When and Why Kids Must Start Athletic Training

Don’t Miss the Window: Why Now Is the Time to Get Your Child Moving

Parents want the best for our kids. We want them to grow up strong, confident, healthy, and happy. But many parents don’t realize there are key time periods in a child’s life when their bodies and brains are especially primed to develop core athletic skills. Miss these windows, and it can be much harder for them to catch up later.

Scientists and coaches refer to these periods as “windows of opportunity.” These are special developmental phases when your child’s brain and body are especially receptive to learning how to move well, such as developing balance, coordination, speed, agility, and strength that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. The Two Big Windows for Athletic Growth

1. First Window: Ages 6–9 During this period (slightly earlier for girls than for boys), children experience a surge in neural development. Their brains are forming new connections, making it the perfect time to learn the basics of movement. Think sprinting, jumping, landing, coordination, and balance.
   

   If your child is exposed to high-quality movement training during these years, they’ll develop faster reflexes, better agility, and a lifelong confidence in how they move. Miss this window, and you’re asking them to build these skills on a much steeper curve later in life.

   
   

   

   When and Why Kids Must Start Athletic Training

   
   

2. Second Window: ~12–14 Years This period happens right after a child’s biggest growth spurt (known as peak height velocity or PHV). As their muscles grow and hormones kick in, their bodies become ready to gain serious strength and power. This is when kids should be refining and expanding on the skills they learned earlier, building strength and explosive ability that support more advanced athletics.
   

   But if they’ve never learned proper mechanics like how to land softly, change direction, or react quickly, then this phase can be awkward and even risky. Injuries go up, and confidence can go down.

   
   

   

So What’s the Best Sport for Developing These Skills?

The key is finding a sport or mix of sports that includes a wide range of movements and challenges. A sport that is 90% ball throwing or bat swinging won't develop a well-rounded athlete alone. We need an athletic experience that covers the following key athletic centers:

• Balance & Body Awareness Navigating rails, beams, and walls builds rock-solid stability and teaches kids how to move with control.

• Running & Jumping Whether sprinting into a vault or jumping from platform to platform, kids develop powerful legs and confident landings.

• Climbing & Swinging From rope climbs to bar swings, kids gain upper-body strength and grip endurance.

• Vaulting & Hand-Eye Coordination Vaulting trains explosive power, rhythm, and fast-twitch muscle control, all while coordinating with the hands and eyes. Think obstacle courses.

• Swimming and breath control Swimming is one of those check-the-box skills that, if your young athlete hasn't yet mastered, can be a serious safety risk throughout their lives.

• Risk and Reward Assessment Sports like Parkour teach kids to size up challenges, calculate risks, and push through fear intelligently. That builds confidence.

• Quick, Accurate Decision-Making In parkour, kids must think fast and move faster. They learn to react, adapt, and overcome on the fly.
  

The sport that (almost) has it all: Parkour.

Unlike traditional sports that often focus on narrow skill sets (like kicking a ball or swinging a bat), parkour trains the whole athlete. It’s built on mastering real-world movement that develops full-body control, coordination, and confidence. Why the "Almost"? Learning parkour at a gym, such as Freedom in Motion parkour gym, or learning outdoors typically doesn't include swimming. Seek a swim coach to cover that final base.

The True Goal: A Lifelong Love for Movement

Why play sports at all? Every child should fall in love with being active. Whether or not they become competitive athletes doesn’t matter. What matters is that they learn to enjoy movement, explore their limits, and build a positive relationship with fitness.

Sports need to be fun and rewarding, or young athletes tend to quit before being active becomes a lifestyle. And that’s what parkour delivers.

We’re not just teaching flips and tricks. We’re helping kids discover how capable their bodies are and how fun it can be to move, play, and grow.

Take Action Before the Window Closes

If your child is between 6 and 14 years old, now is the time to get started. Parkour is the ultimate foundation for athletic development. Even just one class a week can make a difference. Kids can learn parkour outdoors or head into a gym and train with a certified professional parkour coach. To try a parkour class at Freedom in Motion Parkour gym, click the button below to get started.

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