Possible to be best at sport without parents forcing kids to play?

[KingHutch]

In terms of the most competitive individual sports with the most money, along the lines of golf, tennis and boxing, is it possible for a person to become the best at the sport without their parent(s) forcing them to play that sport at a very young age?

I mean a kid at age 2 doesn't have the capacity to say I wanna be a pro golfer/boxer/tennis player, it has to be up to the parents to determine that they will play this sport and get very good at it.

By the time most kids are capable of saying I wanna be the #1 golfer, at say age 10, it's usually way too late when Tiger already has 8 years experience on you.

Ridiculous work ethic has to be there along with appropriate genetics but the total immersion of a person in said sport at a young age by the parents also has to be there I think?

Is there a scenario where someone who is one of the best at these kinds of sports has done so through his/her own decision?

[grease lightnin]

Ricky Fowler fits the id you are looking for.

The really tough thing about training a kid like Tiger was trained by his dad is that kids burn out. So many kids that are phenoms in wrestling when they are really young are nowhere to be found in high school because they burnt out. (I am using wrestling as an example because i know wrestling. I realize you cant make dough like the other sports you mentioned)

[Big Bear]

In terms of the most competitive individual sports with the most money, along the lines of golf, tennis and boxing, is it possible for a person to become the best at the sport without their parent(s) forcing them to play that sport at a very young age?

I mean a kid at age 2 doesn't have the capacity to say I wanna be a pro golfer/boxer/tennis player, it has to be up to the parents to determine that they will play this sport and get very good at it.

By the time most kids are capable of saying I wanna be the #1 golfer, at say age 10, it's usually way too late when Tiger already has 8 years experience on you.

Ridiculous work ethic has to be there along with appropriate genetics but the total immersion of a person in said sport at a young age by the parents also has to be there I think?

Is there a scenario where someone who is one of the best at these kinds of sports has done so through his/her own decision?

i can only think of 3 examples

A) Black kid grows up in the hood. ( yes he will probably have access to a pair of gym shorts, steal some Jordans if he has to, and ofcourse there will be a basketball and a hoop somewhere close by.

B) Rich parents are members at a fancy country club and the kid has free access growing up to the gold course and plays 7 days a week sometimes twice a day.

C) Parents have a house on the North Shore of Oahu and kid saves up enough money to buy a surfboard and an early age and the "locals" take an interest in him and teach him how to surf.

[CWD]

parents dont push their kids into boxing so every great boxer answers your question

as for the other sports most parents dont pull a tiger woods he is the exception to the norm. you make it sound like if a kid isnt playing at 2 years old he has not shot to be great?

[Big Bear]

Lorenzo Cain did not start playing baseball until he was 16 years old and IMHO he is one of the top 5 players in MLB today.


“I’d like to know if there’s anybody that’s played at his level and didn’t play baseball until that late,” said Doug Reynolds, the scout who signed him for Milwaukee in 2005. “You had guys where you’d say he was a football guy and maybe he crossed over. But we’re talking about a non-athlete at any level.”

Well, Cain did enjoy basketball. But his freshman year at Madison County High School in Florida, he didn’t make the hoops team, as he explained to the Kansas City Star in an interview earlier this season. He was looking for some direction and his mother wouldn’t let him play football, so he eventually accompanied a friend named Jeremy Haynes to meet with the baseball coach, Barney Myers.
Modal TriggerCain holds up his American League Championship Series MVP trophy after game 4 of the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles at Kauffman Stadium.Photo: UPI

“What grade are you in?” Myers recalled asking Cain.
“Tenth,” Cain responded.
“Ever play ball?”
“No, sir.”
“Come out this afternoon.”
Cain came out — in street clothes, and without any gear. At this football-centric school, however, Myers couldn’t afford to be picky. He told Cain to reach into the cardboard box in the field house and help himself to some equipment.

[CWD]

very few start in the crib

[Big Bear]

very few start in the crib

this dude is going to get as much pussy as he wants later in life.

[Jayvegas420]

Male figure skaters might be a good example too!

[TheMoneyShot]

this dude is going to get as much pussy as he wants later in life.

Later in life? What are you talking about? Guy is getting laid right now.

[jjgold]

soccer

[Big Bear]

Later in life? What are you talking about? Guy is getting laid right now.

12 is too young for sex IMO

i didnt go all the way til i was 19

[jtoler]

Aged 10 is not too old to start those sports and be one of the best helps to have some natural gifts of course, Ali didn't start boxing till aged 12 I think. You may find more boxers taking up the sport at later ages and become one of the best in their era opposed to the other sports though.

[stealthyburrito]

CM Punk didn't take up mixed martial arts and look at him, he's got a contract with UFC

[KingHutch]

Nice, I figured with most team sports you could start later, seems boxing too.

Looks like tennis and possibly golf are the two that really require you to start at a ridiculously young age? I guess the competition is high, international games and individual games.

[Big Bear]

Nice, I figured with most team sports you could start later, seems boxing too.

Looks like tennis and possibly golf are the two that really require you to start at a ridiculously young age? I guess the competition is high, international games and individual games.

Each kid is different. If your kid does not have great genetics then he will need to make up for it with extra practice and superior technique.

If your kid has god given talent or is just a freak of nature (JJ Watt) (Randy Johnson) (Nolan Ryan) (Julius Peppers) (Lorenzo Cain)
(Cam Newton) then it doesn't really fukkin matter what your kid does b/c he is going to be a professional athlete and a super star.

Basically it can be summed up with this statement

"The Cream always rises to the top, but Turds float too. "

Also another important factor is your kid needs to be an alpha male and have a lot of confidence.