r/daddit • u/Antique_Addendum_556 • 1d ago
Discussion Youth Sports
I’ve been enjoying the side content at the US Open where players talk about their backgrounds and how many of them grew up playing multiple sports. It got me thinking... when do I even start doing that with my kids? Any dads in here have experience with this? When did you start introducing different sports, and what worked well?
Also, maybe I’m just noticing it more now, but everything seems so expensive. Camps, lessons, private coaching... it adds up fast. Are there any sports that are still reasonably affordable for families, or is that just the reality these days?
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u/Wrisberg_Rip 1d ago
Big proponent of putting kids in gymnastics around age 2. Helps them develop balance, coordination, and strength. Tossing a soccer ball in there early too so they learn to use their feet. Then any form of playing catch. Starting with a softer ball of course. Then see what they enjoy!
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u/Cor-The-Immortal 1d ago
I put my son in tumbling at 3. He loves it. He can do youth wrestling at 5 so we will let him try that.
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u/Orion14159 1d ago
Youth wrestling is freaking adorable. When they're 5-6 it's like watching puppies roughhousing
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u/JHaasie77 1d ago
Just be careful with that... I did wrestling up till college and my elbows and neck are still screwed up. It's a hard no for my kids
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u/poqwrslr 23h ago
Flip side….wrestled through college and my joints are fine. My head on the other hand with concussions is another story. Fine now…but we’ll see long term.
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u/Cor-The-Immortal 22h ago
I appreciate the warning. In my experience, mat wrestling (when done with proper coaching and supervision) is fairly safe. All of our experiences are different tho, so I completely understand if yours is different. I actually feel the same way about contact football. I remember getting what I know know we're concussions playing high school football, so that's a sport I won't let my kids play.
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u/DookieMcDookface 1d ago
💯 this. I put my son in gymnastics and it was great for his balance and coordination. We did it until he was bored with it and switched over to soccer. We will probably put him in dance or karate next. I just want him to try different physical activities. With my genetics, he’ll never be a professional athlete but I want him to enjoy being active and being fit.
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u/Current_Market4951 1d ago
Man I feel this so deep. My kid just turned 5 and we started him with swimming classes and a little soccer thing in the park, nothing serious just running after ball mostly. The price of these things caught me off guard too.
What worked for us was just exposing him to different stuff at home first, kicking ball in backyard, watching different sports on tv, then see what he actually wants to try. No point paying 200 dollars for baseball camp if he gonna cry whole time. Swimming is good start though cause its also safety thing.
For cheap sports, running is basically free and kids love just racing each other. Basketball you just need a hoop somewhere public. But yeah the organized stuff gets expensive real quick, even the "cheap" ones.
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u/IanicRR 1d ago
I’m Canadian and I thank god every day my daughters are not interested in hockey. You would not believe the prices these parents pay for even rec level leagues. If your kid is playing competitive, as young as U7, the cost is insane and you’re paying for hotels basically every weekend.
My kids do dance, which also isn’t cheap when they’re like mine and do 8 routines each, but it’s way less expensive and time consuming than hockey.
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u/JeahNotSlice 1d ago
I feel you. I have friends with hockey kids and it’s insane. Not just the $$$ but the time. 11 year olds with practices that end at 10 pm on a weeknight. An hour away from home
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u/sushicowboyshow 22h ago
This is exactly what I was referring to. Plus the need for a Ford Excursion to lug the gear
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u/sushicowboyshow 1d ago
Hockey culture in NE US is unhinged.
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u/Morefoodbeer 19h ago
I grew up playing goalie in organized street/ball hockey leagues in South Jersey. Can confirm how fucking nuts and verbally abusive some of the parents are to players and other parents.
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u/Lookslikeseen 1d ago
As soon as he’s old enough, and as many as I can afford. They’ll naturally gravitate towards one or a few then you can drop the ones they don’t like. You’ll never know what they like if they aren’t exposed to it, right?
At that age “being good at baseball” isn’t really the priority. It’s teamwork, respect for others, exercise, making friends, etc. There are obviously other ways you can go about teaching the same things but youth sports are a fun way to knock them all out in one spot.
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u/Sweet-Sale-7303 1d ago
Tennis doesn't need to join anything. Go to target get some tennis racquets and airless practice balls and play tennis with your kids.
We live in a condo development with tennis courts that are always empty. Went to target and got the target special (lol) and started hitting the ball back and forth. My son actually really liked it and now is on the middle school tennis team. He's actually pretty good
He's now addicted and we play together all the time. He would play everyday if it was up to him.
It's also a good sport to talk as your playing. He opens up to me as we are playing. When he wouldn't at home.
While your kids are young you can even play on a pickleball court
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u/99nine99 1d ago
Town rec leagues. Focus on getting your kid as many reps as possible. More time on the field and less time driving.
I'm refusing to leave town for sports until they are teenagers.
Talk to most college coaches and they would take a multi sport athlete over an over trained single sport kid everytime.
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u/Sweaty_Result853 1d ago
The best thing to do is play lots of different stuff. Fuck those stupid camps etc
My girl play Baseball summer with swimming. Autumn she does indoor soccer with gymnastics. Winter, skating lesson with Cross Country skiing. Fall is Pickleball,
She's has developed excellent tolls and perform very well everywhere.
I see 11 yo already burned down from playing 1 sport.
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u/LeoDeLarge 1d ago
We put our daughter in “kid strong” gym at 2.5 yrs old and she’s about to start a fall program of “little squirts soccer” ($149) 3yr old now. I grew up playing soccer since I was in 1st grade all the way throught travel and senior in high school. Sports like tennis are always going to be on the high end of pricing since you usually need a private coach and a club court to play
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u/coolwater85 Two and Snipped 1d ago
Time have changed since we grew up
playing soccer. Soccer is now just as expensive as tennis if they play like you did (1st grade, travel, and then through HS).•
u/LeoDeLarge 1d ago
Yup my nephew is in travel soccer (13 yr old) and my brother constantly tells me of how expensive it is not including the traveling/hotel stays on some weekends
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u/TheDuke13 1d ago
I’m doing it as soon as they’re allowed. Not sure why you’d want to limit their exposure. Also, different sports world different muscles and helps prevent injuries from repetitive motion.
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u/Darkerboar 1d ago
Start them as early as possible, but don't see it as a "route to a pro athlete", but more enhancing your kids development. The early years (until about 7 or 8) its all about building their coordination, self confidence, awareness and finding out what they enjoy doing.
It doesn't have to be expensive because you don't need pro coaches or top of the range equipment. Get them to local teams, organize gatherings with other dads and their kids to play football at the park, buy budget sports equipment for your kid to whack around the garden, some clubs do joint adult/kid training so get involved yourself too. The important thing is that it's regular and kids gets exposed to what is out there.
The only exception for me would be swimming. Every kid should be taught to swim as early as possible but this is more a safety thing.
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u/Antique_Addendum_556 1d ago
Agree completely with this mentality, I’m putting fun and energy exposure at the forefront (as well as socialization). I am also onboard with swimming first as it was my first sport too!
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u/Burnitalldown1 22h ago
My kids know that I will 100% throw them in any pool at any time. It started with telling them “you need to know it could always happen.” Then once my youngest was a good swimmer but not confident- I just told them “game on, I will throw you in. You’ll be fine.” And a few times I’ve bumped them in (usually when they are ready to swim but not expecting it); it just gives them confidence which is super important.
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u/Gravelroad2213 1d ago
We started our kids in gymnastics and my son started baseball and soccer when he was 3. A year later and he added flag football, basketball, and hockey.
Most leagues are around $100, one day a week, and are a pretty laid-back introduction to the game. Our YMCA is great for this. Our local NHL team has a program that’s an intro to hockey and gives kids free equipment that they can keep as well as ice time.
IMO, expose them to as much as possible as long as they’re enthusiastic and having fun and you’re not spreading yourself thin with your schedule and finances.
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u/GimpyLeftFoot 1d ago
We love our local YMCA for this reason. I have 3 boys and over the years they have tried soccer, basketball, and baseball.
I’ve coached some of their teams (when they’re small and uncoordinated and all it takes is basic knowledge of the rules). I’ve seen kids of all skills levels on their teams.
Some have loved every sport. Other have only liked one of them. The nice thing is that it’s an 8-week commitment and if they don’t really like it, we don’t have to play it next season.
And we only do one sport at a time for each kid. Each kid can do a different sport than the other. They are each just on one team at a time.
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u/IA_Royalty 1d ago
Our YMCA has "Rookies" programs where they do a few sessions of basketball, football, soccer, baseball, volleyball, whatever (kinda based on age)
It's not a full season it just introduces the kids to a game. We did that and saw what the kid gravitated to
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u/MinnNiceEnough 1d ago
I put my son in "learn to skate" at age 4 and actual hockey at age 5. I also put him in tee ball at age 6. He's now 14 and still plays travel hockey and travel baseball. The expense for each has gotten progressively more expensive as he gets older...it's an asinine amount of money - easily 5 figures for hockey each year and baseball is $2-3K per year, depending on the travel involved. I'm not complaining about the expense though. Once you realize that fees are paying for ice times, ball fields, insurances, referees, umps, jerseys, etc., it's easy to see where the money goes. The equipment pricing is high ($350 for a stick and $400 for a bat), but we continue to buy these things, so the sporting goods companies will continue to price that way.
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u/hayzooos1 4 girls 1d ago
We put them in all the things when they were old enough. Usually by 5-6 or so? They'll take a liking to some things and hate others. They keep doing the things they enjoy
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u/briancmoses 1d ago
As far as mitigating costs go, camps, lessons, and private coaching aren't really things to consider until after your kid has taken a shine to particular sport(s) and has expressed a desire to get better beyond what you can teach on your own and what your respective coach(es) can volunteer their time towards.
You can start doing it at almost whatever age that you want to start doing it.
We started swimming lessons around age 2. Swimming is absolutely a sport, but I think this is a fundamental skill that everybody should know. Those lessons didn't really involve any kind of competition that you'd associate with sports.
We tried soccer around 3-4, that was adorable chaos but pretty pointless. Teeball/Baseball starting around kindergarten, our son he wanted to join some friend(s) doing karate around the same age. We tried a season or two of basketball around the same time, but he didn't like it.
Local recreational leagues are your best bet, cost-wise. But the real cost is probably your time and/or effort. Each team sport requires a few adults' worth of volunteers, especially if you wind up coaching. But just the act of getting your kid(s) to practices and games takes up quite a bit of your week, too.
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u/IM_OSCAR_dot_com 1d ago
Our YMCA has a good variety of sports for a reasonable fee, just don’t expect top-tier coaching from the parent-coaches. It’s a good way to try things though.
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u/rival_22 1d ago
At younger ages (4-6), usually (at least on the US), most towns have inexpensive rec soccer, t-ball, etc. Hockey is more expensive, but even then the entry level "learn to skate/learn to play" stuff is usually inexpensive and they help with gear.
Don't worry about camps, lessons, etc., until kids really show an interest in one. Even then, keep playing other sports.
I'm a hockey guy, but only 2 of my 4 ended up playing hockey. They've all played soccer or baseball at some point... At least one played flag football, basketball, lacrosse, etc at different times. Two are primary hockey and I have one runner and one soccer player. You never know what is going to stick.
But I am a big proponent of youth sports. As long as you don't let yourself get too wrapped up it. It's great for social skills, staying active, and honestly making friends as adults. Most of my best dad friends are from my oldest's (now 18) hockey families.
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u/grimbolde 1d ago
My daughter is obsessed with disc golf and I'm all for it. She is still young to enter tournaments but it's fantastic because she wants to get out in nature pretty much any day I'm not working. It's a very cheap sport (starting out) and there are tournaments all over they can take part in once they get old enough.
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u/franciscolorado 1d ago
stay clear from swim / hockey. My daughter's in both and oh my days.
but yes multiple sports is actually fairly common at least until the end of middle school. Just try something different every season.
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u/PM_me_your_dawgs 1d ago
In addition to what everyone else said, check what your local park district offers. For 3 years old ours offers a sports class where every week they play a different sports, gets them exposed to different things before locking in on a specific sport for a whole season.
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u/basicKitsch 1d ago
I just spent the last 8 weeks pegging soccer balls at my 2yo as he manically laughed and ran nonstop laps around the toddler soccer practice I signed him up for.
It was our first group activity and he's a bit feral so week 1 was really coming to grips with the boundary of staying on our field. Way fewer meltdowns wk 2 but we were still working on getting acclimated to so many interesting sensory feelings. Wks3+ it was mostly working on starting and stopping our version of the drills with the rest of the team but still mostly just manically running circles around the perimeter and laughing with his silly hair blowing in the wind. Dude will literally run for 45 minutes just laughing. He's an excellent dibbler but refuses to shoot at the end, just stops, turns, and dribbles against the flow of the drill. Taunting all those dumb enough to lose their balls in the net. Still laughing with the wind.
All this to say I really want to help him develop his body control at a young age. Something where subtle feints and cuts are so ingrained he can make someone go where he wants by flicking his eyes. Plus he loves getting hit with soccer balls so who knows what sort of psycho I'm raising . We've also now started gymnastics and swimming
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u/WeeklyAcanthaceae 1d ago
We started dunking (and subsequently shooting) basketballs in the living room around one yo. He also throws and tries to catch soft balls and has been hitting plastic/foam balls off of a baseball tee around 14 months. He can slam them across the room with good contact now. We plan on putting him in wee ball once he’s three. Gymnastics is a great idea as he loves the foam pits and trampolines at a local trampoline park
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u/dekes_n_watson 23h ago
I have 14 and 12 year old sons. When my eldest was 3, we tried soccer. I had played through high school and coached a little after, before settling down. It didn't take. So we waited a few months and tried karate, specifically Suh Bok Do(sp). This was his first experience taking directive from others and he really enjoyed it until they got to the part with formations. Basically coreographics with moves. We later found out he has ADHD, but it was boring either way tbh (but I also have ADHD lol so take that for what it's worth).
We moved, looked at karate again but he wasn't interested this time. Tried soccer again and now, at 5/6 he was ready and enjoyed it and played well for several years but it was never a passion. More of a social outlet and something he knew he could do well enough to be good but not great (though he could have been, but it's his life, not mine). He took a year off at 12 and just started playing casually through township travel at a medium difficulty level again this past year at 14. This is perfect for him. 2 practices a week with mostly kids he's already friends with and one game a weekend. He likes to cook and play Siege during his other down time and I love that for him.
My second son started soccer at 3 when we enrolled my eldest again. It struck a nerve and 9 years later he's still a fiend. His personality and drive is completely different from my oldest. And I love that for him too. We let him dictate and for the most part it has worked out for him. He played two years of Rec league, in-house soccer then went out for local township travel. In a perfect storm of events, an eventual teammate of the same age and township had a dad who played through college and was an active youth soccer trainer. This was a gigantic advantage and he was/is an amazing coach. My son got addicted and, at his own request, was at times on 3 teams at once and playing 12 months a year from about 8-11. It was expensive. It was intense at times but he thrived in it, loves nutrition and health, made dozens of friends and has stuck with a core of about 8 kids who all did it together. It was honestly a blast along the way and my older son met some of his best friends through the family group. THIS IS NOT EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCE, but is possible. Eventually the group left the local township club, as they needed to, and joined a regional club where other local, good players joined them to create a new team. This is much more expensive. Until this time it was about $150/season plus jerseys every 2 years. Regional club is $4k a year plus increased travel. In his NORMAL division, it is 2 teams from Maryland, 2 teams from PA, and 3 from North Jersey but still 90-120 minutes away. Our home games are 45 minutes away. It can be a lot. Be he is still thriving and every few months I ask him sincerely if he is still having fun, and until that answer is no, we will support him, whatever that looks like.
My youngest also plays rec, in-house basketball every other year or so just for something different in the winter (while also still playing futsal, which he loves). He is decent just from being around sports so much but doesn't really want to do anything beyond rec because he's self aware of overstressing his body when he's more passionate about soccer. I really admire the character the entire experience has brought out in him and it is all his own doing. I envy him finding a passion so early.
Sorry this is so long, but one more thing. If they find a sports passion AND ARE ACTUALLY GOOD ENOUGH AND HAVE THEIR OWN DRIVE (I'm talking never dragging them to a single practice in 9 years because they're ready early and they're trying to get YOU ready), I recommend having them stay local for the first few years and eventually, once you know they need more, exploring regional clubs. But you have to be careful because a lot are scams. Good ones will hold coaches accountable, have a development plan for the sport, are empathetic to family needs and players mentalities. They will include all of the training you need. Optional outside trainers are optional and I don't see a major difference, at least in soccer, between players who use them and players that don't. Bad clubs will have 2 and 3 sub teams to the "top" team. Most of these sub team players are money grabs. Paying the same money I'm paying to play in less competitive "elite" leagues that are also scams. Only go this far if your child has told you they want to play it forever and in college or a career and you truly feel they mean it. You know your kid. Otherwise, there are great township teams that play hard fought games and are a blast that cost far less and offer the same social benefits.
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u/greenlemon23 23h ago
Swimming as young as possible. We started at 4 months. Helps tremendously with early development.
From there, it’s about variety of movement and enjoyment. All that matters is that they’re learning how to move their body while having fun and just starting to learn the basics of following a coach/routine.
The costs can vary widely depending on the activity and if it’s through the municipality/community centre, a community club, schools/daycares, or separate private businesses.
But you can also do a lot of stuff for free with your kid at the park, in your yard, in the house. Just get them moving and trying basic skills for fun.
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u/BlueKnight8907 23h ago
If you live in or around a large city look in to the sports they offer at the park recreation centers. Or sign up for the local YMCA and get in to their sports leagues. They're usually much cheaper and would give you a good idea of which sport your kid enjoys without investing too much money.
If your local rec center offers it I highly recommend putting them in to the martial arts classes. Even if it's not an intense class it is still a good way to show them a different type of discipline. P
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u/RealHoldenBloodfeast 22h ago
It all is expensive, you're not nuts.
I'm a big fan of backyard "sports" as a means of establishing an athletic baseline. Good exercise + teaches them movement, body control and good competition
If they dig sports then you can ask them if and what they want to play. They might be a little more raw than some of the privately coached kids, but miles ahead of the others who are starting from nothing
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u/Burnitalldown1 22h ago
Rec leagues all day. Cheap, low stakes, fun based. I started at 5 with my youngest, and older with my oldest. Mostly we offered season of sport after season, eventually they both wanted to do something. Oldest liked a few seasons of flag and now HS football. Youngest likes soccer (I coach) and runs track. And saw older brothers game recently and wants to play flag, so back to coaching football I go.
A note about coaching: PLEASE VOLUNTEER. It’s so easy, us experienced coaches want to help. I literally do evolutions of the exact same games all season. I never have an assistant anymore, and spending 1/2 of practice chasing balls when parents sit on their phones drives me nuts. Plus- you get to make sure it’s a positive experience.
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u/ChillyTodayHotTamale 20h ago
I think around 4 we did rec league soccer. My son tried rec league baseball at 7 and I signed up to assistant coach. It was fucking horrible. It was rec league coach pitch and the parents were insane. At the end of the season they were all gossiping about which travel leagues their kids would be in next spring. Nobody lets their kids play anything anymore. The push for your kid to be THE BEST has taken over everything. My neighbors girls play soccer and if they don't love it then that's gotta be a shit childhood. They practice almost every day. Gone every weekend missing birthday parties, pool days, going to other sporting events. All for soccer tournaments in other states where they sometimes end up playing local teams anyway. It's insane.
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u/Antique_Addendum_556 19h ago
Yikes! I was listening to a recent episode on Bill Simmons’ podcast and they had mentioned factoring in the co-parents when deciding on which sports you’d want your kids to participate in. Very similar points to what you had made!
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u/AnnArchist 10h ago edited 10h ago
Municipal website. The letter the city puts in your water bill. Other parents. Google. Facebook.
It's easier than ever to find a league for a kid(or adult). Just gotta put in the work.
We did swim lessons starting at 12 months. I still take them swimming 1-2x week(unfortunately the pool is drained now so we're dealing w 2 weeks off).
Soccer will start at 3. Gymnastics started at 18 mo. Hockey starts at 4. Ice skating started at 2. Really it's just me pushing the kid on the learn to skate plastic things. They love it
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u/Stock_Information_47 10h ago
Dont let coaches who are trying to sell you a camp convince you that your kid is a special athlete.
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u/jazzadelic 1d ago
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu captures the benefits of both team sports and gymnastics. Both kids love it, and none of us miss attending soccer games.
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u/kire1033 1d ago
Agreed, but it’s also $160-$200 a month. We found the Jr Wrestling programs at our local high schools a cheaper alternative ($200 for the entire 4 month program).
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u/jazzadelic 1d ago
Totally get that. Soccer was $50 for the season. That being said, sounds like we have better pricing at our studio. $259 for both kids (up to 4 sessions a week) and it’s month to month zero pressure, and you can freeze/cancel anytime without question.
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u/sushicowboyshow 1d ago
It’s important to understand 2 things.
the commercialization of youth sports. It started ~20 years ago with AAU and has migrated younger and younger to the point that I see parents around me stressing to get their 12 month old into tumbling.
You need to stay focused on your goals for your kid and being realistic and avoiding that pressure.
If your kid is going to be a professional athlete, you’ll know. Because they’ll be OBSESSED. You won’t be encouraging them, they’ll be dragging you along.
My approach is to encourage play, casually introduce balls and swimming, etc. and let it come naturally and see what they’re interested in
My plan with my 3 year old is to give broad exposure over the next 3-5 years and start “focusing” around 10. Which would mean ymca/youth leagues. Travel wouldn’t be a thing until 7/8 grade. If that’s even an interest.
FWIW I played D1 basketball, so lived it through
My early 20s (and saw the other paths taken to get to that point)
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u/Miserable_Adagio_320 1d ago
Look into rec League/city/county parks department sports teams
And avoid travel sports