To force DS to do sport?

[winnybella]

DS will be 8 in a week. He did judo last year and then had a few months break as we moved.
I found a great judo club. DS does not want to go. He is afraid of not being good at it, at getting hurt etc. Thing is, he does not want to do do any other sport either, is scared to learn to ride a bike...
I don't have any ambition to make a great athlete out of him, but I don't think sitting with your DSlite or in front of tv is the way to go either. We live in a city, so I can't just let him go and play outside for few hours to spend some energy and get some fresh air.
I also thought judo is good as it teaches you some self-discipline. He was not bad at it last year, but whined all the time about going, though. He is also the tallest in his class and strong, so any objections are of a psychological nature iyswim.
I feel that if he goes twice a week and sees that he's improving at it ( teacher there seems v.good with kids) it will do wonders for his self-confidence, which he is really, really lacking.
AIBU?

wouldn't fancy judo either really but to each his own. Friend of mine loves it.

How about yoga? -) flexibility and strength but it is not competitive and you go at your own pace

Indoor climbing? - should be available inner city and not dependent on weather.

i am of the camp that sport is crucial, for the physical and social benefits mainly. the 4x rule (bribe) sounds like a good plan.
you've got to get him on a bicycle too - that seems crucial to me and he will probably realise it's a lot of fun. if not now, when?

could he learn to ride a bike on holiday if you are in some quietish place?

we make ours do sports - some they like, some they don't. If they don't like it, they have to give it a good go before we drop it and try something else. I have to make them go to class the first few times then they settle in. ds1 is very shy altho he doesn't seem tht way, he doesn't like anything new. we do it because
I think sport is important for physical and psychological well being (but got to find the right sport - individ vs team, indoor vs outdoor etc)
It's also important to give new things a try and you might just like them (a lesson ds1 needs constant repetition in)

otherwise ds1 in particular would be glued to a screen all day - he's not into playing with toys etc just likes his wii and computer and telly

we do bribery - chocolate after one sport for example

Exactly,chandelina. I feel a kid at 8 years old should be able to ride a bike and swim. He was scared to learn to swim, when we tried during holidays, wouldn't go deeper than knee-deep now he does it at school, but I don't think they are expected to actually know how to swim, more feel comfortable in the water.
It's funny, because, as I said, he's tall and strong, very opinionated etc, but has all those fears which are a bit at odds with what he projects on every day basis iyswim.

maybe he doesn't want to look stupid or disappoint you by being unsuccessful at it etc They don't always tell us , do they?

Won't he have to do ballsports at school though, so I'm wondering if it wouldn't be good to steer him towards something like that, give him a headstart for when he does it at school (if it isn't happening already?).

Just thinking ball skills - catch, throw, hit, coordinate, timing are in some way transferable. There's a lot to choose from. If he's tall - maybe basketball?

Badminton (no contact)? If his ball-hand coordinate is good, or when it improves - squash?

I never liked sport, but I feel in retrospect that children should be forced to do long runs, extensive bike rides, as a minimum.

I used to like a sprint (in my golden youth) but boy did I hate those cross country runs, sloshing about through mud and over stiles. Bain of my life till I figured out how to avoid them.

ironically the sport will probably help him address and overcome those fears! for better or worse, a lot of the stuff with sports like discipline and perseverance aren't necessarily a lot of fun at the time but have lasting benefits.

ZZZ, he's not keen on football, not that he has ever properly tried it. They might to a bit in school, but not much, they have 2 sports classes a week and mostly it's running around the courtyard from what I gather.
Agree, SomeGuy- I used spend holidays biking in the mountains,fun and healthy.

Whether karate is contact or non-contact depends on the style and the individual club.At my DHs club they do sparring with mitts and pads right from the outset.he broke a rib in the early days !

The best way to put a child off sports for life is to force them to take part.
It should be: sport=game, game=fun, not sport=something worthy and improving that your parents/teachers make you do against your will.

Having said that, I would persevere with the swimming, because everyone should be able to swim, even if only in emergencies.

I'd be looking more at "activities" than competitive sports, like climbing, dancing or circus skills (this can be vv physical).

I don't think you are being unreasonable to insist on some form of exercise, but it should definitely be his choice as to what form that takes. Make a list of possible options & get him to choose. They don't all have to be formal sports lessons.