DS 5' 7" lax scholarship full ride to division one schools. Your son is only five I think you are over thinking this.... Let him play whatever he wants.

OP; I think you are probably overthinking this. Between my 3 kids, one or the other of them has played pretty much every common sport (at some time or another). I have not seen height be a factor in ANY sport before middle school (at the very earliest). If you’re talking playing in college or even HS varsity- then yes , realistically it is a huge factor.

Even in basketball, it only started to matter at middle school age.

Some of the tiniest kids have actually been the best/better players on lots of my kids’ sports teams actually. They are usually FAST. The best player on my son’s travel baseball team (age 14) is the smallest kid actually- bats lead off and is an awesome pitcher. On my younger son’s flag football team- again- a tiny kid is the star- he is lightning fast and shifty.

If your son remains short, there is no reason he can’t still be a good player/ key contributor in most sports, for a good long time! Besides that- he may very well end up average height or even tall. I suppose it’s unlikely but he wouldn’t be the first!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You shouldn't be steering him towards anything at FIVE. He should be trying whatever he wants to. Get a grip.

Let me know how that works out for you when you tell your kid they can no longer play football after doing flag for several years because of the concussion risks. We are steering a bit. There are a lot of choices for extracurricular outside of a few sports that you really do need to be big and tall.

Dp. Are you saying it would li d be better not to have played flag football at all because in the futuire he wouldn"t be able to play football? If that is so, which I totally disagree why should women play sports if thete is no chance of playing professionsl? In my day there wasn't a women's basketball league and yet I played. Even as a short woman, then girl. I had fun!

Also, this kid may decide for himself that football is not what he wants to do?

You can do rec flag football all the way through high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Train him to be a catcher in baseball. Good ones are hard to find and there's an advantage to being short (and stocky) as long as he can hit too.

Nah you have to be big to be a catcher.

Wrong.

I was a catcher, idiot. I know.

NP here. What is the rationale to being big? So you can block the balls better? Big as in tall or big as in stocky or both?

There is more of you to block and smother balls, and your longer arms can reach out and snag balls. Catchers are generally substantial people. My kid is 13 and on a travel baseball team - the lead off hitters are two tiny speedy dudes who can both really hit the ball. Both also good pitchers and out fielders. My kid, on the other hand, is 5’10”, runs like a wounded camel. It ain’t pretty.

My DS is short but he loves basketball so much I won’t discourage him from playing, instead I sent him to training and camps. He’s playing on an AAU team, one of the shortest players but the quickest and high scorer!

Anonymous wrote:Swimming too

Not if you want to be competitive at it. Agreed any size kid can be on the summer swim team and have a good time.

I think at five, you let him try everything. Once he gets to upper elementary, based on what he enjoys and if he seems like he wants to pursue something more intensely, I think it's ok to steer him to focus on things where his size won't preclude him from participating post-puberty. Gymnastics, wrestling, soccer if he is an exceptional athlete.

I had a parent once say to me very nicely, when it comes to sports there is pre-puberty and post-puberty. Meaning the kids who are successful pre-puberty might not be the same kids post-puberty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Train him to be a catcher in baseball. Good ones are hard to find and there's an advantage to being short (and stocky) as long as he can hit too.

Nah you have to be big to be a catcher.

Wrong.

I was a catcher, idiot. I know.

NP here. What is the rationale to being big? So you can block the balls better? Big as in tall or big as in stocky or both?

Martial arts

Anonymous wrote:Horse racing.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You shouldn't be steering him towards anything at FIVE. He should be trying whatever he wants to. Get a grip.

Let me know how that works out for you when you tell your kid they can no longer play football after doing flag for several years because of the concussion risks. We are steering a bit. There are a lot of choices for extracurricular outside of a few sports that you really do need to be big and tall.

Dp. Are you saying it would li d be better not to have played flag football at all because in the futuire he wouldn"t be able to play football? If that is so, which I totally disagree why should women play sports if thete is no chance of playing professionsl? In my day there wasn't a women's basketball league and yet I played. Even as a short woman, then girl. I had fun!

Also, this kid may decide for himself that football is not what he wants to do?

I won't let either of my kids play tackle football so I won't let them do flag either. I don't want them to have fun and like it and be disappointed they can't go on to play. We don't believe in football because of the risk of injuries.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Train him to be a catcher in baseball. Good ones are hard to find and there's an advantage to being short (and stocky) as long as he can hit too.

Nah you have to be big to be a catcher.

Wrong.

I was a catcher, idiot. I know.

Wait, he’s FIVE? Let him do whatever the heck he wants to do! Unless of course you have aspirations for him going pro but geez

Horse jockey

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You shouldn't be steering him towards anything at FIVE. He should be trying whatever he wants to. Get a grip.

Let me know how that works out for you when you tell your kid they can no longer play football after doing flag for several years because of the concussion risks. We are steering a bit. There are a lot of choices for extracurricular outside of a few sports that you really do need to be big and tall.

Dp. Are you saying it would li d be better not to have played flag football at all because in the futuire he wouldn"t be able to play football? If that is so, which I totally disagree why should women play sports if thete is no chance of playing professionsl? In my day there wasn't a women's basketball league and yet I played. Even as a short woman, then girl. I had fun!

Also, this kid may decide for himself that football is not what he wants to do?