Home » Articles on Demand » Young Children and Sports - Weighing the Risks and Benefits




Young Children and Sports - Weighing the Risks and Benefits

by David Elkind
September/October 2000
Access over 3,000 practical Exchange articles written by the top experts in the field through our online database. Join Today!

Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/young-children-and-sports-weighing-the-risks-and-benefits/5013514/

The spectacular success of golfer Tiger Woods has many parents wondering whether they should begin sports training with their young children. Tiger Woods, who is being described as perhaps the greatest golfer in history, started playing the game at the age of three. It seems reasonable to infer, then, that the earlier you start a child in a sport, the better he will be.


However reasonable that inference might seem, it happens to be wrong. In this connection I am reminded of the story about Mozart. One day an aspiring composer approached Mozart and asked the musical genius to teach him how to write a symphony. Mozart replied that perhaps the young man might start with something a little less ambitious, like an ‚tude. The questioner took umbrage at this reply and said, "But you wrote a symphony when you were eight years old." Without hesitation, Mozart responded, "Yes, that is true, but it is also true that I didn't have to ask how." The point of this story is that you cannot take the exception as the rule. Tiger Woods, arguably the Mozart of golf, shouldn't be taken as the model for creating gifted golfers. Unfortunately, one cannot learn to be ...

Want to finish reading Young Children and Sports - Weighing the Risks and Benefits?

You have access to 5 free articles.
or an account to access full article.