Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So how do I get my 13 year old involved in a team sport when he really has no skills? Most kids have been playing for 10+ years at this point and he doesn't even have the basics down! And he's quiet, so he's not going to gravitate naturally towards a 'get in there and get the ball' kind of approach. He has mentioned liking soccer, but what team is going to take him with no skills?

Rec leagues! My son isn't a great athlete, but loves playing so we stick with the rec league. He's 13, and almost every single year there is at least one kid who has never played the sport before.

Please tell me - how do you get in these 'rec leagues'? Signed, clueless and desperate...

Where do you live? Virtually every county in the DC area has one or more rec soccer organizations, and there are rec leagues in DC as well.

most counties have a park and recreation league and will have a list of classes posted on line. if your county doesn't have one, your city or one close to you should.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a teen boy that doesn't take weekly instrument lessons? If so, do you force it?

Anyone have a teen boy who doesn't participate in theater, painting or dance? If so, do you force this?

A sport is mandatory in our house. Individual or team. As a matter of fact, so is an instrument. My son play lacrosse and the piano. BTW Dance is a sport. He did hip hop dance whrn he was little, but quit because the time commitment was too much.

My teenage son doesn't do team sports mostly because he thinks the sporty kids generally don't have anything interesting to talk about and are as,a group, assholes to the less talented kids on the team and are cliquish and rude to the kids they perceive as being lower status. He himself is quite athletic but sticks to individual sports. He is very happy, social, and has the true confidence of someone comfortable in his own skin who doesn't have to conform just for social safety. I love that kid.

My teen has some special needs. No, I don't force him to do team sports.

Team sports are way over rated. I did them as a kid and they had little impact on my life Scouting was much better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So how do I get my 13 year old involved in a team sport when he really has no skills? Most kids have been playing for 10+ years at this point and he doesn't even have the basics down! And he's quiet, so he's not going to gravitate naturally towards a 'get in there and get the ball' kind of approach. He has mentioned liking soccer, but what team is going to take him with no skills?

Rec leagues! My son isn't a great athlete, but loves playing so we stick with the rec league. He's 13, and almost every single year there is at least one kid who has never played the sport before.

Please tell me - how do you get in these 'rec leagues'? Signed, clueless and desperate...

Where do you live? Virtually every county in the DC area has one or more rec soccer organizations, and there are rec leagues in DC as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all do what we think is best for our children. Who really knows what is best. The answers are varied.

What I have observed is that kids who do sports are very confident. I do think this does have great benefits later in life.

So how do I get my 13 year old involved in a team sport when he really has no skills? Most kids have been playing for 10+ years at this point and he doesn't even have the basics down! And he's quiet, so he's not going to gravitate naturally towards a 'get in there and get the ball' kind of approach. He has mentioned liking soccer, but what team is going to take him with no skills?

Consider the myriad of sports that don't have much youth participation, so many tweens/teens are inexperienced. E.g., diving, wrestling, rowing. Try tennis or golf lessons, with the idea that if he likes it, he can join the tennis or golf team in high school if he wants. Also individual sports that typically take all comers: track, cross-country, (sometimes) swimming.

Many high schools now have ultimate frisbee teams (clubs). Few kids know what they are doing when they first show up.