I’m often asked by parents what’s the best sport for their child. Whether they are interested in a sport that has a low risk of injury or one that has a good chance of success and future scholarships, I think the parents picking a particular sport is the wrong approach.

As I discuss in this video, I wouldn’t encourage parents to push their kids to play a particular sport. I would allow your child to play different sports every season. Let them try team sports, individual sports and sports with different skills and goals. Let them find out for themselves what sport they enjoy.

As they get older and their bodies mature, then they can pick the one sport they want to play all year (if they want to only play one!). But the key point is that the best sport is the one they actually want to play. Rather than pushing your kids to play the sport you want (and risk putting them in with the 70% of kids who quit playing sports by age 13), let them play the one they enjoy, and they might stick with it!

Also read:

Talk to your child about injuries and pain in sports

Make the drive home from games less stressful for kids