Pros and cons of different sports for kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My average coordination kid picked up baseball for the very first time in 6th grade, now is playing travel ball in 9th grade. Baseball seemed pretty easy to pick up, actually. But it seemed like overall the 'baseball kids' were less naturally athletic then the soccer/basketball/football kids we knew, so maybe it just seems that way to baseball dads?

This is true, and baseball is easily picked up by naturally athletic people. Michael Jordan and Tim Tebow went and joined professional baseball teams well past their prime. There are also quite a few interviews of MLB players that go something like "well I didn't get to start on my college football team so I went back to baseball and now here I am playing for the Braves!"

This is so NOT true. Both MJ and Tim Tebow couldn't make it into the Major League MLB, both of them stuck in the AA or AAA leagues. I wouldn't call baseball AA or AAA professional teams, more like a sweat shop.

Any sports, including baseball, take years to develop, even for elite athletes.

Dream on

[Anonymous]

I have a question about my 2nd grader who is currently enrolled in McLean youth basketball. This is the first season he is playing and he is very good at it. He loves it! The development league will be over by third week of February.
Is this only for winter from Dec to Feb? I don’t see any information on their website for other seasons? So, if my son wants to play recreational basketball for about 6 to 9 months (1 to 2 times a week) what options does he have? What about AAU basketball? Is AAU only for boys who want to play basketball competitive? Does it require lot of time commitment?
Sorry for so many questions, both my husband and I didn’t play basketball and didn’t grow up here in the sports culture, hence the confusion. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

hockey - hours for each practice are not fixed for the season so you may have a 6 a.m. ice time one day and a 7 p.m. one the next. equipment also gets expensive and it's cold at the rink for parent spectators.

baseball - as everyone says, long games. less popular around here than in some other areas.

basketball - rec leagues are inexpensive. aau teams are difficult to make and can be far away. the teams in between rec and aau around here are expensive and IME a bad experience with disorganized providers.

soccer - lots of levels. can continue playing at rec level if your child picks up another sport they want to play more. teams can be very convenient to you and there are usually school teams throughout elementary which is nice. dc area has lots of very competitive teams if your child wants to go that route.

flag football - becoming more popular and good for kids with lots of energy at a young age. low commitment IME as most kids we know play this and other sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be honest with yourself from the beginning about how willing you are to take the sport. I encouraged my children to learn to ride because I love it, but I also knew I would never be ok from a risk standpoint with competitive jumping. When we had to make choices about which activity to drop and when, we kept riding limits to the purely weekly/recreational level accordingly.

Swimming should always be in a separate category because in my opinion, every child should learn to swim for safety reasons.

Competitive jumper here—that’s pretty sad and, I think, wrongheaded. My worst injuries from falls were when I was trotting on a loose rein, and I’ve never been hurt falling off at a jump in my life (30+ years of jumping!). Horses are dangerous for sure, but you’re missing out on the best parts of equestrian sport just taking a weekly lesson.

On topic: I didn’t pressure my kids to do any sports. They dabbled around a little with soccer and basketball, but only one still plays a sport (track). My other spends all his time building computers. I don’t get the desire of some parents to push sports. If they love it, great! If not, let them find what they do love….and do that.

Mom of a competitive jumper here (and NP). It is for sure dangerous (look up Kevin Babington if you disagree) but my DD and I go to a lot of shows and I have never seen a serious injury. My DD broke her nose faceplanting into a plank during training. She also hurt her hip badly when she had her feet out do the stirrups just hanging out at the end of a lesson. I’ve seen several broken wrists. It’s part of the game, but riding is everything to her so it’s a risk we take. She wears an air vest now, so I feel a little better.

[Anonymous]

This is the weirdest thread, people discouraging almost every sport! OP, put your kids in what they are interested in doing. Let them try several sports. Many of the pitfalls here are for very high levels, which most kids won't achieve anyway.

My kids play hockey. They are really good, but won't play, e.g., division 1 hockey. But, they love the sport in the moment and are not aiming for more than that right now. Hockey is expect, but i was also surprised how much organizations for other sports charge for much shorter seasons. Also, my kids don't have many early practices (except occasionally on the weekend for games), the practice times are the same every week, and while the rinks are cold, you can wear a jacket! Hockey is super fun and challenging to learn, and great fun to watch.

And there are many other wonderful sports out there for your kids to try. Find out what sounds fun for them and go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 9 year old DC has been doing fencing since last 8 months and enjoys it. I am not sure if he will be able to continue it long term or not. It’s not like tennis which is popular and can be played in adult life. Should I ask him to quit fencing and pick a sport that can be played when he grows up?

Fencing absolutely can be done long term! there are "over 50" categories at competitions, and you should see the older folks that come to open bout night! so it could be a really fun, unique sport to continue as you age, plus a really tight-knit community. If $$'s not an issue, keep it going! Do tennis too, see what he likes! Camps are great for exposure!

[Anonymous]

I discouraged were dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading. Those seemed like ones where DD would be focused at least part on what her body looks like rather than what it can do. She is beautiful but I didn’t want that for her. I know those are really great sports and I’m not denying that. But I didn’t want to chance that.

Baseball is just so boring to me; I was glad when DS didn’t want to do that or DD softball.

Otherwise, we were open to anything. Both aren’t the best swimmers but they have really enjoyed the community of summer swim team.