Sports for short boys
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Anonymous
| My 13 yr old son is in the 5th percentile for height and weight. He is the coxswain on his rowing team and he fences. |
Anonymous
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I find it hilarious how so many parents took this thread as an opportunity to brag about how their short kid is SO great at sports. Come on! Of course there are some short boys who are great at sports but it is also true that it can be a big disadvantage at this age. My own DS is a bit smaller than OP's child and has friends who have 12-18 inches and 20 pounds on him. In most sports when he plays with his grade, he struggles but when he plays with kids closer to his age (he's young for his grade) and are closer to his height and weight he just slightly above average.
Luckily my child doesn't seem to mind either way but I can see how it can be discouraging. |
Anonymous
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Rock climbing is a competitive sport but moving on I know my DS's friends who are on the shorter side often do better at this age at more individual sports. This is why you are getting suggestions like fencing.
FWIW, I know a number of shorter kids who have done well enough at sports to play in college. One got a lacrosse scholarship, another swam at a top college and another ran track. Some PPs offered important advice about letting your child know that right now some kids play by brute force so it's the tallest or biggest kids who sometimes get the ball but that ball handling skills and speed will matter more going forward and that if he works hard at those skills he can play whatever sport he wants and do well. |
Anonymous
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You need to stop making height an excuse. So what if he is short? When I ran track, two kids much shorter then me were a lot faster.
He's only 8. If I could go back in time, I would've made my son try many different sports at that age. Help him pursue the ones he ENJOYS. If he doesn't enjoy any, that's ok, but at least get him to try. |
Anonymous
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No one's making height an excuse. OP did make her child try a bunch of sports but he was discouraged because he felt he wasn't doing well in them so she came on here asking for suggestions of MORE sports.
Unfortunately, kids at this age are very focused on being "good" at certain sports and only pursuing those. This is the year when all the kids drop out of soccer and other team sports because they and their parents feel like there's no "future." I know only one, may be two, kids this age who play some sports for the joy of it even though it's not necessarily their thing. It's great to see but it's very unusual. In fairness to OP I can't get my kid to do this either. |
Anonymous
DS is a lightweight rower. He is 6’2”. |
Anonymous
| How about Hockey, size doesn't matter. Speed and heart rule. |
Anonymous
| Ice skating. |
Anonymous
| It matters a lot when they start body checking in the early teens. |
Anonymous
| I'm tall for my age so for shorter kids I suggest doge bol it is easier to doge |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
 
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Anonymous
no its all about size |
Anonymous
| hate to burst the bubble, but height also very helpful in swim. if your arms are longer, you reach the wall faster.... |
Anonymous
| OP’s kid is off to college! OP, what sports did DS do? |