to find a competitive sport. I would think nearly all of them would be the same in terms of height being an advantage. Any ideas? I suggested tennis and he said maybe.

[Anonymous]

Wrestling

[Anonymous]

+1 on wrestling - from the Midwest where it's big. Also, boys gymnastics benefits short boys.

[Anonymous]

Why is height important in soccer? Seems like a shorter kid will run faster?

[Anonymous]

Is your child being recruited for division 1 athletics or the Olympics? Height does not matter for any of the sports you listed as an 8 year old (or for any sport for that matter). If he isn't a good athlete he's not a good athlete. I think tennis suggestion is good. Swimming might be another sport. Martial arts.

[Anonymous]

The problem with soccer is that yes, ultimately height doesn't matter all that much (at least for midfielders, and really quick forwards, but does matter a lot for defenders and goalies, and to some degree strikers who score mostly off headers), but for boys in the age 8-14 range, it matters a lot, because the bigger boys who have grown/matured earlier also tend to be stronger and being able to head the ball, use size/strength to keep ball or defend, and also speed (a kid with legs half as long just can't run as fast during this stage of development). Teams are completely age not size-based, so it really does put smaller kids, both girls and boys, at a disadvantage.

Agree with considering wrestling, gymnastics, swimming.

[Anonymous]

I don't know, the fastest kid on our soccer team is extremely short. Maybe try tennis.

[Anonymous]

I agree that there are plenty of short fast kids who do well at soccer. Yes, a taller kid is going to be better at heading, but 8 year olds shouldn't be heading on a regular basis. A tiny scrappy kid is going to be better at getting around opponents, so it evens out.

Weirdly, football is a support that rewards small kids at young ages. Kids play football in weight classes, so the kids who are small for their age are usually the most mature and smartest on their team, and get chosen for the "skill" positions like QB. Even for linesmen, breadth is more important than height so a short but stocky kid will have an advantage over a tall skinny kid of the same weight. Of course a tall stocky kid would do even better, but that kid will play at a higher weight class.

[Anonymous]

My nephew is short and he's a super star lacross player. He's 15 now but I remember my sister and BIL having the height concern around your sons age. However, he loved lacross so much that they enrolled him in training camps and programs and he learned how to work with his short stature. Don't let your son give up on sports he likes just because he's short.

Well unless it's swimming or rowing. No matter your skills, being short just puts you at a disadvantage.

[Anonymous]

What is his build? Short and broad, muscular? Or slender?

Lightweight crew would be something to try in the future. That is one sport where they do sort the kids by height.

[Anonymous]

Gymnastics. My 10 year old is the short kid at school and is one of the tallest on his gymnastics team. The guys that make it to the Olympic level are usually no taller than 5'5".
Being short is a definite advantage because of the lower center of gravity.
8 isn't too late to start gymnastics for a boy. If he's coordinated and athletic, it just might be the perfect sport for him!

[Anonymous]

Track and cross-country are good for short guys. The best runners are small to medium sized.

[Anonymous]

My DS is average height for his age but because he has a summer bday, tends to be one of the shorter kids in his class or team (which is based on grade level, not age). For some reason, DS really likes basketball. Obviously, he has a big disadvantage. He's not that athletic either, which doesn't help.

We put him in swimming. He's never been a really strong swimmer but for some reason, he took to the butterfly event, and won his first race. It wasn't a big-deal race (was with his swim lesson group), but if you can imagine - for the kid that always gets picked last for sports during recess, the kid that gets booted of the court by the other kids because he's so bad (that's my DS), it was such a big deal. My DH got really emotional. Sorry, I digressed. Had to share this on an anonymous forum because we couldn't tell people we knew how proud we were of him for such a no-big deal race, and how emotional we got (my DH more so).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Track and cross-country are good for short guys. The best runners are small to medium sized.

But kids with longer legs have an advantage in running, at least short track, maybe not long track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is his build? Short and broad, muscular? Or slender?

Lightweight crew would be something to try in the future. That is one sport where they do sort the kids by height.

Doesn't it help to have long limbs for crew?