re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?

Put him in a wrestling judo or jiu jitsu class

My daughter is very shy and timid on the court but will be aggressive to me when playing. Same with jiu jitsu

But when her team was losing in the championship game she hustled and played harder than all the games she played in combined. I think for her when she realized she and the team were losing she was ready but it was too late

I was a 2 sport athlete in college and have three sons. None of which play sports anymore. They are athletic and weren’t great, but not terrible either.

They just don’t enjoy playing sports, but they do enjoy hunting, fishing and other outdoor adventures. So I guess I am just saving money missing out on travel ball and all of that nonsense.

Everyone has to find their own path. That’s all

I was a highly competitive gymnast, so I understand your mindset. But, as you stated, he is academically inclined, which is a fantastic thing. High school sports careers fade, but intellegence is a rare commodity. Don't push him with things he doesn't enjoy (but YOU do). Cultivate his interests. This isn't about you throwing a football over the mountains and reliving your glory days, Uncle Rico.

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I'd love some advice on navigating this because it's kicking my arse

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Your son doesn't care to play sports. If thats really this big a deal to you, you need therapy.

I am gonna go out on a limb here and say you probably massively overestimate your athletic prowess as a youngster.

Im the opposite. Neither one of my parents is athletic, although my Dad was pretty strong. I was a decent little athlete and was obsessed with all sports. Played wide receiver, point guard, and second base through middle school. Played football and tennis in high school. 7 hcp golfer right now. My kids are still young but theyre all trending to be better athletes than me.

I have gone through the same thing with our 11 year old.

As a competitive person by nature, it's hard to understand it. But at the end of the day I found my best way to deal with it was find him something that made him click and enjoy sports.

We tried every sport, baseball, soccer, basketball, football..... Nothing clicked for him for a mentally competitive fire and driver perspective. There seemed to be a disconnect on the team level and understanding he needed to compete

I started to believe hey he might just not be a sports kid. Started to settle into that

Then one day he asked to play golf, I thought that's interesting. Started that journey with golf. That has been the most fun I have had watching him. Turns out the things that drove me nuts about the way he approached other sports, worked perfectly in golf. He never gets too up or down during a round and is always in the hunt per say. It has been fun to watch him win some tournaments, and play good golf. He has learned allot and developed some great friendships with other kids his age

I say all that to say, encourage him when he finds something he enjoys. Help him focus on it, which maybe different that how you picture it. And teach him to the best of your ability.

The time you get with him and bond you build with him through that, will mean more to him than any thing that comes with sports.

At the end of the day they will need you more than the need the W