Diversity in Sports Development is Crucial

The first organized sport I ever played was football.  It was the 4th grade so I was nine years old.  Where I'm from, there were two teams back then for all ages up to 8th grade.  That means that as a nine year old, I was playing with 14 year old 8th graders, some of whom were already shaving.

I don't remember being frightened but maybe that's just memory loss.  Or maybe I was just too dumb to be afraid.

My best year on that team was 6th grade, when I was the starting left tackle for the Indians who won the league.  We thought we were just about the best team in America, with Jackie Lefler at quarterback and Gordo Watson and Mike Hooker at running back.  

You've heard me talk here about the summer recreation program in my hometown, where one day we might divide up and play baseball while another day was kickball, dodgeball, crafts, or flag football. 

And then on our own, we would play everything.  Basketball, tennis, street football...you name it.  We made contests out of everything from throwing rocks to catching fish by hand.

The main point is that we were always doing something.  I wrote an article about growing up that way not too long ago but the reality of it is that world doesn't exist anymore. 

Gone is the day when a 10 year old could leave on a bicycle in the morning and stay gone most of the day.  

Organized sports seem to be the best avenue available to the children of today for sports performance.

And that's OK too.  I've announced here before that my son's first favorite sport was gymnastics and his favorite gymnastic event was the balance beam. 

Thanks to Pat Dial, early movement education was stressed at Maryville Gymnastics.   Learning how to move your body, balance, coordination--all those things came with gymnastics, which may be the perfect first sport for children.

These days, the next sport is usually either soccer or baseball/softball.   Both have their merits.  Soccer teaches eye/foot coordination while baseball and softball teach eye/hand coordination.  Soccer is usually the more active sport and kids seem to grasp the objectives of the game better.

Travel ball for baseball and softball, where teams are put together for the sole purpose of playing weekend tournaments, is common beginning at about age 8 and widespread by age 10. 

For boys, football might be the next sport, although girls could probably play at that level (and a few do).  Mo'Ne Davis might open doors for more than little league baseball. 

Basketball, volleyball, swimming, tennis, track:  There are opportunities everywhere for participation and participation is good.  The bottom line is that playing lots of different sports is crucial to athletic development (and, if the truth be told, that's what a lot of parents are looking for anyway). 

I will tell you this:  If somebody says that your child is a "natural" and that if they will concentrate on this one particular sport they will surely be a star and a college scholarship recipient, run from them.  If they do this before your child is in high school, run and hide.