Is no one else concerned, that working class kids are being priced out of youth sports?

[RickyGQ]

Thanks breh. I won't let him play football though I know he'll be a great one. That's what he plays at recess every day. He's freakishly athletic for his age. He will likely run track in middle school. He has expressed interest in that.

About why he only hoops? I'd rather him not be a jack of all trades. It's great for staying in shape because sports do overlap but he'd miss out on the aforementioned knowledge. Most kids playing nowadays can't throw an entry pass for example. A changing of the game but still, it should be something they know. It's the nuances of the game. One of the things I've done with my son during the downtime is to just play in local leagues so he just signs up through registration and plays with whomever. His trainer isn't a fan of that but I say, if he can play, he'll figure it out because your game should travel. He just typically end up with coaches that do this for their own kids and to the others detriment at times.

Spoiler: Shooting Clips

He's a lefty and can finish with both hands.


For this one, this isn't nothing but a drill and the center isn't anything but a cone. That's why the footwork is great here. It's been practiced and drilled to death.


Again, kid was a cone and this was a drill.

Or with passing.

Throwing the ball where they are supposed to be, not where they were.

Spoiler: Passing clips

As I said, it's the nuances and just extra time. Like in said, having to be on the same court with literal state Allstars forces you to make decisions a hell of a lot faster, far faster than your average kid in your grade will make you. The windows of opportunity are so small as you get older. Learning how to address that now has been monumental for him.

Appreciate the insight. My son is 2 and a half and already mimicking whatever sport he sees on tv. Mentally, I’m just trying to figure out the best course of action down the line. I’ll let him play everything he’s interested in except football up until a certain point (not sure when that will be). I get the logic of not specializing, i.e. not wanting to burn the kid out, overusing the same muscles too early etc. but it’s one of those things where I’m like, if you don’t, you’re almost guaranteed to fall behind if the kid has elite potential, which it feels like what your saying.

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

Appreciate the insight. My son is 2 and a half and already mimicking whatever sport he sees on tv. Mentally, I’m just trying to figure out the best course of action down the line. I’ll let him play everything he’s interested in except football up until a certain point (not sure when that will be). I get the logic of not specializing, i.e. not wanting to burn the kid out, overusing the same muscles too early etc. but it’s one of those things where I’m like, if you don’t, you’re almost guaranteed to fall behind if the kid has elite potential, which it feels like what your saying.

It is exactly what I'm saying. I love call of duty, I can't play it anymore because if I'm not in front of the screen 24/7 playing this game, then I'm toast whenever I do play.

Being a randy moss, a jalen suggs, an allen iverson is essentially being an alien, winning both Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football in your state. Think about this, we don't generally pick a career that way. When you go off to college, you are at roughly 15-20% of your life being done. Now figure out what is going to support you the last 80-85% but you can reinvent yourself if the first option doesn't pan out.

Sporting life for practically everyone is far less. My son started hooping around 5, saw something worth investing in at 8. At most, this goes till he's 20? So fifteen years of sports if he's able to take to through college. He's 10 now so he's potentially, best case scenario, a third of the way through his journey. You just have to hopefully find the passion and talent early. A parent of a kid on my son's current team, the first practice, was proudly talking about his son's exploits at their local YMCA. Of course my son destroyed his when they were scrimmaging. He is also 10 and his first time in 'real basketball' and he's so far behind the curve because of said fact.

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

They building glitzy state of the art rec centers but the community grassroots element is simply not there especially in cities smh....My co worker was just telling how they built one up the street from his home and he couldn't get a direct answer on the hours so he could use the court to shot around with his nephew and son.....In the neighborhood I grew up in the YMCA was small and outdated but man it always seemed available....Thats another thing COL is so high its harder for the dedicated organizers, directors, coaches, trainers who volunteer or work for little pay....Thats who a lot of those great athletes from the hood/poor working class areas relied on back in the day...

Thats why I think OPs point is mostly relevant in the large metro areas where competition is thick and COL is higher...

One of my homies older brother moved with his wife and kids from the DMV to Southern VA around Richmond, him and his wife ain't making as much but ateotd their money goes longer and they don't have to work extended hrs to pay the bills..That gives them enough time to focus on their children's development...Their son and daughter are like 8 and 9 already showing signs their going to be really good athletes....Point is if your working class or even comfortably middle class its not easy to just pick up and move but after a certain point you gotta look at the bigger picture and make that sacrifice if you want better....

Either way people are resilient, so are children..It’s foolish to think these athletes are coming from well off backgrounds when a good majority are not…




Thats whats up you are doing good work....Setting up a solid foundation and applying it in real time is crucial...Taking charge of your child development is way more important that just throwing money at whatever popular trainer, travel team hoping they will develop or stir them the right way....

Thanks breh, I try. We are going to maximize every dollar and minute spent. A lot of people just throw money in these things and be mad when it doesn't work out for the kid. What did you do to help them succeed? I record games? Why, to review and improve him. Early on, noticed he only wanted to go left, started breaking him out of that habit. Like how floyd mayweather was comfortable fighting going forward or backwards, you need to be the same going left or right so when we work at home, same amount of reps both hands. I trust 100% what my son's trainer is doing but I still keep a watchful eye on everything. I'd be a fool not to.

 

[Guess Who]

Remember, you’re not spending money on sports for your kid to go pro, it’s for them to have fun and develop life skills. Athletes do really well in the workplace.

 

[Guess Who]

Didn't get a chance to add these.

Anticipatory skills become better and more intuitive and being able to throw a pass off platform, in rhythm. I don't care that the teammates missed he made the right read to get his teammates an open shot.




Time, trials and tribulations and the games he's had has made him stronger. Playing multiple sports, unless you're just a savant will keep you from reaching your fullest of potential.

I was actually listening to a podcast that said playing multiple sports before high school increases your chance of going pro because you learn a more diverse set of physical and spatial skills which you can then apply to your speciality. It’s interesting because when I watch youth basketball I can immediately tell which kids also play soccer. The way they pass, cut, and think about space is way different. And the footwork? My goodness.

 

[7th Letter Specialist]

I'd rather see this thread pop up than yet another "Tariq Nasheed" or "Divestor Says Dumb shyt on Twitter" or the daily "Seoul Gleow bashes Democrats because the Israeli Government Is Evil"

Bro said he want more pawg threads

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

I was actually listening to a podcast that said playing multiple sports before high school increases your chance of going pro because you learn a more diverse set of physical and spatial skills which you can then apply to your speciality. It’s interesting because when I watch youth basketball I can immediately tell which kids also play soccer. The way they pass, cut, and think about space is way different. And the footwork? My goodness.

I think that largely depends on the person truth be told. I've seen soccer players in basketball, football players in basketball, baseball players in basketball. Some good, some bad. I was a football player hooping and I looked like it. A lot of my moves were mechanical looking in nature. I was an athlete playing basketball. When I watch him play, there is a level of fluidity I could only dream to have. He's a basketball player playing basketball. Some people are just destined for greatness no matter what they do athletically.

 

[Fanservice]

Working class kids should focus on trying to be the best nerds

 

[Goat poster]

Thanks breh. I won't let him play football though I know he'll be a great one. That's what he plays at recess every day. He's freakishly athletic for his age. He will likely run track in middle school. He has expressed interest in that.

About why he only hoops? I'd rather him not be a jack of all trades. It's great for staying in shape because sports do overlap but he'd miss out on the aforementioned knowledge. Most kids playing nowadays can't throw an entry pass for example. A changing of the game but still, it should be something they know. It's the nuances of the game. One of the things I've done with my son during the downtime is to just play in local leagues so he just signs up through registration and plays with whomever. His trainer isn't a fan of that but I say, if he can play, he'll figure it out because your game should travel. He just typically end up with coaches that do this for their own kids and to the others detriment at times.

Spoiler: Shooting Clips

He's a lefty and can finish with both hands.


For this one, this isn't nothing but a drill and the center isn't anything but a cone. That's why the footwork is great here. It's been practiced and drilled to death.


Again, kid was a cone and this was a drill.

Or with passing.

Throwing the ball where they are supposed to be, not where they were.

Spoiler: Passing clips

As I said, it's the nuances and just extra time. Like in said, having to be on the same court with literal state Allstars forces you to make decisions a hell of a lot faster, far faster than your average kid in your grade will make you. The windows of opportunity are so small as you get older. Learning how to address that now has been monumental for him.

What kind of camps you doing in the summer?

My kid did Made Hoops, and West coast Elite. He got invited to the Made hoops travel team but we told them maybe next year as hes just now about to turn 11 and he already travels a bunch with his current team.



And i feel you on the specialization and agree....... because Id LOVE for my lil man to specialize in Basketball but his moms grew up playing Soccer and took it all the way to the collegiate level and her side is a soccer family( Grandfather is a coach and uncle played soccer in college) So he has it in his blood and he loves it only SLIGHLTLY less than basketball.

Soccer def helps my lil man as far as court vision , passing people open, and footwork.



So its not all the way bad.

 

[Goat poster]

I was actually listening to a podcast that said playing multiple sports before high school increases your chance of going pro because you learn a more diverse set of physical and spatial skills which you can then apply to your speciality. It’s interesting because when I watch youth basketball I can immediately tell which kids also play soccer. The way they pass, cut, and think about space is way different. And the footwork? My goodness.

I can 1000000% attest to this....

 

[Pressure]

Just a further extension of the toxic hustle culture.

 

[RickyGQ]

Remember, you’re not spending money on sports for your kid to go pro, it’s for them to have fun and develop life skills. Athletes do really well in the workplace.

This is a fact. I remember when I got into the workforce for real in my twenties and you could always tell who played sports as a kid and who didn’t. The guys who were always out for themselves and had no understanding of coming together for a common goal.

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

I've been making the argument that as US public institutions are allowed to degrade and crumble, this is a side-effect of that. Parents with means have always used them to get their kids ahead but public schools use to be a legit avenue for lower income kids to develop actual skills and structure that would aid in progressing in their sport of choice, and also allowing them the opportunities to explore their talent by being the "man" on their school's team.

Public schools been under attack for decades and this is the effect of that.

Indeed, and it feels like the shift kinda sorta came when the country passed integration. It’s like it was decided if they couldn’t have those nice facilities to themselves then they’ll just degrade them completely and it’s get in where you fit in. Not at all to say segregation is preferable but rather that the dominant society preferred to nullify the impact of the institutions that people got integrated into. From the vote to the public school system nearly every institution is becoming increasingly devalued for the average American.

 

[Ahmen]

Practice, dedication, hard work and desire offsets money.

Ask any kid playing soccer, tennis, basketball or baseball in the DR, Columbia, Slovakia, Serbia or Venezuela

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

What kind of camps you doing in the summer?

My kid did Made Hoops, and West coast Elite. He got invited to the Made hoops travel team but we told them maybe next year as hes just now about to turn 11 and he already travels a bunch with his current team.



And i feel you on the specialization and agree....... because Id LOVE for my lil man to specialize in Basketball but his moms grew up playing Soccer and took it all the way to the collegiate level and her side is a soccer family( Grandfather is a coach and uncle played soccer in college) So he has it in his blood and he loves it only SLIGHLTLY less than basketball.

Soccer def helps my lil man as far as court vision , passing people open, and footwork.



So its not all the way bad.

So, living in Indiana, it is true about what they say about the love of basketball here. Practically every high school program has a camp.

This year was light.

Did the camp that is at the high school he'll attend. It's a politics thing so we go. As I said, they already know about my son. They do extra work with him there.

Did another high school camp that's local because last year he went and enjoyed it. The head coach there loves my son's game. Chopped it up with him last year, asked him what I could do to improve his game, his response was that there isn't anything I can tell you that you aren't probably doing right now.

Lastly, to get him better competition, I sought outside of this area. I went to Indianapolis, 2.5 hours away, figuring the bigger city, by law of averages, would have better players. They did but not what I wanted. It's called Point Guard University. 4 days, they actually do a great job of teaching the game. He dominated his age group so they moved him up to the middle schoolers and competed well.

I'm always on the hunt, looking for him to have someone to chase, to not be the best player on the court. I stay looking for his bogeyman essentially.

He just also had two tryouts, one for 5th grade and one for his travel squad, he made both. 5th grade team is running 8 deep this year, last year for 4th Grade was 10. Travel squad will be 8-9.

The time will come, if this keeps up for him, to eventually play where there is more than just parents in the stands.