A good trainer will fix all your concerns. What area do you live in?

May I asked if your kid was in a club basketball team? Is he still playing and enjoying his games? My son is 9 and is in the similar situation, too...

I was that kid ( tall but not very good, I was probably OK as I always made the team in retrospect that is hard, but I seldom got playing time) as a parent I made sure to make sure my kids had the basic skills. Catching the ball is 100% my Dad's fault. No way around that. You aren't going to be able to outsource it. The trainer will just tell you to go home and play catch.

OK so here's what you have to do. You need to develop an instructional relationship with your kiddo. You can't just go out and wing it. Kids don't like just being told what to do for an hour. You need to have a plan. I recommend getting some books.

I actually got one on developing post players. It was awesome. It talked about special issues tall kids have. Yes, yes you can teach cathing a ball... It's really common issue for big kids!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who says an 8YO is dragging down a team has lost sight of the purpose of youth sports.

Not OP and my 8 year old absolutely makes her team worse. But she's still having fun and her coaches roll with it and most of her teammates don't mind (and the ones who do will be able to go to more competitive teams soon enough anyway).

This. There are 8 year olds who are "dragging down a team" but so what. Rec sports were for EVERYONE! And in my experience, most* rec leagues feel very inclusive. Some Little Leagues are way too intense, filled with travel players who also play LL in hopes of going to the LLWS, and can be a very bad experience for the weaker players. But setting that aside, rec sports should be and, in our experience, mostly are good for kids of all (or no) skill levels!

My DD played in a co-ed baseball league in 1st and 2nd grade and was the worst on her team both years. It was no big deal the first year, but the second year it became a problem. It wasn't the other kids who were mean - they were really sweet. It was the other parents who got mouthy. Two remarks I remember distinctly: "Why are you here?" and "Do you even like baseball?" DD refused to play anymore after the season ended.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who says an 8YO is dragging down a team has lost sight of the purpose of youth sports.

When my son was four years old we signed him up for soccer. He is non athletic but he was four and should have been able to kick a ball around. The first class had them on teams as if they all knew the game. My son bumped a kid from the side and he fell. My son was obviously clumsy and clueless. Suddenly this big fat nasty father started yelling “that kid doesn’t belong here.”

Some people not only lost sight of small children being allowed to participate in a group activity but some people are very disturbed.

At 4?! 🙄

It starts early, the parents who think they just put their child on a fast track for major sports.

Some soccer dads just suck. My kid was 8, doing rec soccer and another dad who was a self-appointed unofficial assistant coach was in the habit of shrieking at the kids from the sidelines for missing passes etc. We had a talk with the coach, but in the end, the coach seemed overwhelmed and unable to deal with the kids nevermind police the parents. I let my kid quit and move on to another sport.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who says an 8YO is dragging down a team has lost sight of the purpose of youth sports.

When my son was four years old we signed him up for soccer. He is non athletic but he was four and should have been able to kick a ball around. The first class had them on teams as if they all knew the game. My son bumped a kid from the side and he fell. My son was obviously clumsy and clueless. Suddenly this big fat nasty father started yelling “that kid doesn’t belong here.”

Some people not only lost sight of small children being allowed to participate in a group activity but some people are very disturbed.

At 4?! 🙄

It starts early, the parents who think they just put their child on a fast track for major sports.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who says an 8YO is dragging down a team has lost sight of the purpose of youth sports.

When my son was four years old we signed him up for soccer. He is non athletic but he was four and should have been able to kick a ball around. The first class had them on teams as if they all knew the game. My son bumped a kid from the side and he fell. My son was obviously clumsy and clueless. Suddenly this big fat nasty father started yelling “that kid doesn’t belong here.”

Some people not only lost sight of small children being allowed to participate in a group activity but some people are very disturbed.

At 4?! 🙄

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who says an 8YO is dragging down a team has lost sight of the purpose of youth sports.

When my son was four years old we signed him up for soccer. He is non athletic but he was four and should have been able to kick a ball around. The first class had them on teams as if they all knew the game. My son bumped a kid from the side and he fell. My son was obviously clumsy and clueless. Suddenly this big fat nasty father started yelling “that kid doesn’t belong here.”

Some people not only lost sight of small children being allowed to participate in a group activity but some people are very disturbed.

My 16 year old is only 6’1” and not the best player on his high level travel team. Is he dragging them down? Should he find a team where he is one of the best? Or one of the taller boys?

OP, skill is relative. Your kid is 8. If he likes the team, keep letting him play.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who says an 8YO is dragging down a team has lost sight of the purpose of youth sports.

Not OP and my 8 year old absolutely makes her team worse. But she's still having fun and her coaches roll with it and most of her teammates don't mind (and the ones who do will be able to go to more competitive teams soon enough anyway).

This. There are 8 year olds who are "dragging down a team" but so what. Rec sports were for EVERYONE! And in my experience, most* rec leagues feel very inclusive. Some Little Leagues are way too intense, filled with travel players who also play LL in hopes of going to the LLWS, and can be a very bad experience for the weaker players. But setting that aside, rec sports should be and, in our experience, mostly are good for kids of all (or no) skill levels!