Is 12 too old to start sports

[declansdad]

It is a very sad statement about youth sports if there is no where for a 12 year old to play a sport for the first time.

OP, you are never too old to start playing a sport. Encourage you son to give it a try. Even if it isn't baseball, there must be something he could play. The benefits of playing sports and being active extend way beyond physical fitness and there should be a place for everyone to play, not everything needs to be structured around a competitive team.

 

[declansdad]

I agree. Dd13 mentioned something about trying out for HS soccer in a couple of years - she played rec up until 2nd grade. I and told her to do track (dd11, ds11, and ds17 have been playing soccer since the age of 5). She just missed too much.

Here, almost all of the kids playing little league, and then Babe Ruth, have been playing since the age of 4. In order to make the HS team, you have to had been one of the top 2 players on you LL team. Ds17 was probably in the top 3 - always made all stars - but knew he wasn't good enough for the HS team.

Seriously, you laughed when she told you?

 

[mjkacmom]

Seriously, you laughed when she told you?

I did! Dd13 is very fit (competitive irish dancer who trains 10+ hours a week), but knows NOTHING about soccer. I don't think she's ever even watched a game. She could play rec soccer next fall, but she'd be the kid who would annoy the others who have been playing all of these years, because she is clueless. Should a coach have to go way back to basics for her? As for travel, she wouldn't make the team, and the HS teams are made up of mostly the travel kids.

She can run a 5K without breaking a sweat, so I see cross country in her future.

 

[EMode]

It is a very sad statement about youth sports if there is no where for a 12 year old to play a sport for the first time.

OP, you are never too old to start playing a sport. Encourage you son to give it a try. Even if it isn't baseball, there must be something he could play. The benefits of playing sports and being active extend way beyond physical fitness and there should be a place for everyone to play, not everything needs to be structured around a competitive team.

Its not that there is no where for a 12 year old to play for the first time, its just that they are at a big disadvantage. I can't think of any sport around here that doesn't start at 4-5 years old so you have kids who have 7 or 8 seasons of experience compared to a 12 year old first timer. Some sports will be easier to begin at that age but some will be hard, and baseball is one of them.
And its sports, they are competitive at that age, its just how it is. 12 year olds aren't playing to learn the fundamentals of the game, they are playing to win.

 

[Colleen27]

Around here it would be very tough. Pretty much any other sport (maybe not boys' basketball) you can start in middle school, get some playing time, and see how it works out. But baseball is very competitive at that age and you have to be good or you'll never set foot on the field. DS quit after his 12yo season because he spent so much time riding the bench and he wasn't the worst on the team by a long shot, he just wasn't good enough to be anything more than a relief/substitute player. And this was the rec program, not the tournament team.

We have a lot of football players come in who never played before 8th grade (when our school program starts) that get playing time and turn out to be talented HS players. Track, swim, volleyball, tennis, wrestling, girls basketball... They're all welcoming to first time players, even at the high school level. But baseball/softball is very hard to break into without a strong background in the sport. DD12 has been playing since 5 but understands that she probably won't make the high school team because she's been unwilling to commit to playing travel ball through her middle school years.

 

[sam_gordon]

Around here it would be very tough. Pretty much any other sport (maybe not boys' basketball) you can start in middle school, get some playing time, and see how it works out. But baseball is very competitive at that age and you have to be good or you'll never set foot on the field. DS quit after his 12yo season because he spent so much time riding the bench and he wasn't the worst on the team by a long shot, he just wasn't good enough to be anything more than a relief/substitute player. And this was the rec program, not the tournament team.

We have a lot of football players come in who never played before 8th grade (when our school program starts) that get playing time and turn out to be talented HS players. Track, swim, volleyball, tennis, wrestling, girls basketball... They're all welcoming to first time players, even at the high school level. But baseball/softball is very hard to break into without a strong background in the sport. DD12 has been playing since 5 but understands that she probably won't make the high school team because she's been unwilling to commit to playing travel ball through her middle school years.

Regarding the bolded... I think that's wrong. IMO, if it's a "recreational" league, every player should be guaranteed 50% of the playing time in any game they show up to. If you've got too many players to do that, than you should form other teams.

My .02.

 

[bjscheel]

Here it would be fine. It's a small school and they need kids to go out. DD12 is starting track this year. The fitness center does run programs for the younger ones, but it's okay if you don't pick a sport as a preschooler.

DD12 has done the local soccer, not the travel team, and thinks she wants to go out for it in HS (they don't have it in MS). It takes 3 schools encompassing 9 towns to make one girls soccer team, so they are going to take anyone willing to go out. I'm personally hoping she sticks to track only because her sister will be competing at the same meets and we don't have to juggle two sports at a time.

I would say go for it, especially in middle school as opposed to high school. Give it a try. I would hate to deny my kid the chance to try.

 

[declansdad]

Its not that there is no where for a 12 year old to play for the first time, its just that they are at a big disadvantage. I can't think of any sport around here that doesn't start at 4-5 years old so you have kids who have 7 or 8 seasons of experience compared to a 12 year old first timer. Some sports will be easier to begin at that age but some will be hard, and baseball is one of them.
And its sports, they are competitive at that age, its just how it is. 12 year olds aren't playing to learn the fundamentals of the game, they are playing to win.

At 12 years of age, the focus should still be in skill development not winning. Competition is an important part of the development but it should be far from the most important part. Wins the emphasis is put on specializations and winning at the wrong stage in an athletes development, many problems occur. Two being burnout and injuries.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'd absolutely encourage it. Worst case scenario he gets some exercise, sunshine, and meets some new friends but is disappointed he doesn't make the team and learns that years of hard work pay off. Best case scenario he gets some exercise, sunshine, and meets new friends and does make the team and learns that taking that first step pays off.

I don't see a downside.

I like this response best. He should give it a whirl, why not?

I did read the OP to DS16 who plays baseball. He's played since he was little on all kinds of teams and was captain of his HS team last year. He said if he is willing to work hard and develop his skills he can still learn to play. He advises playing as much ball as he can this year and next (many towns have spring, summer and fall leagues) and signing up for lessons at a baseball training facility over the winters if he's really serious about making the high school team.

 

[EMode]

At 12 years of age, the focus should still be in skill development not winning. Competition is an important part of the development but it should be far from the most important part. Wins the emphasis is put on specializations and winning at the wrong stage in an athletes development, many problems occur. Two being burnout and injuries.

What things should be and what reality is aren't always the same. In my area you aren't going to find a baseball team of 12 year olds who aren't out to win 1st place.

 

[sam_gordon]

I like this response best. He should give it a whirl, why not?

I did read the OP to DS16 who plays baseball. He's played since he was little on all kinds of teams and was captain of his HS team last year. He said if he is willing to work hard and develop his skills he can still learn to play. He advises playing as much ball as he can this year and next (many towns have spring, summer and fall leagues) and signing up for lessons at a baseball training facility over the winters if he's really serious about making the high school team.

I agree. I don't think 12 is too old to pick up ANY sport. Heck, you can start playing a sport well into your 40s or 50s. The key (IMO) is having realistic expectations. It will take time for a new player (at any age) to gather skills in order to be competitive. If he starts playing now, I think he'd have a slight chance of making the school team for the spring of 2015. But if he gets introduced to the game, likes it, and keeps practicing, his chances go up for the 2016 team. The more he practices, the more his chances go up.

 

[tvguy]

It won't be as easy as having played before, but both my kids played high school sports and had at least 1 team member who tried out and made the team and has never played before. Wish I could cite names, but there are more than a few major league baseball players who never played before high school, and at least one who didn't play until college.

 

[declansdad]

What things should be and what reality is aren't always the same. In my area you aren't going to find a baseball team of 12 year olds who aren't out to win 1st place.

In that is the case, the people who coach and run you sport association are doing the kids a huge disservice. There is nothing wrong with playing to win but as long as you are doing it in the proper manner. At 12, it shouldn't be the primary focus. Making it the focus will cause many of those kids to stop playing the sport (any sport) and they will miss out on late developing athletes.

 

[sam_gordon]

What things should be and what reality is aren't always the same. In my area you aren't going to find a baseball team of 12 year olds who aren't out to win 1st place.

That just means they're competitive. There's nothing wrong with that. The catch is what the coaches & parents emphasize. Our DS gets "down" when his team loses a soccer match. DW & I keep telling him while we'd like the team to win, we'll be happier with a loss in which he (and the team) gave it their best, than a win when they didn't even try.

 

[EMode]

In that is the case, the people who coach and run you sport association are doing the kids a huge disservice. There is nothing wrong with playing to win but as long as you are doing it in the proper manner. At 12, it shouldn't be the primary focus. Making it the focus will cause many of those kids to stop playing the sport (any sport) and they will miss out on late developing athletes.

I agree, and we do have some great coaches but by the time kids are 12 they are in the majors. Pardon the pun but its a different ball game then

That just means they're competitive. There's nothing wrong with that. The catch is what the coaches & parents emphasize. Our DS gets "down" when his team loses a soccer match. DW & I keep telling him while we'd like the team to win, we'll be happier with a loss in which he (and the team) gave it their best, than a win when they didn't even try.

It's sports, 2 teams playing against eachother, it is a competition. Its natural to want to win and not be the losing team. Its natural for us parents to tell our kids its how they play the game that matters but it doesn't change the fact that sports are competitive and by the time kids are 12 their focus is winning, they want that trophy at the end of the season.


In my area baseball is just one of those sports that if you come into late you will be at a huge disadvantage, you will not get play time because the boys who have been playing for 7 or 8 years will be the ones on the field. It is just how it is and it is accepted by (most) parents here, everyone thinks their kid is the next Derek Jeter. Those of us who know are kids aren't just don't fit in.

My ds has only played baseball but this spring he has decided to do soccer. I'm nervous because he's 10 and has only played with his friends at the park and really knows nothing about the game. I'm hoping all the uber competitive kids, coaches and parents are on the baseball fields.

 

[redrosesix]

The reason so many kids quit sports by age 12 or 13 is not because they were not good enough. It's because it wasn't fun any more. They get tired of parents and coaches trying to mold them into the next major league athlete. Your son would have the advantage of coming to it without all that serious baggage.

I guess you guys won't know if he can start now unless he tries, right? Time to do some research and see if it's too late to join a league near home. I can tell you that it would be too late at the uber competitive leagues around here. But I can think of at least 1 rec league he would still be able to join if he lived in my city. So it won't hurt to check it out.

Many schools have an ultra competitive sports program and a kid who just starts out would never make the team. Our district's middle school and high school teams are not like that and if he was willing to work hard and learn, he'd stand a good chance of making the team. There are cuts on some teams, but not all.

My daughter's 2 best friends just made the 7th grade volleyball team and had never played before.

My DS played high school soccer after not playing in a league since 4th grade. He also ran track and cross country. In the spring of his junior year he played on the tennis team after never having picked up a racket before. Did he win championships? No. But he was competitive and made some of his best high school memories.

I often tell my kids it's the things we don't do that we regret the most. I hope he gets to give it a try.

Yup - this is true. Plus coming in at a later age he'll probably take it more seriously and learn faster. He won't have the attitude that he already knows everything there is to know. But at that age, I'd say most kids in sports practice on their own time too -- if he's not willing to do that, he probably isn't that interested.

My brother wasn't very interested in sports until even later -- couldn't swim until he had to pass a swimming test for the army. Now he crews on a sailboat every weekend of the summer. He also decided to try out for rugby in grade 11 and got so good at it that he made the university team. By that time he was running every day, and playing soccer with his friends for fun -- and he hadn't played soccer since he was 7.

My daughter's older brother did every possible sport in HS -- except for hockey, where you pretty much have to have been skating all your life to get on a team at that age here. Many of the sports he got on the team for were ones that he had never done before -- he won the regional biathalon in his senior year. I'm still not sure when he found time to learn how to ski.

I think every sport you do makes every other sport easier. If he does work his butt off in baseball, it's only going to improve his athletic abilities so there really is no down side. But it's also important to have realistic expectations based on what is possible in your area.

 

[HM]

I'd suggest something other than Baseball and see what he says.
Tennis
Soccer
Fencing (if you can find a place)
These are all probably easier to start at an older age

 

[sam_gordon]

It's sports, 2 teams playing against eachother, it is a competition. Its natural to want to win and not be the losing team. Its natural for us parents to tell our kids its how they play the game that matters but it doesn't change the fact that sports are competitive and by the time kids are 12 their focus is winning, they want that trophy at the end of the season.

Kids are competitive WELL before age 12. Heck, they want to win when playing Candyland at age 4. But I still say it comes down to the emphasis placed on the kids by coaches and parents. It should NOT be "winning is everything". If it is, there's something wrong.

 

[aprilchem]

In my area 12 would be too late - heck, they have a "draft" for 8 year old baseball and teams compete for the "best" players. We let our oldest play soccer up to the U8 division, and that's where the competitiveness and pressure to be "the best" was too much for us and we pulled him. Our family focuses on the less competitive sports now (or those where you compete against yourselves to get the best time), and all 3 of mine are now on swim team and mountain bike in their spare time.

 

[mco65]

I certainly would encourage him to play if he wants to.. he might have a tough time cracking the High School team because those kids will likely have been playing since they were 3 and probably playing travel ball for 10 months a year...

Regardless, he should be able to play on a REC team at the park... First things first though, get him a glove and start tossing the ball around.