As parents, I am sure you always wonder “when is a good age to get my kid involved in sports?” and “how early is too early?” I personally started at the age of 9 and used to train in 3 different activities: Chinese Boxing(kung-fu), Gymnastics and Roller Blading. At the age of 13, I found myself gifted in fighting, and consequently, focused all of my efforts on Chinese boxing. So, as a professional athlete who has been fighting for the past 15 years, and teaching children and adults for the past 8, I’m here to tell you all you need to know.
To start off, there is no specific age to begin; anyone at any point in their lives can get on the fitness train. That said, kids can start as early as 3 years old. Exercising at that very young age (3 to 5 years), does not gain preschoolers much physical strength nor helps them develop fitness performance, but it offers many other physical and mental benefits, like body coordination, discipline and obedience.
Through body coordination, they learn how to move body parts separately, and how to use their muscles properly. But in order to advance faster, having mirrors in class is a must so they can see themselves progress. The mental benefits are far more important for kids, because in addition to discipline, they learn that nothing comes easy; training is tough, but hard work can lead to great results. They also learn teamwork and sportsmanship, that will come in handy in their daily life, as children, and ultimately, as adults. But all of this doesn’t matter, if they don’t bond with their coaches, who should be full of life and project positivity, as more often than none, these coaches become your children’s idols.
What about frequency, and gender specific sports or exercise? Well, genetically speaking, boys are born with strong muscles, but lack flexibility, whereas girls are born with flexibility yet lack strength. Having said that, while both genders exercise to strengthen different areas of physical weakness, the end result is the same; they will both eventually become strong and flexible.
As for frequency, they can train daily as long as their workout is complete, and includes both muscle strengthening and stretching. This will help them loosen up tensed muscles and avoid injuries that will affect their growth. Be it dance, gymnastics, kung-fu or everything in between, kids should explore different kinds of activities daily, because as we all know, the older we get, the less time we will find for sports. So, you should allow your children to really take advantage of this valuable time, and find an activity or a sport they excel in now, and enjoy for the rest of their lives. Who knows? They might even make a career out of it!
Finally, as parents, it is important you understand that sports and exercise are a way of life, and not a seasonal trend.
Francois El Rassi
