Jaimie Etkin: The Devil Wore Manolos
Sports for kids who aren't good at sports
Filed under: Teens, Activities: Babies, Playground Bureau, Day Care & Education
I joined the tennis team as a freshman in high school and was the worst on the team. I love tennis, I think it's a blast. But I'm seriously no good at it. After that year, I never again tried to join a team sport because the risk of humiliation was just too great. As an adult, I find that I prefer solo workouts like walking or jogging with my mp3 player or vigorous gardening in my backyard. No wonder team sports never worked out for me. (Though I still really do like tennis.)The social minefield of high school can make it tough for kids to stay physically active. Though there are a few solo sports out there -- cross-country, for example -- most school sports mean putting your skills or lack of them on display. If a teen is overweight, shy, or just not that coordinated (like me), school sports may seem too intimidating. But physical activity is important for everyone, not just those who excel at it.
Diet-Blog has an excellent list of activities for kids who are reluctant to exercise or who aren't ready to try out for a team sport. There's no rule that says exercise has to be competitive or organized, it just has to get you up off the couch. What kinds of workouts do your kids enjoy?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-17-2008 @ 12:19AM
Meagan said...They skipped some of the most obvious ones if you ask me. I was one of those kids myself, though I always loves sports and didn't realize how terrible I was until I got older. Still I tended towards individual sports. I started Judo when I was 8. Judo is a great sport for a kid of just about any age... if you can find a class geared towards that age group. I give Judo credit for the fact that I've got decent coordination today because it focuses so much on balance, gravity centers, and understanding your own body's movement. Also since it's got a belt ranking system, while there is competition most of the challenge is with self, so it's easy to move at your own pace. Plus you learn to fall without hurting yourself (or at least minimizing the damage) which is something that should make any parent breathe a little easier.
I also did gymnastics when I was little... good sport for small kids but not so much for kids beginning later... anyone over nine or so is going to feel silly (too old) in a beginner class.
I started fencing when I was 15, and still fence today as an adult. I've seen clubs starting kids as young as three in fencing, but because it's asymmetrical exercise it's not really a good idea with kids younger than eight. Ideal starting age is probably anything older than 11, though I've known younger kids who were mature enough to handle it. The nice thing about fencing is you get into shape gradually without realizing how hard you're working. It's also way safer than it looks and sounds: even though you see a bunch of little kids stabbing each other with long pieces of metal, it's actually got a lower rate of injury than most team sports.
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