At what age do you think you can tell whether a kid has potential to be an athlete?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, but one of my kids did end up doing her sport professionally for a few years after college.

People were commenting on her athleticism starting when she was just 3 and 4 years old. She ran faster than the other kids, she climbed higher on playground equipment, and she had no fear. She loved and got so much enjoyment out of running, jumping, climbing- anything and everything that involved physical movement. She also had more advanced muscle development for her age according to her pediatrician at the time.

So for some kids, you can tell pretty early that they will be athletic

Same. My most athletic kid rode a peddle bike at 2 (straight from balance bike, skipped training wheels, no instruction required). He skied a double black diamond at 4. He taught himself to backflip on the trampoline at 5. He’s been an adrenaline junkie since ~2. Now does one sport at a national level.

Big deal and not helpful?

The answer is that athleticism was noticeable at between 2-4.

[Anonymous]

In the womb is the right answer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, but one of my kids did end up doing her sport professionally for a few years after college.

People were commenting on her athleticism starting when she was just 3 and 4 years old. She ran faster than the other kids, she climbed higher on playground equipment, and she had no fear. She loved and got so much enjoyment out of running, jumping, climbing- anything and everything that involved physical movement. She also had more advanced muscle development for her age according to her pediatrician at the time.

So for some kids, you can tell pretty early that they will be athletic

Same. My most athletic kid rode a peddle bike at 2 (straight from balance bike, skipped training wheels, no instruction required). He skied a double black diamond at 4. He taught himself to backflip on the trampoline at 5. He’s been an adrenaline junkie since ~2. Now does one sport at a national level.

Big deal and not helpful?

The answer is that athleticism was noticeable at between 2-4.

But not every kid with athleticism goes on to greatness. What's different about the ones that do and the ones that don't?

[Anonymous]

I assume you mean d-1 or professional with this question. I think you can tell by 18 months, but the wild card is how big they will grow, which you never know for sure. I still remember the D-1 college baseball player in our family, he could really zip a ball from the toddler years. Totally different from anything I’ve ever seen before or since.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good Athletes - Like D1 or even pro level athleticism? I'd say around age 7 I can tell. It is hard to describe but you know when you see it.

High School athletes? Middle school or beyond. Most schools you can work hard and make a team and even be a starter. But the high level athletes that play on TV every weekend all have something the rest of us don't have.

You sound like my DH, who was able to project out the maximum potential achievement level of each kid on my son’s U9 soccer team, assuming they put in the time athletically and academically and weren’t derailed by life. I was highly skeptical at the time. A decade+on, he nailed almost every kid, ranging from the one he described as D1/pro potential, the couple D3/borderline D1, the category of “will likely make varsity at a minimum”, the couple of “may make JV/wont make varsity” kids (both of whom made JV for one year), the one he predicted would excel at a different sport, and the others who he said didn’t have the coordination or other baseline athletic traits to play beyond rec.

It’s obviously easier to project out for a sport like soccer, where size is not determinative for most positions, but I still think my DH has an uncanny and unusual ability to recognize which kids are fundamentally athletic and which aren’t at a young age. I don’t think most of us have this ability, including most youth coaches. Therefore, I think it’s a bit of a pointless question. If your kid likes sports, encourage them to keep it up for all the benefits sports offers, and time will take care of letting you know what level they can succeed at.

Your DH is an untapped scouting talent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, but one of my kids did end up doing her sport professionally for a few years after college.

People were commenting on her athleticism starting when she was just 3 and 4 years old. She ran faster than the other kids, she climbed higher on playground equipment, and she had no fear. She loved and got so much enjoyment out of running, jumping, climbing- anything and everything that involved physical movement. She also had more advanced muscle development for her age according to her pediatrician at the time.

So for some kids, you can tell pretty early that they will be athletic

Same. My most athletic kid rode a peddle bike at 2 (straight from balance bike, skipped training wheels, no instruction required). He skied a double black diamond at 4. He taught himself to backflip on the trampoline at 5. He’s been an adrenaline junkie since ~2. Now does one sport at a national level.

Big deal and not helpful?

The answer is that athleticism was noticeable at between 2-4.

But not every kid with athleticism goes on to greatness. What's different about the ones that do and the ones that don't?

The OP asked at what age can athleticism be seen, when do you know a child has great potential. What’s different about those who go on to “big things” is a completely different question. Good question for it’s own thread, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, but one of my kids did end up doing her sport professionally for a few years after college.

People were commenting on her athleticism starting when she was just 3 and 4 years old. She ran faster than the other kids, she climbed higher on playground equipment, and she had no fear. She loved and got so much enjoyment out of running, jumping, climbing- anything and everything that involved physical movement. She also had more advanced muscle development for her age according to her pediatrician at the time.

So for some kids, you can tell pretty early that they will be athletic

Same. My most athletic kid rode a peddle bike at 2 (straight from balance bike, skipped training wheels, no instruction required). He skied a double black diamond at 4. He taught himself to backflip on the trampoline at 5. He’s been an adrenaline junkie since ~2. Now does one sport at a national level.

Big deal and not helpful?

Also super negligent parenting. My kids ski 30 days a year and I would not take any 4 year old on a double black. Maybe a crappy east coast one but a double black out west? this is irresponsible parenting.

[Anonymous]

D1 or pro potential? After puberty of course

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, but one of my kids did end up doing her sport professionally for a few years after college.

People were commenting on her athleticism starting when she was just 3 and 4 years old. She ran faster than the other kids, she climbed higher on playground equipment, and she had no fear. She loved and got so much enjoyment out of running, jumping, climbing- anything and everything that involved physical movement. She also had more advanced muscle development for her age according to her pediatrician at the time.

So for some kids, you can tell pretty early that they will be athletic

Same. My most athletic kid rode a peddle bike at 2 (straight from balance bike, skipped training wheels, no instruction required). He skied a double black diamond at 4. He taught himself to backflip on the trampoline at 5. He’s been an adrenaline junkie since ~2. Now does one sport at a national level.

Big deal and not helpful?

Also super negligent parenting. My kids ski 30 days a year and I would not take any 4 year old on a double black. Maybe a crappy east coast one but a double black out west? this is irresponsible parenting.

Well, your kid isn't a nationally ranked skier, either, I'm guessing. I guess all the kids in our town have negligent parents by your definition, as I now live in a ski town out west, and it's not unusual to see 4-year-olds on double black diamonds, though it is uncommon to see tourists on them.

[Anonymous]

We have a house in Telluride and I rarely if ever see 4 year olds on double blacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, but one of my kids did end up doing her sport professionally for a few years after college.

People were commenting on her athleticism starting when she was just 3 and 4 years old. She ran faster than the other kids, she climbed higher on playground equipment, and she had no fear. She loved and got so much enjoyment out of running, jumping, climbing- anything and everything that involved physical movement. She also had more advanced muscle development for her age according to her pediatrician at the time.

So for some kids, you can tell pretty early that they will be athletic

Same. My most athletic kid rode a peddle bike at 2 (straight from balance bike, skipped training wheels, no instruction required). He skied a double black diamond at 4. He taught himself to backflip on the trampoline at 5. He’s been an adrenaline junkie since ~2. Now does one sport at a national level.

Big deal and not helpful?

Also super negligent parenting. My kids ski 30 days a year and I would not take any 4 year old on a double black. Maybe a crappy east coast one but a double black out west? this is irresponsible parenting.

In all fairness, "super negligent parenting" (by your standard) is a requisite trait among freestyle skiing families. Walker Woodring, the youngest US National Team member (2010 BY), has been throwing 360s since he was five and was inverted not long after. Watch what he does on his Instagram, and you'll probably say there's no way I would let my kid do that. It's a different group of kids and parents with higher risk tolerance than the general population. If you think doing a double black diamond at 4 is "super negligent," then freestyle skiing isn't your sport. This is also true of racing parents, though, people perceive that as being less risky than freestyle skiing, even though they get their share of head injuries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, but one of my kids did end up doing her sport professionally for a few years after college.

People were commenting on her athleticism starting when she was just 3 and 4 years old. She ran faster than the other kids, she climbed higher on playground equipment, and she had no fear. She loved and got so much enjoyment out of running, jumping, climbing- anything and everything that involved physical movement. She also had more advanced muscle development for her age according to her pediatrician at the time.

So for some kids, you can tell pretty early that they will be athletic

Same. My most athletic kid rode a peddle bike at 2 (straight from balance bike, skipped training wheels, no instruction required). He skied a double black diamond at 4. He taught himself to backflip on the trampoline at 5. He’s been an adrenaline junkie since ~2. Now does one sport at a national level.

Big deal and not helpful?

Also super negligent parenting. My kids ski 30 days a year and I would not take any 4 year old on a double black. Maybe a crappy east coast one but a double black out west? this is irresponsible parenting.

Well, your kid isn't a nationally ranked skier, either, I'm guessing. I guess all the kids in our town have negligent parents by your definition, as I now live in a ski town out west, and it's not unusual to see 4-year-olds on double black diamonds, though it is uncommon to see tourists on them.

what town do you live?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a house in Telluride and I rarely if ever see 4 year olds on double blacks.

So do we

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a house in Telluride and I rarely if ever see 4 year olds on double blacks.

So do we

Which runs? I really do not see any 4 year olds on double blacks in Telluride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a house in Telluride and I rarely if ever see 4 year olds on double blacks.

So do we

Which runs? I really do not see any 4 year olds on double blacks in Telluride.

I'm the PP on the ski topic, and I live in a ski town different from Telluride; though we love skiing Telluride. One of my kids is nationally competitive as a skier.
Skiing a double black diamond at four was not hard for him, and we skied the same run with his friends around the same age and their parents. These kids have grown up on skis, mountain bikes, skateboards, ice skating on the ponds, surfing and water skiing in the lake. Among our friend group, no one thinks it's noteworthy that he did that; if anything, skiing in big moguls that slowed him down was a good break from the terrain park or crowded runs where he was more likely to get hurt. And freestyle skiing is a sport where you know if your kid will be great by 8-10 years old. We watched Walker Woodring ski when he was 8, and I told my spouse that, barring an injury, that kid is going to the Olympics. Videos of him at 11 and 12 are amazing.