To think it’s difficult to maintain fitness in teens unless they are elite level in something

[Uyhko]

my kids aren’t really that competitive and not terribly sporty but enjoy being active. It’s really hard once they hit 12 and are not good enough for swim team. Not good enough for football team etc etc. we try to bridge the gap I do a lot of bikes runs etc with them at the weekend but it’s hard to find activities that really increase fitness. I am not cut out for park runs due to an injury. I suppose I could send them round park runs on their own although I don’t think they would massively enjoy. They would like to join a swim only for fitness team. But such a thing doesn’t seem to exist.

My son who is nearly 14 is not great at sport and really hates team activities. He isn't as active as I would like but does -

30min walk home from the bus stop a couple of times a week

Scouts - so sometimes this is a very active couple of hours, sometimes it's not

Half hour swimming lesson once a week (he took ages to learn so he hasn't graduated yet, but when he does he could do rookie lifesaving classes so still an option) we are lucky he can have a paired lesson with a child of similar age and ability so he's not in with loads of younger kids

Karate once a week, will be twice a week when he finishes scouts

Personal training sessions through the summer holidays (expensive and hope to transition this to gym with his dad once he's old enough to join)

Bouldering two or three times a month ...this is his favourite and the one he asks to do. Also expensive!

In lockdown he did couch to 5k but once he had finished it he didn't want to run anymore, he was only in it for the badges on the app haha

I think it really depends where you live, dd has played football up to 14, she could continue if she wanted, girls team in the next town is super inclusive, everyone welcome, she has been spending a reasonable amount of time on the bench this last year, I’ve tried to encourage her to run and improve fitness but she’s not been keen.
DS 11 doesn’t do much in the winter but spends a lot of time swimming in our local lido which is open all summer.

A few of the older teens I teach really enjoy the gym. When I was younger I had to cycle 2 miles to school and 2 miles home each day!

Over lockdown we started taking them riding, but nearest stables are miles away, much more difficult now they can’t ditch school on a Thursday afternoon..

Join a tennis club.

This sounds brilliant. And I guess you could be as competitive or recreational as you want. Having the 3 disciplines mixes it up too!

That's a shame. I must just live in a town with a very nice hockey club. My 3 DC are all playing in a social summer league at the moment and DD is super good but she's in a team with middle aged blokes, 13 year old kids and large older ladies! Super fun. No wonder hockey is struggling with bad rep if that is your experience. Are they clubs you mention in v high leagues? The senior section at ours has 7 ladies teams, 7 mens teams and a vets team. The kids all start at 13 in the bottom and work their way up, the adults then come back down as they get older. So the 7s is made-up of 13 year old lads and 70 year old blokes. It's amazing- the older men are so wonderful with the kids.... as more want to play they just make more teams!!! Shop around....

Dance is inclusive? (as in there are classes readily available for everyone in everything, not saying elite dance is inclusive!!)

I feel like there's a lot of stuff available but that might be because a) I'm in London and b) my background is in professional dance so my fitness interests are largely studio based rather than team sports.

Martial arts is similar to dance in terms of something for everyone, I think.

Athletics is another very good one, ds never took to them and did other things, but his gf does heptathlon. She does enter competitions but at a lower level. She is now 18 and has had a paid PT job at the athletics arena for the last couple of years to help run sessions that are a whole range of mixed ages and abilities.

I would suggest the same. Yours could play against each other to build confidence.

Look at American sports also. Baseball and softball teams are around and are not so competitive over here.

Half hour swimming lesson once a week (he took ages to learn so he hasn't graduated yet, but when he does he could do rookie lifesaving classes so still an option)

ds did is bronze rookie life guard and it was really good. Swimming 20+ lengths in your PJs to warm up will keep anyone fit and it is brilliant for their own safety around water too!

Try your local CrossFit gym. I joined first, loved it so much my DH joined. And now the whole family has! Our local one has a primary school kids class once a week and teen classes 4 times a week after school.

Have just been having this debate with our local leisure centre who was wondering why their stage 10 class is being 'place blocked' by a group of 11/12yr olds who have finished the course.... the answer is there is nowhere to go. We might have finally persuaded them to put on the SwimFit programme - but will wait and see if that turns into anything good. It is supposed to be a deim class for kids who have completed the course but don't want to do to club for whatever reason.

Park run is worth a go. Saturday park runs are marshalled so would be fine for a confident enough 12yr old. There is also junior park run on a Sunday for the under 14s - but it tends to be full of little ones that said out run has gained a group of later primary aged quite competitive runner it seems...

But yes absolutely at a time when they need to keep fitness the kids who are not aiming for elite whatever have very little to go to.

They don't "have to" be in a club but teen-specific provision is more attractive to most kids. It's one of the well established reasons why they stay in or drop out of sport - what their friends are doing.

Playing sport or doing physical activity has mental and social benefits that active transport doesn't.

Our local community pool shut down. The nearest one is now +45 minutes by public transport. So that's the end of teen swimming here 🙁

Not really, surely your teens are walking, running and cycling like any regular teenager?

This is my problem! I'm a water sports girl but live in C London now :( do paddle boarding sometimes but it's so expensive

My teens meet up with friends to play football and go bike rides. They walk to school and dc1 will go for a run by himself once a week.

Pretty sure I don't agree with OP, but I don't know what "elite level" means, what "really increase fitness" means or why teens should all do it.

DD had a fitness only membership with competitive swim club.
DS had fitness goals when staying fit to join army.
Other DS does a lot of active travel & some fun activities with me.

Thanks for all the replies. A mix of responses from various areas and experiences across the country I think. Racket sports they struggle with due to hypermobility in wrists. Martial arts I feel is inclusive for up to age 12. But after that you are ready looking at the very good teens. Or joining an adult beginner class - age 14+ which I think they would find intimidating and not so fun. We were thinking about lane swimming at local pool, but it takes a lot of self motivation to go to. Plus the lanes can have some quite serious swimmers who get annoyed with slower/younger swimmers getting in the way.

They did used to meet up with friends for 5 a side in park during covid quite a bit. But since activities have all started up their friends are never all available at the same time any more. Everyone has swim meets, football matches, piano lessons etc now.

I think athletics may be a good shout. Have been on wait list for a year now so hoping that will come available soon.

rookie life saving would def be good but still waiting for that to start up post covid.

also wondering about air cadets but not sure how much exercise this involves

Perhaps it depends on whether your DC has an interest in sport or fitness ? As a teenager my DS belonged to a local tennis club and cricket club - absolutely not elite level but he had lessons/training and played some local matches . He and his friends regularly hired the local 5 a side football pitches after school on Friday evenings. As an older teen he and his friends did running challenges and also bought weights/ home exercise equipment .

@Uyhko I started martial arts at 12 and never felt intimidated or excluded. There were classes where all age groups attended - there were 7 year olds who were very good and 60 year old beginners. It's very inclusive.

It's much less competitive than a sport like athletics.

I don't think they need teams to run, swim and cycle, why cant they just do those things with friends? I spent the vast majority of my teenage years riding a bike here there and everywhere with friends. We used to ride 4 miles to the next town where there was a pool, swim, and ride home!!

Traditional sports can be bad for being hyper competitive, but have you looked for teams/clubs for things like basketball where few kids take it up seriously until secondary? Also there can be public courts and spaces where kids can play informally.

Squash courts can usually be hired even if you arent a member of a club, I used to go and play a bit with a friend, our fathers had shown us the basics and we would just have a knock about.

Can they get rollerblades and play some hockey out and about? I knew a kid who used to go in a secondary school car park on a weekend to play as it was always deserted!

Local air cadets do a lot of competitive sport.

@Lottsbiffandsmudge that sounds great. Shopping around isn't really an option in a rural town, the next nearest club is miles away.

I think there's a big divide between rural/urban and affluent/deprived. We don't have any commercial providers of things like 5 aside mugas, no David Lloyds, no bowling alley, no skate park, now no swimming pool 😕. We do have beaches and the sea in warmer weather, but unless there's somewhere for the kids to learn to swim in the first place they won't be able to enjoy that!

Our hockey club (big city) welcomes and encourages kids of all ages. Dance should be accessible too. What about trampolining? Often overlooked in favour of gymnastics.

Agree with this so much. Posting to place mark so I can read more

Rather than straight up-and-down swimming, do you have a diving or water polo club nearby OP?