re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?

Soooo OP is forcing his son to be something that he isn’t? Thats never turned out bad.

Not all kids like sports. Get over it my guy. Let him find what he is actually passionate about.

Some kids take to the nontraditional sports more. Let him try golf, fishing, tennis, pickle ball, jogging, swimming , jujitsu, hunting, archery, etc . Just expose him to as much as possible and see what he likes instead of trying to choose for him.

I understand what you are going through, having been through it with my kids when they were younger and involved in sports, specifically basketball. You want your son to have the best experience possible and you also want him to learn all the lessons that come from playing team sports. Perspective from life lessons clearly shows that you cannot put your expectations on him. No matter how hard you try, you cannot make them want to do it, or to love it like you do.

Comparison is the thief of all joy.

When you are a young competitive father with a son, your age and your ego are not your amigo. Young people tend to be less patient and run a little hotter in competitive situations......probably a little too hot for young kids trying to learn a sport.

My suggestion is to find a patient trainer that works with beginners in a sport that he likes the most, his choice, and allow him to be coached by someone else. That trainer, if he is good, and works with a lot of kids could probably tell you if he has a future in that sport after working with him for a couple lessons (roughly 5-6).

Don't let these guys rattle you. Raising kids is tricky business these days. It is important for them to develop an identity for themselves, and have something about them that they are confident about (sports, art, musical instrument, academic games, internships, summer jobs). This puts them in a group of like minded achieving individuals with a purpose. That way, when the arrive to Jr High or High School, they have an identity, this reduces the chance of them being picked up by the growing number of troubled riff-raff kids that turn out to be the protesters you see on the news.

Sports may not be his thing, but get him involved in something towards the ends described, to give him his best chance for future success. Good Luck my friend.

Raising kids in the most challenging and rewarding responsibility we have in this life. You get to see the fruits of what you put in when they become adults.

Troll

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There's no passion, desire or heart when he plays. He's timid & plays scared regardless of what sport it is. And he's not a small kid.

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back off

and remember this boy has yet to get his jolt of testosterone

I was the unathletic kid. My dad was a natural athlete and coach's son. He was a HS basketball star and played rec league hoops into his forties. He was also a scratch golfer. I was born without the athletic genes. Fortunately it wasnt an issue. He didnt pressure me but I pressured myself. I went out for football, refused to quit and worked my arse off in the gym. I was never more than a backup, but I at least made the team.

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There's probably some truth in that. My daughter's a warrior though and fearless to a fault. She loves sports, she's a fierce competetitor, shoots guns with me, loves to be outside & active. She's confident in herself. It's like a 180 from my son who enjoys those things as well - just not as much. I don't know. It's got me scratching my head at how different they are.

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Brother, you’re describing my 2 oldest boys to a tee.

The oldest is not athletic, unsure of himself, and would rather play the piano than toss a baseball.

His little brother is the complete opposite. Very competitive, keeps up or excels with kids he is playing with despite always playing up a level, and constantly wanting to be outside.

Sometimes, kids are just different. Like others have said, just start getting interested in what they enjoy.

Btw, my wife and I have always taken the position that the kids need to do 1 sport/physical activity. My oldest bounced around from baseball and soccer but it was the same story with yours. This past fall, we put him into golf lessons and he enjoyed the hell out of it so you could give that a try. Look up Operation 36.

Well said. Thanks for the wisdom and insight

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There's no passion, desire or heart when he plays. He's timid & plays scared regardless of what sport it is. And he's not a small kid. He's bigger than a lot of the kids he's playing against.

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I'm not reading the 4 pages of I'm sure travel ball heavy comments, but my son was often the same. Kids would try to tackle him, or submit him in BJJ, even though he was bigger, and he'd just giggle. WTF? He played midfield in lacrosse but never got around how to use his hips to plant kids that weighed 20 pounds less than him.

Then, he started playing defense. The lack of physicality changed almost immediately, he was protecting his goal/goalie/team. Now that MF'er is like a honey badger. Maybe your son needs to find the right position/sport for what floats his boat. My kid went through this at the same age your son is at. I mean, my "teamwork" conversation was essentially, your mom thinks it's OK to be a bit late, but you're letting down your team, even if they're not all here yet. We will be early. #end

Training should never be about getting better for a sport. Attribute it to anything else; (beat your sister, etc.) I'd probably back off of him until he feels less pressure, and let him ask, without guilt, what he wants to do. Tell him he has to be in athletic activity every semester, but he gets to pick, and he cannot quit during the season. Maybe he will like singles or doubles tennis. Maybe it's BJJ. Maybe cross country where he doesn't really have to be around people. All good.