And the reason they may be better than “your favorite ones” at least initially.
“When it comes to youth athlete development, some of the best sports to get kids involved in are what many would consider ‘non-traditional’.
Gymnastics, parkour, dance, wrestling, & etc.
There is a draw to put them in ‘your favorite sport’ but that often ain’t it, intially.”
-Ray Zingler on X
You grew up playing baseball.
And you loved it, it was your passion.
“When I have a son one day, I’m going to make him a baseball prodigy. We are going to start him at 4 years old.”
And then as your love for baseball came to an end into adulthood, you picked up golf.
You love it. You’re obsessed with it. You play with your buddies every chance you get.
As soon as your kids become of age, you are going to take them to the driving range and help them master that perfect swing!
And….
This is about the worst approach you could possibly have for helping your child develop into a versatile, robust, capable human/athlete.
Is it because baseball and golf are bad sports?
Of course not.
Baseball is one of the greatest sports of all time.
And golf, well golf is a really challenging, high skill activity.
(The running joke with my friends is that if an 87-year-old who can’t walk upstairs and an 18-year=old can play the same activity, it ain’t sport, but an activity. It’s a joke. I respect the game.)
But when it comes to athletic development, especially at an early age, kids need a variety of MOVEMENT.
They need to interact with the ground and their surroundings.
They need to tumble, contort their bodies, run, jump, climb, crawl under barriers, build rhythm, body awareness, & etc.
And as great as “your favorite sports” are, traditional sports, that are highly specific, aren’t the best to develop general athleticism.
This isn’t to say that Timmy can’t play tee-ball or you can’t teach Sarah how to play golf, of course you can.
Just ensure that in their early stages of development, they are exposed to a variety of movement and physical challenges to overcome.
You will find immense value in sports like gymnastics, dance, wrestling, BJJ, & etc.
Better athletes become better sports players.
Focus on building general athleticism early & often and then as they age, put them into as many sports as you can to find A) what they like & B) what they have a draw to becoming successful in.
Just remember general FIRST (and often).
Specific later.
It’s how development works.
