Growing up I did the typical sports stuff: soccer, volleyball, softball, etc. None of them took me past high school, but I had fun. When I had my children I always assumed they’d want to play sports as well. It is fun to hang out with friends and run around, right? Wrong. I have two boys who aren’t exactly athletic in the traditional sense. They still needed to get up and moving because they are boys and they are full of energy. Here is our solution.
We started looking for alternative sports. You know, the ones that aren’t sponsored by a local furniture store or played en masse at the local sport fields. We tried, karate, gymnastics, and break dancing classes, but we’ve landed on fencing. Sometimes kids just aren’t a good fit for team sports. My kids tended to get bored easily and didn’t really “get” what was going on. I realized we needed to try more individual sports and that is when my kids started excelling.
We tried a few different sports until we landed on fencing. They enjoyed them all, but this was the sport they both liked and actually wanted to do. I realize kids don’t always show consistency and dedication at a young age, but parents just know some things. You know when your kid is into something and it is more than just a passing fancy. For us, this is fencing.
For the most part, kids aren’t going to follow a sport to the professional level. Most people stop after middle or high school. Very few of us even take our sports to college. When we play sports we learn about ourselves, teamwork, rules, and so much more. It is about having fun and being kids.
Maybe your kids are not into mainstream sports, but you aren’t sure where to start. Here are some of our favorite athletic choices that can get your kids up, moving, and maybe even a scholarship to college. I realize that some of these are common choices. I’m listing them as alternatives to baseball, football, soccer, etc.
- Fencing
- Running
- Martial Arts
- Swimming
- Bicycling
- Wrestling
- Dancing
- Yoga
- Hiking
- Tennis
