Parents with kids in sports, what's the gameplan this year (2024 edition)

[GoldenGlove]

That passion is there, that's the most important thing. Are there any friends/family her age that's close with doing this?

Nah, but her class has other kids around her age so it's fun for her. She does have cousins around her age who that may be a great idea to get them started too.

Her little sister and brother go with us to her sessions so they are in that environment and watching

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

Nah, but her class has other kids around her age so it's fun for her. She does have cousins around her age who that may be a great idea to get them started too.

Her little sister and brother go with us to her sessions so they are in that environment and watching

Is she rocking her own gear or club rackets? I have a cousin that played tennis and he was a power hitter so he had a racket that suited his style.

 

[GoldenGlove]

Is she rocking her own gear or club rackets? I have a cousin that played tennis and he was a power hitter so he had a racket that suited his style.

I got her her own racket. Just bought one for myself and a gang of balls for when the weather breaks and we can go outside to the courts

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

I got her her own racket. Just bought one for myself and a gang of balls for when the weather breaks and we can go outside to the courts

That's what's up. For sports where you have your own equipment, finding a fit is key. We just spent the entire day yesterday looking for new kicks for him. dikk's Sporting Goods, Champs, Foot Locker. Have to be the right fit. Like for training, we went away from the indoor/outdoor ball and he has his own indoor ball. You have to emulate game conditions as much as possible. I couldn't possibly fathom my mother spending $80.00 on a basketball for me plus shoes just for hooping but here we are. I know it's the same for most doing it at this level too.

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

Updating for posterity's sake.

Young Iceberg is going to finish this session out with the 4th graders and over the summer, move him up to the 5th-6th graders. He's going into 5th grade but he needs to play higher.

Additionally, I was with my son while he was at training today and there was a parent that was outright embarrassing to their kids. Don't be trying to coach and train from the sidelines. The time to do that was at the crib, at the park or wherever else you can go. Any time before you walk into that building to work with the other kids. The kids are already trying their hardest and they don't need people that should have been spending the time with them outside of training, berating them for their performance. Just a rant.

 

[daboywonder2002]

I want to get my kids into sports but I don't want to force it on them either. I have a 12-year-old daughter who ran track last year and she also loves gymnastics. She also loves to swim and she can do a little bit but she needs to actually take swimming lessons so I'll plan on setting her up with that this summer. My 10-year-old son is more into Roblox not sure if he's going to be a sports player or not. It's not healthy so I'm going to get him into some type of sports program this summer just to get him moving around and off the pc.

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

I want to get my kids into sports but I don't want to force it on them either. I have a 12-year-old daughter who ran track last year and she also loves gymnastics. She also loves to swim and she can do a little bit but she needs to actually take swimming lessons so I'll plan on setting her up with that this summer. My 10-year-old son is more into Roblox not sure if he's going to be a sports player or not. It's not healthy so I'm going to get him into some type of sports program this summer just to get him moving around and off the pc.

Flag Football, soccer, track, etc. Just something that gets them from being in front of that screen.

 

[beejus]

I’ll chime in….

Got a 10 year old son who is playing premier league soccer. His club is generally rated as one of the top 4 clubs in the state. It’s only his 2nd year playing this level of soccer (played rec league when younger). 1st year he tried out and made the C team. Was the best player on his team and began to practice with the B team along with 2 other boys. I recognized his strengths and weaknesses the first year and talked to him and his coach about him moving back to a defender role as he is fast and physical but is further behind in some of his offensive skills. Tryouts last spring he made the B team. He solidified himself as a full time starter for 9v9 soccer and barely ever was subbed out of games. His team plays in the 2nd division in state and is around a top 15 team overall (one of the best B teams). They traveled to tournaments in California last summer and took 2nd place and a few months ago went to Arizona and won the tournament (2nd division for both.) We just finished up state and his season and he already has tryouts again next week. As for trainings he practices with his team 3 days a week, started practicing with the A team twice a week, trains with a woman who played for the USWNT once a week, every few weeks trains with guy who trains some of the best players in the state, and plays indoor soccer partially throughout the year. It’s a lot, but he’s obsessed and is always on YouTube watching highlights of games and working on new skills.

My advice for any parent who has a kid who is just getting started. If they show any talent and really enjoy the sport get them into proper leagues and teams. The rec league/parent coaches stages honestly aren’t helping your kid. You might think they are only 5/6 years old, but trust me their are kids the same age who are being properly trained and when your kid joins these teams they are already going to be behind in their skill set.