A child’s transition

There are several stages in a child’s life when it is appropriate to start him or her in sports. With summer weeks away, many children will be transitioning into their first sporting activity, whether for fun, health of a possible competitive career. A child goes through multiple growth spurts: at ages six, nine, 12, in their mid-teen years, at 19 and, if they’re lucky, will keep growing until about 21 or 22.

The first decision you have to make is regarding your purpose. Why do you want your kid in sports? Is it for them to be healthier, stronger, meet more people, pursue their passion, follow in your footsteps, or have a future career as an athlete? For some parents, it can even be just to carve out some time during the week for themselves while their offspring are training. This brings into the picture the question of cost and convenience. According to Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of practice in something to be world-class in that field. That means, for a child of 10 to 12, roughly three hours a day of work for 10 years. It’s a lot to ask for a parent to be there most of that time, even for just a fraction of it. Is the training venue, swimming pool, practice hall, or court near you? Are you paying per lesson? It all adds up. It’s a serious commitment.

Once a child can walk or run and keep its balance, they may start doing sports for fun, socialization, promoting growth and stamina, and stimulating overall development. Later, they learn discipline, hard work, and teamwork. Swimming, self-defense and a handful of other sports are most commonly the entry point into sports. Team-oriented sports like basketball and football are more easily learned by children who are slightly older. What is important is that the child either discovers their passion for it, or enjoys it. If not, it will become a source of stress and conflict. In the case of my two sons, they inevitably gravitated towards basketball, though they tried, swimming, aikido, wall climbing, running, and a few other sports. For my daughter, swimming has always been her passion, but as an adolescent, she is now open to trying other sports.

As a young child, my health issues necessitated my