Find out which sport will shape your child's body best, and which sports to choose from, play or martial arts. Playing sports can lay an excellent foundation for the future health of the child, and also contribute to strengthening the character. In the modern world, in any field of human activity, competition is high and sports will help a child prepare for this. However, a completely natural question arises - in what sport should the child be sent and when is it better to do it? It is to these questions that we will now try to answer.
Note that sports have a positive effect on the physical development of children. Scientists state the fact that the modern child is an accelerator. Now children change their milk teeth faster, the processes of growth and weight gain are more active. At the same time, the child's body often contains a large percentage of fat mass.
According to official information from international health organizations, about half of children have a low level of hormone production by the adrenal cortex, which slows down physical development and can contribute to the development of various diseases.
Is it necessary to send the child to the sports section?
Before answering the main question of this article - which sport to send the child to, let us decide whether it is necessary to do this. Healthy children are always very active, because excess energy must be thrown out. One of the most important conditions for the normal physical development of children is the correct formation of the musculoskeletal system.
Children need a lot of nutrients, minerals and vitamins to grow. When a person is active, regardless of age, the nutritional quality of all tissues, including bone, improves. As a result, the child's active lifestyle allows avoiding the development of various pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, which can then be extremely difficult to correct. With poorly developed skeletal muscles, the risk of developing diseases such as scoliosis or kyphoscoliosis increases.
Until about the age of seven, in children, bundles of muscle fibers are attached by short tendons slightly further from the normal axis of rotation. This is the reason that at this age the child's movements seem slightly angular. Only by the age of ten is the formation of the connective tissue system of muscles fully completed.
It should also be remembered that the skeletal muscles of the child do not develop proportionally. The muscles of the forearm and shoulder joint are formed first, and the muscles of the hands are completed later. Up to six years of age, children find it difficult to do exercises that use fine motor skills, which leads to increased fatigue. The ligamentous apparatus completes formation by about nine years. All this suggests that the question of what kind of sport to send a child to should be resolved precisely taking into account the development of the musculoskeletal system. At the same time, it is important that classes in the sports section are conducted by an experienced trainer who is able to correctly dose physical activity.
Regular physical activity will help to properly form the structure of the muscles and make them as functional as possible. Playing sports will help the child develop fighting qualities, and it will be much easier for him to break through to himself in adulthood.
According to statistics, active children learn better and have better health. Of course, now we are not talking about professional sports, as health from them, most likely, will not increase.
What sport is it better to send a child to?
It is possible that when deciding which sport to send the child to, your opinion does not coincide with the child's desire. You do not have to insist on visiting any section, let the child decide for himself what kind of sport he likes. At the same time, you can push him to choose, based on the individual characteristics of his baby.
If your baby is open to communication (extrovert), then you can send him to the section of speed-strength sports disciplines, for example, swimming, football, tennis, etc. If the child is more introverted, or in other words, prone to analysis, then you can try to choose cyclic sports, say, skiing, athletics, etc. This is due to the fact that such children perceive monotonous workouts well. They tend to be disciplined and hardy.
An introverted child does not really like communication, and team sports disciplines will not suit him. Most likely, such children will not get much pleasure from playing, say, football or volleyball. Individual sports, however, can be a good choice. They tend to have a low level of anxiety and in the same athletics they can achieve good results. Team sports are perfect for an impressionable child. These children are not interested in personal independence and can make good team players. Of course, it's up to you and your child to decide which sport to send your child to. However, it is important to remember that the baby should enjoy these activities.
Children can be docile, but at the same time dependent. They are often referred to as comfortable. They perfectly perceive all the rules of the "game" and reach out for leaders. For such a child, it is also worth choosing team sports. A proud child, in turn, wants to remain a leader in everything and always. They need to constantly be in the spotlight and sports disciplines in which the winner is determined over a long period of time will not be of interest to them. Apathetic children are often annoyed and tend to quickly change their hobbies.
What kind of sport should a child go to, depending on his age?
- Children from 4 to 6 years old. At this age, the child does not have sufficient concentration to accurately perform the exercises suggested to him by the trainer. They have excellent stretching and are just starting to coordinate their movements. At this age, sports in a playful manner are suitable for most children, although some also like the coach's serious approach to the process.
- Children from 7 to 10 years old. During this period of child development, physical fitness and coordination improve, but stretching decreases. Thus, the skills that your toddler developed at an earlier age need to be maintained and developed. Agree that stretching is essential in many sports. But there is no need to rush with the development of power parameters.
- Children from 10 to 12 years old. A child by this age already has excellent coordination and is able to quickly understand the essence of the exercises. These are the main distinguishing features of this age. At the same time, the reaction rate is still not so well developed and the issue of its development should be given attention.
- Children from 13 to 15 years old. At this age, children are already acquiring tactical thinking skills, and with well-developed coordination, the question of which sport to give the child to is not urgent, since any sports discipline is suitable. It is necessary to begin to improve the physical fitness of the child.
- Children from 16 to 18 years old. By this age, the child's skeleton is almost completely formed and ready for physical activity.
Characteristics of popular sports disciplines for children
Let's take a look at the most popular sports disciplines today. Most children will change several sections until they find a sport to their liking.
Tennis
According to many people, tennis is an elite sports discipline, and frequent mentions of the prize pools of major tournaments attract parents to it. At the same time, the child often ends up in the tennis section, but at the same time does not meet the standards of physical fitness.
Tennis will develop a child's speed, responsiveness, and coordination. Since this sport involves an aerobic type of load, the performance of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems will improve. This is not the most traumatic sport and you shouldn't worry much about this. As we have already noted, the transition to a professional level will allow you to make good money.
At the same time, there are some contraindications. Children who have problems with the digestive system (peptic ulcer), flat feet, unstable position of the cervical vertebrae and poor visual acuity should not play tennis. But in case of metabolic disorders and osteochondrosis, tennis can benefit the body.
Volleyball, hockey, basketball, football
These sports disciplines will be the best option for a sociable child. Each of these sports contributes to the development of the musculoskeletal system, increases dexterity, speed of reaction, and also improves the work of the heart muscle and the vascular system.
Children with problems with the work of the heart muscle and suffering from diabetes can participate in these sections. However, the loads for them should be significantly less. You should not give your child to these sports in the presence of flat feet, peptic ulcer disease, asthma and an unstable position of the cervical spine.
Combat sports
These sports disciplines have long ceased to be considered the lot of only boys. Quite often girls attend martial arts sections with great pleasure. Being engaged in martial arts, the child will be able to harmoniously develop his body, get good stretching, develop flexibility, and the respiratory and cardiovascular systems will function better. There are no contraindications for practicing martial arts.
For more information on which sport and at what age to send the child, see this video:
