competitive little kid sports

[michigancat]

IMO what would be best for kids would be more pickup/unstructured play and less specialization and travel in general for younger kids especially. I think most people agree with this but it won't ever change significantly in the US because there is too much money in tournaments and clubs and private coaching and stuff.

[Stupid Fitz]

IMO what would be best for kids would be more pickup/unstructured play and less specialization and travel in general for younger kids especially. I think most people agree with this but it won't ever change significantly in the US because there is too much money in tournaments and clubs and private coaching and stuff.

Yep, this can be copied to the getting old thread, but we played football, basketball, and baseball all day every day growing up. It was just kids meeting up and deciding which sport to play that day and we would play all day and in to the night. Practice was like 1 day a week in whichever sport was in season. We just played without parents telling us what to do every 3 seconds. It makes me sad thinking about it. As I said above, Lil SF appears to be getting tired of his competitive baseball team and I suspect this may be his last year. I have zero doubts that he would be doing the exact same thing I did every day as a kid if he had the opportunity. He just loves to play which is totally fine and what most kids probably want to do. 

[IPA4Me]

My gawd. I'm glad I raised choir and drama nerds. Sports will break the bank.

[Spracne]

Do they not just have, like, YMCA leagues anymore?

[michigancat]

Do they not just have, like, YMCA leagues anymore?

they exist but I would say they start too young and end too young. (at least for like, basketball). Like I think organized basketball for 5 year olds is just absurd and they seem to really drop off before middle school. Our local soccer org started with a select travel team in second or third grade. We were pretty lucky to have a low-key local swim and water polo club that let our daughter fall in love with those sports in a relaxed environment and led to more competitive clubs in high school

[steve dave]

There are absolutely rec level teams for baseball, basketball, etc. The problem is that the kids that are GOOD don't want to play on those teams. all these "back in my day kids played outside!" glorification of the olden days posts don't really recognize how great kids actually have it today if they want to excel at sports. I did all that bullshit too, because there wasn't a better option. It kept the really good kids lumped in with everyone else. today those kids have options to play higher level against better competition and really it's not that unreasonably expensive for what you get out of it. it's a ton of practice, games, team building, parties, screwing around between games, etc. I can assure you my kids will grow to be old asses like us glorifying their childhood experiences too.

[michigancat]

My affinity for pickup games and lack of specialization has nothing to do with nostalgia, I think it's a better way to get kids good at sports and leads to less burnout and fewer injuries. There's a lot of research on it

[michigancat]

I also think kids can have a great experience in the current pay for play/travel/specialization era

[Spracne]

I guess if your kids are having a great time, and you don't mind the time and expense, then I have no standing to complain. Just make sure they're taking intellectual pursuits just as or more seriously, since they'll almost certainly go pro in something other than sports 

[schreds21]

Lol We don't have time for intellectual pursuits!  We have 3 hour practices 4 days a week and all day tourneys on the weekends!  And we can't wait until school is out so we can really amp up the practice time and schedule games on that one day off!

[Stupid Fitz]

My affinity for pickup games and lack of specialization has nothing to do with nostalgia, I think it's a better way to get kids good at sports and leads to less burnout and fewer injuries. There's a lot of research on it

Same with me. I'm fine with the "good" kids moving on. I ended up being a pretty decent smaller town baseball player. I sucked ass my first couple of years of kid pitch though. Had all my friends moved on to other teams or if my only other option was to hope to get on a competitive team that practiced every day, I may have not stuck with it, who knows. Some kids just need some time for it to click. I'd love my kid to be one of those hyper competitive dudes he plays with and against, but he just isn't. Sure I could dump him on a random rec league in JOCO where he would probably whoop ass again, but I highly doubt he will want to join a random team where he doesn't know anyone.

[michigancat]

My affinity for pickup games and lack of specialization has nothing to do with nostalgia, I think it's a better way to get kids good at sports and leads to less burnout and fewer injuries. There's a lot of research on it

Same with me. I'm fine with the "good" kids moving on. I ended up being a pretty decent smaller town baseball player. I sucked ass my first couple of years of kid pitch though. Had all my friends moved on to other teams or if my only other option was to hope to get on a competitive team that practiced every day, I may have not stuck with it, who knows. Some kids just need some time for it to click. I'd love my kid to be one of those hyper competitive dudes he plays with and against, but he just isn't. Sure I could dump him on a random rec league in JOCO where he would probably whoop ass again, but I highly doubt he will want to join a random team where he doesn't know anyone.

FWIW, I also think "good" kids would benefit from playing a variety of sports in less-structured environments with various levels of competition. Specifically it's a way to take on different roles, improvise and experiment in a no-risk environment, and of course reduce injury risk due to repetitive movements.

[Stupid Fitz]

I guess if your kids are having a great time, and you don't mind the time and expense, then I have no standing to complain. Just make sure they're taking intellectual pursuits just as or more seriously, since they'll almost certainly go pro in something other than sports 

Uh, yeah, so about that. Head on out to any 10-16 year old baseball tournament and I can assure you that every kid there is going to be a pro baseball player!!! The parents will tell you. ha. Kidding for the most part. There really is a level of delusion that goes on with some of these people though. I talked to a guy fairly recently at a game. He lives in KS but he is a big MU guy. I was joking around and I asked him if he was going send his kids to Kstate or if he was going to stump for out of state at MU. His answer was, "they will go to whatever school recruits them". I was like, uh, that kid out there???

[steve dave]

lmao




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[nicname]

https://youtube.com/shorts/Jo35Pi7fg10?si=3_ew0DaystxS88eI

Hype Fire drop 5 v Pro wood
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[Justwin]

I saw a thread about youth soccer in the 12,000 person town Erling Haaland grew up in and that sounded idyllic.

Caveats— I don’t know if it is accurate and I am generalizing

They had kids in youth soccer from about 6 on. They built a dome for soccer in the middle of town (it is Norway). They had an excellent coach. They only practiced 2x a week but left the doors unlocked to the facility so it was open access pretty much 24/7. They had pickup games every Saturday. They did not cut, they let kids choose how often they came to practice when they were like 11-12, 2x a week or 4x a week. Again they didn’t cut and they only started competing in tournaments regionally at 13+. I don’t know what the fees were, but it seemed like most of the expenditures were public not pay to play.

That sounds better in pretty much every way.

And it produced several pros, not just Haaland. I don’t care if my kid plays beyond HS or even in HS if they do more than ride the bench tbh, I just want them to have something they can get better at that is active and with a team.

Are there facilities and a set up like this in this town for football, basketball, hockey, baseball, softball and volleyball as well?

[michigancat]

I saw a thread about youth soccer in the 12,000 person town Erling Haaland grew up in and that sounded idyllic.

Caveats— I don’t know if it is accurate and I am generalizing

They had kids in youth soccer from about 6 on. They built a dome for soccer in the middle of town (it is Norway). They had an excellent coach. They only practiced 2x a week but left the doors unlocked to the facility so it was open access pretty much 24/7. They had pickup games every Saturday. They did not cut, they let kids choose how often they came to practice when they were like 11-12, 2x a week or 4x a week. Again they didn’t cut and they only started competing in tournaments regionally at 13+. I don’t know what the fees were, but it seemed like most of the expenditures were public not pay to play.

That sounds better in pretty much every way.

And it produced several pros, not just Haaland. I don’t care if my kid plays beyond HS or even in HS if they do more than ride the bench tbh, I just want them to have something they can get better at that is active and with a team.

Are there facilities and a set up like this in this town for football, basketball, hockey, baseball, softball and volleyball as well?

I spent about 5 minutes on google maps and it looks like there is for handball and karate and basketball and a town 10 minutes away has ice hockey. from the hockey club website it looks like they have a similar philosophy

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START
We want everyone to experience how fun it is to rush across the ice and put the puck in the goal. As new, there will be a steep learning curve, a good dose of mastery and a lot of sporting joy. Ice hockey is a social team sport where we have fun at training, matches, camps and tournaments. At the youth hockey school, some have played before, often for several years, while others are completely new. No matter what level you start at, we build up your skills. For some it is adaptation and basic skills, while for others it is further development and a focus on progression. Some activities everyone takes part in, other times we divide into groups so that everyone gets challenges and experiences mastery at their own level. The hockey school has two training sessions a week and plays matches against other hockey schools. Check the ice schedule about which days there is training.

[michigancat]

this is from the handball club, I love it

In Bryne handball club, the common thread is the joy of sport, togetherness and inclusion. We have room for all types of talent.
The most important thing is to have fun - together!

[Spracne]

I played handball earlier today! But alone.

[star seed 7]

Spracne, this is a family blog

[Kat Kid]

Is it that hard to believe we could learn something from the Nordics? I think we could learn a lot.

Although their customs on not feeding guests is horrendous.

[Cire]

Is it that hard to believe we could learn something from the Nordics? I think we could learn a lot.

Although their customs on not feeding guests is horrendous.

You mean, you go to someone’s house and no snacks out on the island/counter?


Or there’s pickled herring with and without sour cream and crackers but that’s all

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[Kat Kid]

[Justwin]

Is it that hard to believe we could learn something from the Nordics? I think we could learn a lot.

Although their customs on not feeding guests is horrendous.

Who is saying we can't learn anything from the Nordics?

[Kat Kid]

Is it that hard to believe we could learn something from the Nordics? I think we could learn a lot.

Although their customs on not feeding guests is horrendous.

Who is saying we can't learn anything from the Nordics?

Sounds like no one.