Which sports do you more or less have to play from the minute you are able to walk and which can you be a late starter at and still perform well?
Was just thinking about this - certain sports like gymnastics you peak young and flame out early. Others you can be introduced to in your teen years and excel.
Of the ones that I know of, there have been more than a few world class basketball players who got introduced to the sport as a teen because some coach saw a tall kid and figured he could make a player out of him/her. Patrick Ewing is always the one that springs to mind.
This probably applies to Am Football moreso, if you are a big, strong unit and even better if you have some speed and co-ordination I feel like a high school coach could find a place for you on a team even if you have absolutely no experience in the sport. From there you have every chance of progessing into college and the pros.
Cycling - Froomey had little in the way of formal cycling training/coaching as a yoingster to speak of and just sort of stumbled his way along into the sport. There was an American female cyclist from Utah who got pretty good. She grew up as a footballer and just sort of tried the sport out as a college student. Is this stuff commonplace? I don't know but they are things I have read.
On the side of sports you have to start young I'd imagine golf is one of those, football is too, especially nowadays that every player has to be comfortable in possession. Ice hockey too must be one of those where 99% of the kids that make the NHL were thrown on the ice as toddlers.
Anyway, would love to hear your knowledge on the subject and thought this might develop into a good youth sport development thread which is always a fascinating subject.
Was just thinking about this - certain sports like gymnastics you peak young and flame out early. Others you can be introduced to in your teen years and excel.
Of the ones that I know of, there have been more than a few world class basketball players who got introduced to the sport as a teen because some coach saw a tall kid and figured he could make a player out of him/her. Patrick Ewing is always the one that springs to mind.
This probably applies to Am Football moreso, if you are a big, strong unit and even better if you have some speed and co-ordination I feel like a high school coach could find a place for you on a team even if you have absolutely no experience in the sport. From there you have every chance of progessing into college and the pros.
Cycling - Froomey had little in the way of formal cycling training/coaching as a yoingster to speak of and just sort of stumbled his way along into the sport. There was an American female cyclist from Utah who got pretty good. She grew up as a footballer and just sort of tried the sport out as a college student. Is this stuff commonplace? I don't know but they are things I have read.
On the side of sports you have to start young I'd imagine golf is one of those, football is too, especially nowadays that every player has to be comfortable in possession. Ice hockey too must be one of those where 99% of the kids that make the NHL were thrown on the ice as toddlers.
Anyway, would love to hear your knowledge on the subject and thought this might develop into a good youth sport development thread which is always a fascinating subject.
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