Anonymous
Post 12/21/2014 07:54     Subject: Sports for short boys
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 a 5'2" DH. How about fencing? I captained a Div I team in college - small target made me hard to hit. Also, if he's left handed it's a big bonus.

Some other Ideas - Judo or Brazilian Ju-Juitsu. Basically grappling martial arts where he can learn wrestling without having to deal with extreme weight cutting. Maybe also archery, curling, table tennis, equestrian, shooting, cycling, or skating
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2014 07:49     Subject: Sports for short boys
I agree with gymnastics or tumbling and trampoline. Wrestling is another great suggestion. You could also try some less traditional sports - fencing or archery maybe? Or how about speed skating? And if competition isn't that important, how about parkour?
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2014 07:39     Subject: Sports for short boys
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What is his build? Short and broad, muscular? Or slender?

Lightweight crew would be something to try in the future. That is one sport where they do sort the kids by height.


Doesn't it help to have long limbs for crew?


For a rower. OP's DS would likely be a coxswain (the small person who steers and calls out the strokes)
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 21:20     Subject: Sports for short boys
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)
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 20:13     Subject: Sports for short boys
Another vote for wrestling. Good scholarships, and the best coaches we had were the wrestling coaches. For some reason, and I think other wrestling parents will agree, the coaches you get in wrestling are excellent. It's a hidden gem in the athletic department, and being short - NOT A PROBLEM.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 20:07     Subject: Re:Sports for short boys
Anonymous wrote:I agree that there are plenty of short fast kids who do well at soccer. Yes, a taller kid is going to be better at heading, but 8 year olds shouldn't be heading on a regular basis. A tiny scrappy kid is going to be better at getting around opponents, so it evens out.

Weirdly, football is a support that rewards small kids at young ages. Kids play football in weight classes, so the kids who are small for their age are usually the most mature and smartest on their team, and get chosen for the "skill" positions like QB. Even for linesmen, breadth is more important than height so a short but stocky kid will have an advantage over a tall skinny kid of the same weight. Of course a tall stocky kid would do even better, but that kid will play at a higher weight class.


Agree with this. We have some fabulous players on DS' soccer team that are really short. They're fast and great at handling the ball. Don't rule it out!
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 20:04     Subject: Sports for short boys
Anonymous wrote:
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.


OP, is it truly his lack of height? Maybe he's not on the right team/league. There are plenty of short kids who do fine at these sports. The best players on my kid's middle school basketball team is really short. At 8 a kid might be frustrated at their lack of skill compared to their teammates. Has he tried a skills clinic in the sports that he likes?


+1 -- the best guy on my high school b-ball team, which was AAAA and vey competitive, was barely 5-1. But he was fast and could shoot from anywhere.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 20:01     Subject: Re:Sports for short boys
Anonymous wrote:The problem with soccer is that yes, ultimately height doesn't matter all that much (at least for midfielders, and really quick forwards, but does matter a lot for defenders and goalies, and to some degree strikers who score mostly off headers), but for boys in the age 8-14 range, it matters a lot, because the bigger boys who have grown/matured earlier also tend to be stronger and being able to head the ball, use size/strength to keep ball or defend, and also speed (a kid with legs half as long just can't run as fast during this stage of development). Teams are completely age not size-based, so it really does put smaller kids, both girls and boys, at a disadvantage.

Agree with considering wrestling, gymnastics, swimming.


Totally silly in the context of an 8-year-old, I know, but height is an advantage in swimming. Weight can be too. All things equal a 6-4 guy is reaching the wall before a 5-2 guy.

Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 20:00     Subject: Sports for short boys
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.


OP, is it truly his lack of height? Maybe he's not on the right team/league. There are plenty of short kids who do fine at these sports. The best players on my kid's middle school basketball team is really short. At 8 a kid might be frustrated at their lack of skill compared to their teammates. Has he tried a skills clinic in the sports that he likes?
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 19:29     Subject: Re:Sports for short boys
My 7.5 year old son is 44 lbs and 47 inches tall. He takes Karate and does swimming, but enjoys playing soccer in the after school activities. Couldn't he just love something where he is competitive with just himself?
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 19:17     Subject: Sports for short boys
My 8 YO is 50 pounds on a good day. He is not aggressive. I have found that sticking with a sport and practicing has payed dividends.

We play lacrosse and he is by far the smallest child out there - but his coach was awesome. The coach is the type that sees that point of excellence and calls it out and puts a huge smile on the kid so that he can't wait to go back for the next game. This experience was at Bethesda LAX - madlax clinic was a totally different experience.

My son also loves baseball - which they are suppose to break by birthday not grade.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 19:13     Subject: Re:Sports for short boys
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I will mention wrestling to him. That sport never crossed my mind. I wonder if they even have wrestling for little boys. I'll see what Google says.


Where r u?

My son wrestles in HS, weight class 106.


Just to add... Kids wrestle other kids "in their weight class" which is why size does not matter.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 19:12     Subject: Re:Sports for short boys
Anonymous wrote:I will mention wrestling to him. That sport never crossed my mind. I wonder if they even have wrestling for little boys. I'll see what Google says.


Where r u?

My son wrestles in HS, weight class 106.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 19:07     Subject: Re:Sports for short boys
Anonymous wrote:I will mention wrestling to him. That sport never crossed my mind. I wonder if they even have wrestling for little boys. I'll see what Google says.


My boys (ages 7 and 10) wrestled last year. I agree with PPs that it's a great sport but it was difficult for me to watch. After one meet, I never went to another. It was difficult for me to watch kids strive to physically dominate one another. But, it's a sport where size doesn't matter. It's all about technique. In the beginning, yeah, size can make a difference but if a kid practices and develops techniques, he'll win every time no matter his size. It's also a great sport for conditioning. If you google your city and wrestling club, you'll probaby get hits. There are a lot of clubs.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2014 18:31     Subject: Re:Sports for short boys
I will mention wrestling to him. That sport never crossed my mind. I wonder if they even have wrestling for little boys. I'll see what Google says.