To loathe organised sport and what it does to children?

[AssemblySquare]

There is a back story to this but it’s long and boring. I’m just sick and tired of sport being held up as this wonderful thing that brings people together, but all I have ever seen and experienced is divisiveness, bullying and meanness. I’m so done with it all, especially at grass roots level and at school where most kids seem to get shouted at by PE teachers and coaches taking out their own frustrations that they weren’t quite good enough to make it.

@AssemblySquare

There is a back story to this but it’s long and boring. I’m just sick and tired of sport being held up as this wonderful thing that brings people together, but all I have ever seen and experienced is divisiveness, bullying and meanness. I’m so done with it all, especially at grass roots level and at school where most kids seem to get shouted at by PE teachers and coaches taking out their own frustrations that they weren’t quite good enough to make it.

Yea I hated PE too and I've been a sports coach/fitness/PT instructor most of my life. Kids need more options. Some fit in to team sport, others are made to enjoy more fitness or exercise (rather than sport), some make great coaches, some love sports you'd just never see in school, some just don't enjoy team school sport. You're totally right to be annoyed when you see it not working!

What do you suggest schools do?

As I said previously, it's hard for schools to accommodate lots of different sports, particularly individual sports, as they just don't have the resources. Large-scale team sports is the easier option.

But that doesn't have to be the case outside school where you can find every form of exercise under the sun. Like pp I can't fathom why any child (or parent) would keep bashing away at something which they weren't enjoying – try a different sport, or a different club.

Bad organisation is just bad organisation, whether it's a choir, a pottery class, a bridge four. Just go somewhere else.

@Whoarethewho

We have a massive obesity crisis caused by lack of exercise and poor eating. We need massively more sport not less.

We need a better diet, and some activity. Sport doesn't come into it, unless that's someone's choice of activity. I don't do sport. I am not obese, nor even a tiny bit overweight.

I agree obesity comes from diet. But movement and exercise help, and team sports are the easiest, cheapest way for schools to bring more movement into kids lives. I can't see any issue with it.

Most of the posters here who hated school sport seem to now be fitness instructors/expert climbers/triathletes so clearly it didn't hold them back that much.

@Bryonyshcmyony

What do you suggest schools do?

Pilates, aerobics, Zumba, dance.

All of which can be done with a single teacher in a school hall.

Most state schools offer dance as part of the curriculum, and I know Zumba was a club at dds old state school. You don't tend to see pilates/yoga as it's easy to injure yourself if you don't do it properly and you need a properly qualified instructor.

Although I agree pilates would be fantastic if it was possible. All mine do it as it helps them with their various sports. I'm afraid we have a private instructor though!

It is also worth mentioning that some kids hate dance and zumba!

@melj1213

YABU - what do you suggest instead then to get kids out doing physical exercise, building team work and improving their skills in sports?

all I have ever seen and experienced is divisiveness, bullying and meanness

This is not the experience I, my DD or anyone in my family has ever had ... perhaps our sports provision was just better or the clubs were run differently but yours is not a universal experience

It may not be a universal experience, but I'd put money on it being a majority one.

@Bryonyshcmyony

Are you suggesting that young teens should go walking by themselves instead of team sports? Pretty miserable for them!

Given the choice between a 5 mile walk or rugby on a frozen pitch under an over sarcastic PE master, my teenage self would have grabbed at the walk with both hands!

It's only the majority viewpoint on mumsnet. Most kids don't mind PE.

Given the choice between a 5 mile walk

How long were your PE lessons!

And it's really amazing that on literally any other thread about schools, so many teachers pop up. Never r happens when it's PE being discussed.

@AssemblySquare

The back story is my DS who is 13 and a latecomer to football. It’s vile. He joined a coaching session rather than a team and it crushed his confidence. He got bullied and the coach refused to address it because my son lacked experience!!!! Joined a local team described as “friendly and supportive” and it really isn’t. We have spent the last few years driving all over the place to watch him be handed the sub’s vest every time. I watch his face fall and his confidence ebb away a little bit more. It’s awful and I’m done with it.

I think it is very hard for boys to try and start football late. By 13 most of the boys will have been playing for 8 or 9 years round here (at least) and it's really hard to compete against that level of learnt skills. Mine started at around 9 as a second sport, and that was pretty hard- enjoyed it for a few years but now just plays very occasionally. If you think he'd enjoy the contact side would it be worth trying rugby instead? In my experience it's much more inclusive, and it's much commoner for boys to start at 11+ so less of a gap to catch up.

I agree obesity comes from diet. But movement and exercise help, and team sports are the easiest, cheapest way for schools to bring more movement into kids lives. I can't see any issue with it.

I just don't see the logic of this. A netball game, for instance, only involves 14 children and needs to be supervised (otherwise no-one does anything). But the same person could supervise an exercise class for 30 or more children or running around the field for 100.

Love sport. I do wish there was more sports on offer for kids but then parents could also step in and offer other sports or activities if kids don't like the ones on the schools do.

It's also good to get used to feeling physically tired and uncomfortable from sport and that it's not a bad thing, it massively important for our bodies. That's it completely normal.

@Terhou

I agree obesity comes from diet. But movement and exercise help, and team sports are the easiest, cheapest way for schools to bring more movement into kids lives. I can't see any issue with it.

I just don't see the logic of this. A netball game, for instance, only involves 14 children and needs to be supervised (otherwise no-one does anything). But the same person could supervise an exercise class for 30 or more children or running around the field for 100.

That's why netball in school PE time is more about exercises and ball control, not actual matches.

I would have hated aerobics/Zumba. Too bad at left and right under pressure - tried at uni and hated it because I was always late or going the wrong way.

I did find my (very competitive) sporting niche outside school and now (in my 40s) enjoy a lot more sports that I remember being dreadful at at school.

@CiderLolly

The problem with school PE is that it is far too focused on the traditional team games. My DS wasn't interested in these and therefore the PE teachers had zero interest in him or getting to know him. His school report stated that he needed to take more of an interest in physical activities to make any sort of progress in the subject. They just didn't know he walked miles every weekend in preparation for his Duke of Edinburgh or that he was part of a youth cycling group and climbing group.

This was true in my case - also games teachers assumed that we already knew all rules of any given sport and never bothered to explain any of them to us at all, so I got doubly ridiculed for not being very good and also for not knowing what to do.

did you not ask anyone or ask your parents?

YABU my youngest plays grassroots football and goes to a separate soccer school through the week. He LOVES it. There is no bullying, no pressure it's all fun based.
His coaches are great, very encouraging and focus purely on the fun while learning the game.
Sad to hear your experience is different but I don't think it's the case for all.