Too early for sports?

When is it the right time for your child to get into sports? How soon can they start competing? This is a question parents often asked. Although there is no single correct answer, there are parameters for not doing permanent damage to your child.

In some European countries and Olympic powerhouses like China, a child is often analyzed for which sport he or she is genetically predisposed to be good at. Exceptionally tall children are obviously groomed for basketball. When Yao Ming was a child, an analysis of the bones in his hand revealed to Chinese doctors that he would be a least 7’3”. He was then “adopted” by the city of Shanghai, and prepared for a life of hoops.

Pediatricians offer a simpler analysis. Take your child’s height at age 20 months to two years (the figure varies from doctor to doctor), and double it. That should be the child’s height as a fully-grown adult, plus or minus two inches. For example, if your son or daughter is three feet tall at age two, he or she will eventually reach anywhere from 5’10” to 6’2”. 

If you are concerned about maximizing your child’s height naturally, sleep is very important. Children who nap during the day and sleep earlier tend to be taller than those who do not. During sleep, the body repairs itself and builds tissue. Another consideration in some cultures is milk consumption. It is widely believed that regular milk intake (for the lactose tolerant) also helps with growth. Other substances like chlorella growth factor may need to be combined with other natural supplements to be more effective.

Physical strain is also a major factor in deterring growth. Children who do heavy lifting, as on farms or in fishing villages and other manual labor-intensive settings, tend to be shorter because of the sheer strain on the body. You would be able to tell this because the limbs and hands and feet of such a child may seem somewhat large when they reach adulthood. Where people live is also becoming a new consideration. Aside from pollution and other stresses of urban living, a new branch of science called anthropometric history reveals that population density also affects height. Briefly, those who live in congested cities tend to be shorter, as if their bodies are adjusting to a cramped environment.

Some data reveals why there are almost no tall gymnasts. Because of the tremendous strain on the body because of the exertion for the sport, many gymnasts’ bodies put the onset of adulthood and reproductive growth (menstruation) on hold. Apparently, the body sometimes decides that it will not be able to sustain another life given its current physical load. This is a more subtle but similar physiological reaction to soldiers who inadvertently excrete or urinate in battle. The body tries to armor itself by redirecting blood flow to the internal organs and away from extremities, and limiting bodily functions which aren’t directly essential to survival.

Weight training is also not advisable for the young until roughly sixteen years old. Again, extreme physical load may discourage the body from reaching its full height.

There are several stages when a child hits a growth spurt and suddenly changes physically. The most obvious one in early years occurs between the ages of six and seven. A child loses the pudginess in the hands, has more pronounced cheeks and jaws, has more pronounced waists, and grows. Internally, the child’s brain is able to process more. If you look at children who enter grade school in the early part of their sixth year, they usually have better grades in the second semester. This is sometimes assumed to be due to familiarity with the material, but it is actually because their bodies catch up.

In some European studies, sports using the feet (like soccer) are discouraged for children under age 12. The belief is that the child may be too grounded and miss some important growth of his or her creative abilities. In terms of learning, earning a musical instrument at various stages of early life is widely accepted to have a positive impact of mathematical ability and abstract reasoning. Initially, children are encouraged to learn to play the wooden flute, then the violin, guitar, and lastly, the piano. Some of this was first postulated by Rudolf Steiner more than half a century ago.

Emotionally, what causes children to develop fear is being asked to do something way beyond their capabilities, with a negative consequence when they fail. Unless properly handled, they will carry the negative impact for a long time. Generally speaking, repetition and emotional content of an experience are the biggest determinants of whether or not a child will want to repeat a certain action or behavior. If a child is constantly being yelled at, for example. They easily get frustrated and discouraged. On the other hand, if they are gradually stretched in terms of ability, they are more able to adjust.

Most important of all is a knowledge of the personality of the child. Some kids work better with rewards, some are more concerned with pleasing their parent, coach or authority figure. Some will refuse to proceed if they don’t think it’s fun. 

Parents have a bigger responsibility than they are aware of. Sometimes, they unknowingly throw their children to the lions, thinking that just being in sports will do them good.