Is Your Child Born Athletic ... or Can Athleticism Be Built?

Coach Dad

Sep 29

3 min read

Coach Dad & Dr. Mom | Raising Whole Athletes

We’re quick to call certain kids “natural athletes.”

You’ve probably seen them. The child who seems faster than everyone else without much training. The kid who jumps higher, changes direction effortlessly, or seems to pick up a new sport almost immediately.

And yes, genetics matter.

Children can inherit physical characteristics that may give them advantages in certain sports or movements.

Height, body structure, muscle characteristics, and other biological factors can influence athletic performance.

But genetics are only part of the story.

Athleticism isn’t simply something your child either has or doesn’t have.

A lot of it can be developed.

What Does It Actually Mean to Be Athletic?

Sometimes we confuse being good at a sport with being athletic.

They aren't necessarily the same thing.

A young basketball player might have a great shot but struggle with balance and body control. A soccer player may have excellent ball skills but lack strength. A baseball player may be highly skilled at their position but have limited experience jumping, landing, sprinting, or moving in different directions.

Athleticism includes many different qualities:

Strength
Speed
Power
Balance
Coordination
Agility
Body control
Movement skill

And many of these qualities can improve through training, practice, play, and exposure to different types of movement.

Where We Can Get It Wrong

If we want our child to become a better basketball player, the obvious answer seems to be:

More basketball.

Want a better soccer player?

More soccer.

Want a better baseball player?

More baseball.

Sport-specific practice certainly has a place. Kids need opportunities to practice the skills required for their sport.

But more sport doesn't automatically mean more athletic.

If nearly all of a child's physical activity comes from repeatedly practicing the same sport, they may become very skilled at those particular movements without developing a broad movement foundation.

Sometimes the thing that helps a young athlete isn't another hour of sport-specific training.

Sometimes they simply need more opportunities to move.

Build the Mover First

Let them sprint.

Let them jump.

Teach them how to land.

Let them climb, throw, balance, crawl, skip, change direction, and get stronger.

Let them play outside.

Let them try another sport.

Give them different environments, different challenges, and different problems for their body to solve.

A basketball player can benefit from learning movements that have nothing to do with dribbling a basketball.

A soccer player can benefit from getting stronger.

A baseball player can benefit from jumping, landing, balancing, and moving in different directions.

Those experiences become part of the movement toolbox they bring back to their primary sport.

You Don't Have to Create a Professional Training Schedule

This is important for parents.

Developing athleticism doesn't mean your child's calendar needs another five hours of organized training every week.

Especially with younger athletes, movement development can happen through simple opportunities.

Race them up a hill.
Play tag.
Jump rope.
Go swimming.
Ride bikes.
Climb at the playground.
Play a pickup game in the driveway.
Do age-appropriate strength exercises.
Try a sport they aren't particularly good at yet.

Not every movement needs to be optimized for their primary sport.

Sometimes the value is simply in asking their body to learn something new.

Genetics May Influence the Starting Point, But That's Not the Whole Story

Your child may never be the tallest athlete on the court.

They may not naturally be the fastest kid on the field.

Another athlete may seem to have physical abilities that came much easier to them.

That's okay.

The goal isn't to control every variable or manufacture the “perfect” athlete.

It's to help your child develop the abilities that can be developed.

Can they become stronger?
Can their balance improve?
Can they learn better body control?
Can they become more coordinated?
Can they improve how they sprint, jump, land, or change direction?
Can they become comfortable learning unfamiliar movements?

Those are much more useful questions than simply asking:

“Is my child athletic?”

Don't Just Develop the Player

As sports parents, it's easy to become focused on the sport in front of us.

The shooting percentage.
The batting average.
The starting position.
The next tournament.

But we're raising growing kids before we're developing basketball players, soccer players, football players, gymnasts, or baseball players.

Their bodies are still learning.

Give them opportunities to build a broad foundation.
Give them permission to be beginners at something.
Give them opportunities to move in ways their sport doesn't require.

And remember:

You can't choose your child's genetics.

But you can give them opportunities to develop what's trainable.

Don't just build a better player.

Build the athlete behind the sport.