Does he want competitive or contact sport? If just a competitive sport, I think any sport at his age. If contact, my vote is for wrestling.

Definitely wrestling. It is competitive and fun for 8 years old boys. And 8 year old is a good age to start. There are all levels of athletic ability.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. He is super short for his age. He is also lightweight. He is appr. 50 inches tall and 50 lbs. He has short arms and legs so the boys he plays sports with look years older than he does in terms of height, weight and body maturity. Around boys his age, he looks like a kindergartener standing next to them. He can run pretty fast but it doesn't seem to matter b/c everyone else passes him. When he was 5 or 6, he didn't notice that the other kids were faster. He just wanted to play soccer, etc but now he notices. He just wants to find a sport he has a possibility of doing well at. I joked to my DH that he could be a jockey or the guy in the front of the crew boat. Maybe he can do crew but that seems like a sport for older kids. He is going to sleepaway camp this summer so maybe he can try new sports like tennis etc.

I'm 13:37.

My 9.5 yr old is 53" and 60lbs, with short arms, not sure about legs. He was probably about the same size as your DS when he was 8. So, I hear ya.

Thanks everyone. He is super short for his age. He is also lightweight. He is appr. 50 inches tall and 50 lbs. He has short arms and legs so the boys he plays sports with look years older than he does in terms of height, weight and body maturity. Around boys his age, he looks like a kindergartener standing next to them. He can run pretty fast but it doesn't seem to matter b/c everyone else passes him. When he was 5 or 6, he didn't notice that the other kids were faster. He just wanted to play soccer, etc but now he notices. He just wants to find a sport he has a possibility of doing well at. I joked to my DH that he could be a jockey or the guy in the front of the crew boat. Maybe he can do crew but that seems like a sport for older kids. He is going to sleepaway camp this summer so maybe he can try new sports like tennis etc.

Yes, gymnastics. Individual sport but they train and compete as part of a team (best of both worlds!). Allows boys to gain serious muscles and be physically very strong. Encourages hard work, good behaviour and discipline, and really helps with their self-confidence. At 8, he's the perfect age to start training a bit more seriously. I don't think there's a better sport for short elementary school boys! Skiing might work too, but it's not as easy to get to!

As a mom to to a tall DS, I have to say the short kids run circles around him in basketball and soccer. This is the age of the aggressive athlete, whether short or tall. Long term DS will likely have some advantages if he continues to play basketball but even his older brother's varsity team has 4 kids (out of 10) who are shorter.

Tennis.

Jockey.

Baseball.

I think that short is an excuse. He doesn't have to like team sports -- not everyone does, but short really doesn't matter at that age. Sure, short high schoolers don't usually play varsity basketball...

He just doesn't like soccer etc.

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.

Is it really his height, at 8? My 11 year old is of average height and plays on teams with both tall and short children. In the club and travel teams build can be something of an issue, but in rec it's really not a big deal. Athletic short kids do just as well as athletic tall kids. The child with the best ratio attempting and making baskets on my son's basketball team is a really short child.

I'd make sure the height is the real issue and it's not being used as an excuse because he doesn't recognize that maybe the flow of the game is a bit fast for him or that predicting where the ball is going is difficult.

Swimming might work, although it's not a team sport like soccer is a team sport. Golf or archery might work for him. If he wants the team sport experience, you're pretty much going to need to find a ball sport that works for him. Maybe have him try out a soccer summer camp and see if he doesn't improve enough to want to continue.

In swimming height is more of an advantage for sprinting distances. If he's a distance swimmer it matters less.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know, the fastest kid on our soccer team is extremely short. Maybe try tennis.

+1

My 7.5 year old is < 5% for weight and height and is a star at soccer. He is a late summer birthday, so is playing with much bigger kids. I think if your kid is talented or really likes a particular sport, that he will be fine. He doesn't have to be the best, he just has to enjoy the sport. It helps to be in a sport with at least one friend.

My DS is short and excels at soccer and track in high school. Lionel Messi is only 5-6 so height isn't critical in soccer unless you are a goalie or a center back. In track the middle and longer distances are good for short boys, sprinting and jumping tends to favor taller boys.