Sports for short boys

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, the kids around you must drink hormone infused milk, bc my almost 10 yr old DS is 53 inches and 55 lbs, and is squarely middle of the pack (he is thinner than most but I think you are more focused on height). Also he is no standout on any sports team but that is a result of him not being very athletic not his size. I agree with the advice to encourage your son to pick a sport and stick with it - play on a team but also do clinics, camps - that will give him the best shot at bring decent at a sport. Who knows what his size will eventually be - why limit him to sports based on his physique at age 8??

50" at 8 is actually right around 50%-tile according to CDC chart, so I don't think OP's son is short, just shorter than half.

However 53" at 10 is ~ 25%-tile so I don't know what kind of milk kids around PP drink if his son is in the middle of the pack...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

i'm really curious why baseball didn't work out, especially at age 8 which would be AA/1st year kids pitch league? i coached t-ball to AA and height had never been a factor for success or having a good time on the field.

[Anonymous]

My dad is 5 foot 4 around 140 pounds he always played sports. His position was that since only .0001 will ever make pro, you just have to decide to enjoy sports and not worry about height or weight. I know it is hard because kids do want to win, but focusing on sports being fun will be an important life skill.

[Anonymous]

Glad to see that someone else also said fencing! you are a smaller target. Although at age 8, I would focus on just playing and socializing in sports and trying new sports out.

I totally get that team sports and burn kids out earlier than what it did when I was younger. Both my boys burnt out on team sports around age 8.

Although I am 6ft both my boys are currently short for their age (I cannot relate - I was always tall for my age).

My oldest fencing and loves it- been doing it since 3rd grade, now in 7th grade goes 3 times or more a week.

My 3rd grader likes tennis and tap. Finding tap classes for a boy just starting in 3rd grade was tough, but we did it.

I have to laugh, that during his cousin's nutcracker I made a comment about how the one dance had lots of boys in it, he said - "Boys can do ballet too mom!" - so maybe ballet??

[Anonymous]

Cycling. The best climbers are short and slight with huge legs. It makes a difference that they don't have to haul as much weight up to the top of the mountain as the bigger guys.

[Anonymous]

he is 8, let him play all the sports, there are very few people who are going to stay the same height they are at age 8. He will be just fine just ignore talking about it.

remember he is 8

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. I know he will have a chance to try out a lot of these sports at camp which is good. To the fencing poster- aren't his short arms a problem with trying to hit the target? I would think his short reach would make it near impossible to score points. To the PPs- I am glad some short kids you know are doing well in team sports like soccer but my son just didn't. Even running at full speed, the other kids ran right past him. The boys on his rec team ranged from appr. 4 inches taller to 7-8 inches taller than him. They were all in his grade too and my son has a March birthday so he wasn't the youngest kid on the team. There is only one rec team in our area and he would have to try out for the travel team (he wouldn't agree to it b/c he knows he isn't any good). I think he just wants to play a sport to fit in and be semi decent at it. I can't blame him. Hopefully, a sport at camp might peak his interest. Thanks all!

Just another couple of thoughts on the soccer front. Though you need to be fast to play at the highest levels, you don't need above average speed to play travel soccer at a decent level IF you have excellent ball skills. These rec kids who were breezing past him presumably were not doing so with the ball at their feet. If you have enough skills, you can keep control of the ball while using moves to evade an oncoming opponent and will be able to lift your head up and make a smart pass to an open teammate when under pressure. At 8, playing only rec, your son would have no real way of knowing whether he has the potential to be good at soccer or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dad is 5 foot 4 around 140 pounds he always played sports. His position was that since only .0001 will ever make pro, you just have to decide to enjoy sports and not worry about height or weight. I know it is hard because kids do want to win, but focusing on sports being fun will be an important life skill.

This is what DH and I always say to our short kid! I think it's so true. Just let your kid play to have fun. You don't have to be the best/fastest/strongest. Even if your DS is short, he may have other strengths.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for everyone's responses. DCUM can be such a great resource. He doesn't want to play the team sports anymore because he feels inferior. I can't blame him. I wouldn't want to continue playing something where I never did well. He did a few clinics over the last few years and they seemed to be filled with superstars. As for the height, he was in the 10-20% range at his 8 yr old checkup. Not sure where the poster got the 50% from. I am 5'3" and my DH is 5'4" so his adult height is predicted to be appr. 5'6". No, he probably won't go on to compete in any sport but he just wants to experience success. I did find a wrestling program nearby but it is too late to join this year. Maybe I will take him to watch a practice or meet. He loved the fencing idea too. How much does fencing cost? I guess it doesn't help that his friends are really into sports so he wants to fit in with them.

[Anonymous]

Sorry that these sports didn't work out. From our travel experience - with short athletes (25% percentile), for LAX, attack is a good position for shorter kids and an advantage - they lock in positions early unfortunately in many LAX programmes so good to know. Agree with pp - short at an early age shouldn't matter as well as soccer, foot skills matter a lot in travel, speed/other things more in house. Catching ground balls (think shortstop) helps when short at young ages, in baseball. In all of these sports, short kids can often play division III sports, on occasion division I. I would be very cautious on that "letting short" be the reason. If a kid picks up on that they may become more sensitive? And in middle school, boys compare heights more if they are short and not growing as fast.

At age 8, its probably more the dynamics of the team and / OR coach. And in some of these sports, the parents, coaches, and/or kids can be uber competitive. I'd probably focus on the dynamics, particularly the coaches in these programs more - if you can. A great coach can make most kids feel successful. another thing we have found with many kids, is sometimes its more important for our DC to also be with several friends than the "optimal" sports solution. Makes playing the game, having fun more important than winning.

hope that helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As for the height, he was in the 10-20% range at his 8 yr old checkup. Not sure where the poster got the 50% from.

According to this calculator 50" 8-yo boy is at ~43% in height.

http://reference.medscape.com/calculator/height-age-percentile-boys

But I'd probably trust your ped more instead of the internet.

[Anonymous]

Some of the best players on my sons basketball team are short. They are quick and the taller kids have a harder time stealing the ball from them. Don't count him out bc of his height !

[Anonymous]

Mom of wrestlers here. Yes, it probably is too late for the winter season, but a lot of clubs practice year round. Talk with some coaches and they may be able to clue you into some other practices, or even let your son come to try one out. I also have to agree that the coaches, for the most part, are some of the most dedicated and skilled ones we've run into.

Also, I have one son who is the smallest on his very competitive travel baseball team. He does very well. Partially due to innate ability, but a large part is due to his willingness to work, and work hard, in developing his skills. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Parent of wrestling and just wanted to add two things. Wrestling teams/coaches are extremely welcoming and I suspect you could find a local club that would allow your child to start with them now. Practices have been underway for a few weeks but the season does not start until early January so it may not be too late, at least for practices. But here is something to consider -- and I am a big advocate for wrestling which is a great sport for shorter kids -- you mentioned in your original post that your son does not want to do team sports because he feels inferior. Well most everyone feels inferior with wrestling at the start. It is a sport where there are clear winners and losers and where you can lose a match very fast. Just about all wrestlers lose a lot at the beginning (not all but most) so that might be something to think about. Everyone involved (and the coaches are generally great) are very supportive but lots of kids do not like the fact that someone loses every match. No ties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For recreational leagues, swimming is probably good, but as you get older into HS, size can start to influence performance significantly (As a short former swimmer who swam through HS but the taller, broad/developed shouldered boys and girls were the standouts)

Yeah, funny you mention this. I'm a woman who is 5'4'' and kind of small-ish framed. I swam growing up through high school, and I was decent, but never great at it, perhaps partially due to my height. I was better at distance, where height is less of a disadvantage.

Funny thing, I started recreationally running/racing in my late 20s, early 30s, and am actually surprisingly decent at it for someone who started so late. Since I was never great at soccer and other running-based team sports, my parents were super surprised. We joked that I should have done cross country/track instead.

Being short and not great at team sports might be unrelated. I know I've always been bad at coordinating with balls and other objects. If he likes to climb, he might just be one of those people who is better at individual sports. I don't know if climbing teams are a thing on the east coast, but a lot of gyms on the west coast have recreational climbing teams. Maybe check it out and see if that's an option if he likes it?