To try to make a child good at sports.

[Georgieporgypuddinandpie]

Am quite prepared to hear that I am, but hear me out....
My ds, age almost 5 seems to be following in the family tradition of being a physically bumbling maths geek... There's tons of us in the family I swear!!
He loves drama, dancing, singing and swimming, is a fast runner and likes climbing but
When it comes to any sort of team sports that kids can expect to be included in eg football, rounders, rugby etc
He's utterly clueless. He can't catch, throw or hit at all and I fear that he's shaping up for a lifetime of being picked last for every team.
So, close to us is a local leisure centre that offers 1-1 coaching sessions from age 5.
Would it be unreasonable to make him go to these for a while to at least build a basic level of competence and confidence?
I've asked him and he says no but he might enjoy it once he gains confidence?
Or alternatively I could sign him up each term to a different sport and see if he takes to any of them?
Or I could just leave him alone and if he ends up being "that" kid, point out all the things he is good at?
Am planning on doing this as well as the drama/dance type things that he enjoys not instead of.
Thanks!

I can't catch, throw or hit a ball. Never could. Trouble is that is the 'team' (ha!) sports at school. I was the last to be picked. Whatever....

not an issue. There's more to sport than athletics. The important thing is that he does something, and enjoys what he does. And at five that is running about, climbing things and general five year old mayhem. As it should be.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, he is not even five!

Please don't put him in a box, with a non-sporty label, it's way, way too early.

I live in the most sports-crazed country in the world, and whilst kids are encouraged to be competitive and excel, the most important things they are expected to learn are around the benefits of showing up to practice every week, resilience when they or their team or not doing well, teamwork, persistence, discipline, listening to the coach, sportsmanship, positive attitude.

This is what really matters, rather than whether or not they are naturally able.

Well exactly Loubylou, he's still young enough to be able to develop a good attitude to sport and a healthy enjoyment of it if he's taught a few skills now, rather than waiting until he's older then trying to fix the fact that he's had 3 years of feeling crap about sport to contend with.

He hasn't started school yet. I'm pretty sure that even in a school that prizes itself on sporting activities they'll be used to the fact that an awful lot of kids come without any sports experience at all. They'll expect to teach the reception kids at the very least.

If he's interested in the idea of one to one coaching then go for it. If he isn't keen, enjoy the fact that he swims, runs and climbs, and help him make the most of those skills. Give him the opportunity to try different sports but give him the opportunity to say no, as well!

My DS was very clear at that age about what he wanted to do, and was very very clear that he had no interest in team or ball sports. He still isn't - although secondary school PE has improved his interest in and ability at rounders. He did a year of judo and a year of karate, but only a year. Last year, aged 12, he discovered fencing. We have finally, accidentally, found his sport. In the last twelve months he's gone from total beginner to "it would be worth him coming twice a week, he's about ready for junior competitions". He still can't consistently kick a ball but he can poke you with a pointy stick!

hmm...I'm really keen for DD to be a bit better at sports than she is...we did lots of catching and throwing practice...and throwing and hitting practice...she developed the coordination quite fast in the end and now is confident to join in group games.

So I guess that's what I would recommend.

What's really good for racket sports is a junior badminton racket plus a balloon. You can inflate balloons to decreasing sizes, to slowly speed things up....

YABU. He likes swimming and running - those are sports. Plus he has other hobbies and he's only little!

That made me laugh k4!! Did your ds join in with "social" games or did he have no interest at all?

Morpheme, loving the badminton racquet and balloon idea 😊

I've been teaching a group of kids from 3-10 with extremely variable coordination levels (and not necessarily by age) and everyone could hit a fully inflated balloon with a racket, and play keepy up - so its a life saver for keeping people occupied while you go round giving individual help. Plus kids just LOVE balloons.. :)

He's 4!! Has he even started school yet? Most children I know don't do extracurricular clubs at that age. Or maybe one or two which it sounds like you're already doing.

I'm going against the grain here but I really don't see that it would do any harm to sign him up for a couple of months just to build confidence. My parents never had the space or inclination to play 'bat and ball' games with me when I was little, I was an only child so I had no siblings to play these games with, and like you I've a lot of traumatic memories from school of being totally incapable at anything involving hand-eye coordination. You won't make him into Roger Federer - but you know that, that's not your aim anyway. If he really hates it you don't have to push it. Games are such an integral part of school life and I agree with you that it's important to build confidence and have some basic ball skills.

Lavender he starts school in September, he does one Saturday class a week plus a half hour swimming lesson. As I said a little bit earlier I think I'll leave him until the end of his Reception year and see how things are going then. I'm not even sure we'll carry on the activities we are doing in September as he could end up very tired.

To echo another poster, I'd play lots of throwing and catching games at home to get confident with those basic skills and build spatial awareness before subjecting him to the humiliation of taking part in team games without those skills.

I was a geeky kid with a physical disability that meant I couldn't run very well. My Mum spent a lot of time playing catch with me, teaching me to juggle, skip with a rope and hopscotch so I could join in with playground games.

I was a good hitter of the ball at cricket and rounders but often had a runner. I wasn't picked last at all. And I was fairly decent at stuff like table tennis and badminton (and later shit hot at pool).

I'm not sure how much you can train hand eye to be honest.

OP - right decision. He's already sporty (running/climbing/swimming) so as you've decided, keep leaving him be. Sounds as if he could do biathlon for the school already and swimming and running are team sports. He's only tiny and I'm glad you've decided to let him choose.

He's never going to regret learning to catch a ball is he. I'd do it. In fact I regret that I've not done similar with my kids. I had 5 older siblings and we payed loads of ball sports and as a result I was in all the school teams. I'm not a natural like my elder brother but I was good enough to be in most teams.

My DCs are good enough at non ball sports but don't do any sports at school. The sports we have done out of school have been gym, dance, riding etc and they are pretty shit at ball sports. When they are with their cousins they miss out. It's a real shame.

You can very much train hand eye coordination. Its just practice. DC that never catch or hit a ball will not develop it. Those that do become better and better. They then get better at other sports - football, kids hockey, tennis etc as they developed the ABC of physical literacy. Its very important.

Georgie Unless it was PE he really wasn't bothered. I don't think he ever played kickabout in the school playground, and the football one of his friends gave him one birthday languished in the garage. Frisbee, which isn't really a team game, he enjoyed. These days his idea of a team game is Minecraft, Warhammer, and Dungeons and Dragons!