Suggestions for sports for DD12?

[Reservoir13]

Dear readers,

My 12-year old has had a difficult year with the different lock downs. She is currently playing tennis, but doesn't enjoy it. Her 10 year old sister is a quite advanced gymnast with several trainings per week. Clearly, my younger one has found 'her' sport and is excelling in it. It also matches her personality and body type as she is small, flexible and very active. Last night, my older one said she would also like to find a sport she is good at. She is already spending far too much time indoors and alone behind the screen so I would personally prefer an outdoor or team sport. We've tried soccer in the past but "the ball was too hard" . We've also tried judo but she "can never remember all the moves". Now she wants to try basketball but I'm hesitant as the ball is also quite hard there and she is quite small (well, to be honest, like her sister, she has always been the smallest of her year group). I presume that even in kids basketball length will become important soon. What other sports can you recommend? She is currently wearing insoles as the podiatrist says she has some hypermobility - it does seem to be limited to her feet/legs.
I think she has good ball control and is fast. Are we overlooking a sports? Would you have recommendations?

My DS sails competitively. It takes up all the time in the actual universe and is really quite expensive. 2k for a decent junior boat, 1k for a trailer if you don't want to be constantly loading onto a car. Probably at least £500-1000 a year in kit and replacements for broken things. Up to £200 for a weekend inc fees, petrol, hotel if necessary etc.

It's an amazing sport, but not for the faint-hearted if the child wants to be 'good'. Obviously you can have a lot of fun floating about in a borrowed boat at a local club for next to nothing, which is great. But being 'good' is a different kettle of fish.

Cricket would be a great one to try. Women's cricket is really gaining in popularity and exposure. And she could try several different aspects to find where she fits (bowling / batting / keeper etc).

The other one to suggest is Touch Rugby. Not to be confused with tag rugby. A very up and coming sport, mixed or single sex teams, and being small and fast is a definite plus.

Tap dance
Running - distance runners are small.
Cox for a rowing team
Paddle boarding

Agree - rowing sounds like a great fit and loads of places have good schools rowing for secondary age children

Personally I'd suggest karate or another martial art. She can see herself progress through the grades. You definitely don't have to be 6/7 to be really good at it. It's great for mental well being and self esteem as well as fitness. There's a great "team" feeling whilst being an individual sport.

But being 'good' is a different kettle of fish

Agree. Being good “good” is a lot of time and money. Usually training every day, and many weekends spent travelling to comps.

My dd 21 didn't find her sport of weightlifting and CrossFit until she was 19, and now she is training to do her first competition soon.
When she was younger she did dance for 10 years and then gave it up, then tried archery, kickboxing and boxing but she didn't fall in love or have the commitment to stick with any of them. But now she trains 10+ hrs a week, and has completely transformed her body shape. She wishes she had done lifting from when she was younger, but I don't think she would have stuck with it. I think we all find our passions at the right time for us.

But highly suggest CrossFit and Olympic lifting! My dd's coach is very petite and she competed nationally.

Having a kid seriously into competitive sport sounds like a curse to me. I always felt quite sorry for those with kids on swimming teams.

Slightly biased but I'd say Netball (am a netball youth coach)
There are positions for every player type, and she already has good ball skills.
If you find a good local club, she will flourish and make new friends.

Archery
Athletics

Hockey or netball.

Also look at swimming. It's very good for those with joint problems as it's non weight bearing and helps with cardio vascular health which is important in hyper mobility.

She's the right age to start at a club - find one with competitive and non competitive pathways then she has a choice how far and how serious she is about it

@KibeththeWalker

12 is really too late to start gym or synchro (artistic swimming now).

It does depend what you have available locally and how much time and money you have to throw at it. Some things, like diving or skating, are just not available everywhere.

Think cricket is a good shout. Or lacrosse?

Since when?

My son started a swim club when he was 12. Was oldest in group and trailed behind others his age.

But then he overtook them and is in the national squad which very few swimmers make and that's despite as well as being a late starter having a muscular condition similar to cerebral palsy that means it's harder for him in the first place.

Adam peaty didn't start competitive swimming until he was that age. I'm not sure it's held him back!

@ErrolTheDragon

Having a kid seriously into competitive sport sounds like a curse to me. I always felt quite sorry for those with kids on swimming teams.

Agree!!!! When your up at 4am 3 times and week and 5am another day you do curse your child for getting good 🤣🤣

You can also have that at weekends but due to covid ive had a week off whole weekends travelling around for meets!

A year off - it a week 🤦🏼‍♀️

Adam peaty didn't start competitive swimming until he was that age. I'm not sure it's held him back!

As a coach I never say never. I had a kid come to me at 12. Not particularly talented at first glance. Within 2 years they were national squad for acrobatic gymnastics.

Most of these early start sports are “too late” only because coaches won’t look at kids over a certain age and shove them into a recreational stream.

I am quite small and not the most natural at most sports. Before London 2012 I did a charity thing where I tried loads of sports. The ones that I thought I could be good at were
Archery (I did a beginners course and loved every second)
Badminton and table tennis. The clubs were really welcoming and had a huge mix of players
Kayaking- once again a huge mix of people.
Rowing- I loved it- lots do it for leisure too.

And yes- elite sport can be an absolute nightmare. The politics are unbelievable, even at 11 and 12 years old, both at club and national squad level.

How about looking into the Sea Cadets? They do lots of different activities as well as the sailing/rowing etc you'd expect. It's really sociable too, Dd15 has been a cadet for a few years and loves it.

Rounders? Trampolining?

@ErrolTheDragon

Having a kid seriously into competitive sport sounds like a curse to me. I always felt quite sorry for those with kids on swimming teams.

I have seriously questioned what my life has come to some days this winter. Whole weekends in howling, sideways sheets of rain with only the car to retreat to as the club houses have not been open.

Other days, I am the most smug parent on the planet- spending quiet hours with a book and a view like this... while DS does something 'worthy'

Junior/ Youth sport at a good 'good' level is a hell of a commitment for everybody involved. The child needs to really want it for it to be worth it.

Dd started pole vaulting at 12, quite small but flexible. Was in the top 20 in the UK in four years. Was never going to be amazing because she wasn't tall and heavy enough (took a while to bend the pole) but it's a small very friendly sport to go into.

Or maybe join an athletic club and try everything to see where her skills lie.

Dd was weirdly good at Javelin too.

Climbing? If she's lithe & patient, with good hand-eye coordination.

No one else said handball. If you google, there are suggestions of sports where short people have an advantage.

@itsgettingwierd I know a fair bit about artistic swimming having competed and coached at a national/ international level (albeit not recently).

A child would need to be immensely naturally talented and probably come in from another closely aligned sport and then work incredibly hard to be able to get to an elite level if they only started at 12. I don't know as much about gym, but I thought it was the archetypal 'early entry' sport.

My dd (10) is not into traditional sports at all but loves climbing and water polo, she’s a member of a mini club, and is really enjoying it.

Seconding horse riding! If she enjoys it the Pony Club organise events at all levels