Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some dumbass answers here. The difference between being in the 50th percentile or being in the 30th percentile is 1.5 inches.

He’s within the normal range of height. Most of the posters here have kids within the normal range of height and they play a variety of sports.

OP is looking for sports where height won't be a disadvantage, as 30% height in a male is about 5'7. We see many posts here for people looking for sports for their kids to try based on certain genetic factors. Like, a 5'7 male probably won't make the high school basketball or volleyball team, but they'd be okay in numerous other sports where being in the 30% is not necessarily disadvantageous, like soccer, tennis, fencing, track, sailing, gymnastics, wrestling, speed skating, figure skating, horse racing, diving, rock climbing, martial arts.

Wow. Some dumbass answers here. The difference between being in the 50th percentile or being in the 30th percentile is 1.5 inches.

He’s within the normal range of height. Most of the posters here have kids within the normal range of height and they play a variety of sports.

Get that midget to be a wrestler

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much anything he wants except eventually height will matter for basketball and goalie in soccer. And size will matter for football. But he has a ways to go before that excludes him.

Has he tried ice hockey?

Hasn't tried ice hockey, but I would be worried about injury. Anyway he would have to learn to ice skate better first

The thing about ice hockey is that the sport changes at 14U when they allow checking, which is why it's not uncommon for small kids to get quick. AT 14U, my DS had a teammate who was 6'3 and over 200 lbs. If he has a strong passion for ice hockey, go for it, but hockey is not a sport where being small is advantageous.

*At 14U, it is not uncommon for small kids to quit. Being checked against the boards by a kid twice your size is tough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much anything he wants except eventually height will matter for basketball and goalie in soccer. And size will matter for football. But he has a ways to go before that excludes him.

Has he tried ice hockey?

Hasn't tried ice hockey, but I would be worried about injury. Anyway he would have to learn to ice skate better first

The thing about ice hockey is that the sport changes at 14U when they allow checking, which is why it's not uncommon for small kids to get quick. AT 14U, my DS had a teammate who was 6'3 and over 200 lbs. If he has a strong passion for ice hockey, go for it, but hockey is not a sport where being small is advantageous.

Anonymous wrote:Lacrosse! You don’t need to be big to be good.

When I look at college lacrosse rosters, most of the men are over 6'. The small guys seem to be outliers and probably have to be significantly faster and more skilled than their teammates to compensate for their size.

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much anything he wants except eventually height will matter for basketball and goalie in soccer. And size will matter for football. But he has a ways to go before that excludes him.

Has he tried ice hockey?

Hasn't tried ice hockey, but I would be worried about injury. Anyway he would have to learn to ice skate better first

Being smaller/lighter weight is a benefit for sailing, and if you live near an ocean, open water sailing definitely requires fearlessness.

Soccer has worked out well for a kid we know who is like that. But keep in mind that in soccer and other field sports the smaller kid often gets knocked over more frequently. That can be hard on the kid and on the team since it takes a second for a kid to get back on their feet even if they’re the kind who springs right back up. The fearless kids we know also get injured more often, including concussions. So that’s another thing to keep in mind. Fearlessness can be great in sports but sometimes a little bit of a self preservation instinct is a good thing.

Pretty much anything he wants except eventually height will matter for basketball and goalie in soccer. And size will matter for football. But he has a ways to go before that excludes him.

Has he tried ice hockey?

Equestrian. He can be a jockey

Anonymous wrote:I'd say anything he wants except, eventually, basketball

+1

- lacrosse
- wrestling
- flag football

What is big in your area?

Anonymous wrote:Fencing for unathletic small kids

The OP didn’t say he was unathletic and it doesn’t sound like he’s unathletic based on the description. He’s not even that small in the 30th percentile. At 8 years old there are kids at every height. He doesn’t have to rule out any sports.

Evenutally he'd make a great doubles tennis player at the net.