Written off at age 9?

[Notcool1984]

Feel so bad for my DS. After years of shyness he has suddenly decided he wants to try some sports clubs and even start competing (no idea where it’s come from!), but it seems at age 9 he has no chance. The sports he wants to try, tennis and football, have pathways locally and by age 9 the level you need to be at is much higher than complete beginner. He likes swimming and climbing but those are individual sports (swim clubs here are v competitive to get into) and I feel so bad for him. Already the school sports are making selections and same names again and again get picked. Feel like as his confidence suddenly builds he has been left behind :(

My local trampolining club has people of all different ages and abilities joining as beginners. Generally to compete though you need to be at a good level, so he can’t reasonably expect to get picked for competitions at an early stage.

I have a similar thing with my sporty 10 year old. She was in a swimming club but decided it wasnt for her, our school does afterschool sports for a term here and there and not at any level.

I dont think its so much that the Ops child wants to compete straight away (i might be wrong) but just in so many sports that pathway is already closed of to them.

My 7 year old does 2 hours of gym a week but she only started this year. She loves it but having not started when a lot younger she is too old to have built up the skills needed for the squads.

They both did swim club and here its not open to anyone, only those that meet and maintain the standard. They were geat but decided they didnt want the 5am starts and didnt love it enough. By 11 though you were expected to be in a decent team. It would be hard to join at that age from regulsr seimming lessons...

I am envious of private schools where my sporty kids would have had more opportu ities at other sports younger.

We're going to try park run and have a look for somethimg else but I really hear OP as to how hard it is to find things when older!

You can compete in climbing at all levels from local and friendly right up to national level. Get him involved with a youth club at a local climbing wall and as he progresses, he could join a more elite level programme. Whatever his current level, look out for the youth climbing series run in 3 local rounds from January with the chance to progress to a national final. This is organised by the British Mountaineering Council. Their website has lots of information about competing. If you can say your general area e.g. Midlands, North-West etc, happy to point you at local climbing walls which would help you. Many also run friendly competitions for beginners.

There will be a local mini rugby club that will be happy to have him -- sometimes the clubs that are a bit more up themselves are only interested in players with experience but the overwhelming majority of them are perfectly happy with complete novices.

And the RFU's "Kids First" rugby approach means that everyone ought to get included in teams for mini-rugby festivals -- it's just a case of getting them in at the right level (sometimes there's a "development" stream at festival specifically aimed at those new to the sport). At that age clubs are expected to run mixed-ability teams (the 'A', 'B', etc. teams come later in the older age grades).

Hockey? Kids' hockey is a growing thing.

Badminton? Table tennis?

Can he not take part in lower standard school teams. I had two sons in the 4th rugby team (1st being best) and they tend to find their own form in due course and decide which sports they like, if any.

2 things

• competing doesn’t have to be done at national level. ‘Grassroot’ competitions will be accessible at his age, even if he starts now. Both my dcs have enjoyed ‘completion’ at our local club levels wo having done the whole ‘I’ve started training seriously age 4’ for swimming or tennis.

• not all sports need you to start training that young. Athletics, cycling dont. Rugby doesnt. Climbing/orienteering/trampolining (?) dont either.

I think your dc will be better looking first at a sport he really enjoys and do that, regardless of how good he is (or if he has a chance to compete at regional or national level etc...). And maybe, if competing is something he really wants to do (dc1 is very competitive in that way), look further afield on what sort of sport he can do.

Yes, not that he wants to compete straight away, just he wants the chance to do a sport that has a competition element. It’s so hard when you haven’t been in clubs since you were 3/5. I already see the opportunities his 7 y o sister has and feel sorry for him!

Junior parkrun! Free 2k timed run every Sunday morning. He would only be competing against himself but it’s lots of fun and great for all abilities.

My ds hates sport on the whole, but randomly asked to join a hockey club at around that age. I was worried that a lot had started younger but he was welcomed and has caught up, and new players are still welcomed in the 13yr he’s now in.
I’d also suggest athletics, martial arts, climbing, canoeing etc. Actually canoeing is a good one because that’s about the age they can start to control their boat and have the strength they need, so he wouldn’t be against people who have done it for years if he started competing.

As someone else mentioned try some sports that aren't so widely popular. Climbing is great, archery is a good one, and most clubs will only start kids at age 8 or 9 anyway. My young lad loves fell running, and most clubs only start from age 7 or 8.

A lot if parents take football and tennis too seriously. If he has his heart set on football get him a ball to practise with for a while, before joining a club, it won't take long to pick up skills to match other boys.

Another vote for rugby. The game changes as they get older so different skills come to the fore. Also the is room for the big muscular ones and the smaller faster ones. Fair play and inclusiveness is expected.

Swimming is a good sport as they have development galas and other beginner ones where there is a cut of f point of how fast you can be to compete so swimmers are often at a similar level. Heats are then swam by speed so the slower ones first regardless of age so its very rare that they are trailing behind. Swimmers also compete against themselves for PBs And although it is an individual sport they earn points for their team and there is a lot of time to socialise poolside.

Other sports that might be available in you area are waterpolo and underwater hockey. Also canoeing and kayaking where most children won't start till 9+

Have a look online to see if you've got a local fencing club? DD started about 18 months ago and there's been a lot of other kids join since. It's really friendly and supportive. He'd stand a chance at doing well in competitions at his age after not that much time, if he likes it and picks it up. Also, you get a weapon and get to jab people

My son was about 9 or 10 when he started at karate, now at 17 he is a black belt and also trains the younger kids. Competitions are by age and grade (so eg under / over 9’s white - blue belts / purple - black belts) so everyone gets the chance to compete at their own level. Contact is minimal for juniors and their is also kata which is a specific series of moves and they are judged on how well they complete them.
We had a similar experience with football to the poster on page one, but martial arts are much more inclusive ime.

One of the highest earner golf player never had a golf lesson in his life and started later than average.

My ds didn't start playing football until he was 8. He was never going to be a great player and at the start, you could tell that he was behind his peers, but he persevered and at 15, you wouldn't have known and was one of the best players in his team.

I didn't start playing tennis until I was 12yo, never took lessons, only played with my dad, and although I never played competitively, I reached a level that was no different to many my age who had played since they were little kids.

What would help him would be to play football in the park or at school with his friends, and play tennis with an adult willing to get him through the basics and he could then join a team, accepting that he might be a bit behind to start with, but with determination become a very good player if he has talent, and good enough to still enjoy it if not.

My mates brother started cycling when he was 14. He is now a professional cyclist in his 20s.

There is no need to feel sorry for him. Sorry, have not r full thread. Just get him started now, and do things to help his general level of fitness such as going jogging regularly. If you can afford it you could pay for some private lessons as this will mean he will get good quickly at things like tennis. For football, it is a matter of just doing it, but there are drills he could do at home which are just practice and repetition. Practice and will power is what is needed.

There are lots of grassroots football clubs out there that have children of all abilities and all levels of experience playing for them. The 'academy' teams or those runs as a business, rather than by volunteers, are the ones who tend to pick the best players.

DH's team of 8/9 yr olds has some who've been playing/training since they were toddlers and some who've started this year. 12 play in matches as well as training, 5-6 prefer just coming along to training. What you might find is that a lot of teams have full match day squads at the moment, but it's worth finding a club you like and sticking with just training as a place may come up in the squad if players leave. Some Clubs also set up extra teams when they have enough players and a coach.

Don't know much about other sports, football is life in our house!

How about rugby? The minis start at 7 so at most other kids would only have a couple of years experience on him.

Try hockey - my son started at aged 11 and by 14 was selected for country trials. He played football from when he was tiny but was very difficult to get into county standard. Hockey is really inclusive.

Climbing is very inclusive and there are lots of different competitions for all age groups. Your local wall will have a youth group.

Climbing is actually a really sociable sport for introverts, if that makes sense.

You end up forming very close relationships, based around trust, with your regular climbing partners. Climbing outside in particular often involves long walks into and out of the crags (good for chatting). Even indoors climbing involves time between routes, recovering/ tieing in etc, for chatting.

Climbing can be competitive in the common perception of competitive sport, but equally it can be competitive against the grades/mountains. Which is still where the best and most cutting edge climbing is done.

I would say hockey as really inclusive and he will be picked for games and tournaments even if just started. Martial arts and rugby are really great too many don't start these sports until over 9

Don't think anyone has mentioned cricket yet. Lots of cricket clubs have youth set ups that encompass all abilities. He could join one with a youth development branch.

Both my DSs used to play cricket at quite an elite level but all sorts of children (boys and girls) used to turn up and give things a go. Unless privately educated and/or from a cricket family, many kids haven't picked up a bat before about the age of 9

I would also say the football thing sounds odd at aged 9. Kids don't need any equipment and can just turn up usually for a kickabout to see how they get on.

You need to find a local club that isn't very good!! It's not really the right time of year, mind.