First-time parents enroll toddler in soccer. Then they realize they made a rookie mistake: ‘Individual sports are good for developing proprioception’

A Texas-based family man and content creator is telling his audience to avoid soccer, basketball, baseball, and other team sports altogether. According to him, enrolling children in team sports at an early age can have negative, rather than positive, consequences.

In a 2024 stitch with another content creator, Dominic Barry (@theblackbarrys) explains that participating in youth sports from an early age can be tough for younger kids. He lists multiple reasons why he didn't enroll his three daughters in team sports at an early age.

‘Don't put your kids in team sports too early'

Before the stitch, the original content creator says, “We did the thing that apparently every first-time parent does and then regrets, which is sign your kid up too early for soccer. Our son is 3, almost 4, and we signed him up for soccer this fall, and like, I was like, ‘This will be like a fun activity for us.'”

Then Barry stitches in with his own take—don't put kids in team sports at first.

“All my first-time parents out there, lock in,” Barry says. “Don't put your kids in team sports too early. My daughters do jujitsu, wrestling, and gymnastics. We're not gonna introduce team sports for a very long time.”

Barry tells his audience the top reasons why his children won't be introduced to team sports anytime soon.

“Number one, I don't wanna be bored. I don't wanna be there with the likelihood that my daughter doesn't get to kick the ball,” he says.

Second, he says that “My daughter might not be good enough, and they don't pass her the ball in basketball. So we put her in individual sports. That way she can learn much faster.”

Third, he adds that there's not a “lot of accountability” in team sports. “If your kid would've passed my kid, we would've won this … In an individual sport, everything falls on your kid, so they have to learn and be accountable a lot earlier.”

He adds another reason—heat. The content creator explains that in El Paso, Texas, the heat reaches over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. For that reason, he says he's waiting to enroll his own children.

Commenters share their own takes: ‘Depends on the kid'

In the comment section, viewers seemed split whether they should agree with Barry. A few simply said some children are better suited for team sports than individual ones.

“Every kid is different. But respect the opinion,” one viewer said.

Others said Barry was wrong about his take.

“Nothing wrong with team sports helps kids communication and help them get some exercise,” one viewer said.

Another added, “It depends on the program, you can put them in soccer and work on development and technical aspects individually with other kids … gotta choose the right programs.”

Team sports versus individual sports: what's better?

There's no general scientific consensus as to whether individual sports or team sports are better for a child's development. Most experts would argue that both have pros and cons and offer children different things.

However, a 2022 PLoS One paper found that children who participate in team sports appeared less likely to experience mental health issues. Specifically, the study found that children in team sports experienced “10% lower anxious/depressed scores, 19% lower withdrawn/depressed scores, 17% lower social problems scores, 17% lower thought problems scores, and 12% lower attention problems scores.”

By contrast, the paper also found that children who participated in individual sports, such as tennis or martial arts, tend to have greater mental health difficulties than children who didn't participate in any sport.

However, other factors, such as coaches, peers when applicable, and the overall environment, can make a difference in a child's development. Both team sports and individual sports, then, can be positive depending on how parents approach their child's athletic development.