OT: recommended football for 8 year old?
Now that my two boys are 8 and 10 years old, I figure it's time to update the late 1960's pigskin that my dad got for me as a kid (the cloth laces are nearly completely decayed away, not to mention the worn out leather that's peeled back at both ends).
So, what football brand/size/make/model would you recommend I buy for them and why? Leather or composite? Etc.
Thank you!!
I have been through that. I would recommend you go to the store and pick one out that feels good. You can get a good junior sized football for under $20. Leather is best if you're kids are responsible (unlike mine) and won't leave it out in the rain. Wilson usually has a good quality football.
It's more real than than the thread prediciting the record of the girls water polo team that doesn't begin its next season for 6 months.
boys are awful young...unless they have massive hands and strength - a full-size football can be quite a challenge.
When my eldest son was around that age, I got him something similar to this:
https://www.mden.com/product/Wilson_University_of_Michigan_Football__Mi…
You can probably get a full-size one as well but I know my son struggled with the full-size I had so it wasn't as "fun" because he couldn't throw it very well.
The mini football was a nice compromise - and the Block M helped.
Good luck!
How many composite stars does each boy have? Asking for a coaching friend.
I have this football and can vouch for how great it is for my kids (aged 10 and 7). So easy to throw a perfect spiral with this.
I would start with a football that is smaller and fits their hands better than a hs size ball. You want them to learn the techniques of throwing, catching and hand placement before worrying about anything else. At that age go with any youth sized ball that feels good. Once their hands get bigger/they get comfortable with the youth ball, try out a hs sized ball to see how they do.
that you kick . . . .
No...
Rounds ones are easier for me to figure out than the oblong kind...
Nike Vapor Strike youth size is great. $25
https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-vapor-strike-youth-football-1…
And I would go cheaper. Those footballs that feel like a basketball are easier to hold and can allow your kid to develop better mechanics when throwing the ball.
(This is comming from someone who taught himself how to throw a spiral in 3rd grade. Make sure you teach him to bring his elbow above the shoulder and to "flick" the football like a booger; once I mastered those, I actually started getting picked on the playground.)
Interesting way to describe how do it.
I figured I'd just have them watch the Harbaugh (smashing the overhead projector) coaches clinic video!
I would advise against Wilson leather footballs, I have had huge issues with them spontaneously deflating. If you choose to go the leather route Spaulding makes a pretty good football, but for kids just tossing it around, go with composite, they cost 1/4th what leather balls do sometimes.
My 7 year old and his friends all love this Nerf ball
https://www.amazon.com/Nerf-N-Sports-Weather-Conditions-Football/dp/B00…
Much easier for small hands to throw and catch - making pickup games a lot more fun.
I still love a Nerf football.
I still enjoy them too - it's great for just hanging out in the backyard or a pickup game. It also allows for the relatively safe interjection of the dog into the game because all fun outdoor toys are ultimately hers and we cannot have them, at least in her mind.
While in college I worked at a bar that had a banquet hall attached. During the slower moments we'd move the tables and one of the cooks would run post patterns and have me fire passes with the nerf for about 15 minutes. I would really fire them at him too because everytime it ricocheted off of his face he'd laugh like a little school girl. Looking back I think it may have been a sexual thing.
For both of us.
Nike and Under Armour are good. At that age, make sure you get the TDY size, which is what Pop Warner and AFL use.
LOVE this football. I just played catch with my 8 year old this weekend with it. He can throw a nice spiral with this but struggles with others. It's soft enough to use inside but just enough weight that it can get through a moderate wind outside. We have three of them lying around the house and use them all the time.
I've owned virtually every kind of football out there. Composite, leather, nerf, nike, wilson, full size, high school, pee wee, "The Juice", "the Duke", XFL game ball, Arena 2 game ball. This Franklin ball is my favorite of them all.
ONE THAT COMES WITH PROPER TACKLING TECHNIQUE THAT DOES NOT EMPLOY THE USE OF THE HEAD OR NECK #buzzkill
I would go with an association football.
soccer
He'd be playing futbol
The size recommendations on the back of the box are generally a decent place to start. Then, I suggest you have your son hold the ball in one hand, gripping it as for a pass. Have him hold the ball out in front of him like a glass of water, and shake his hand up and down and around. If he can hold onto the ball, it's small enough for him. If he can't, he'll struggle to throw it correctly. Your older son might be able to handle a slightly bigger ball, but he won't be hurt by playing with a smaller one.
Also, I highly recommend a composite ball. As others have said, they're not too expensive. They'll handle water a scuffs a bit better, and unless you're always in a large grass field, scuffs are fairly inevitable.
But, hey, if the boys want something that's neon and rubber, so long as it's small enough for the youngest to throw, they'll be fine.
Ages 6-9, i'd go with Wilson K2 Traditonal Leather football peewee.
I prefer that to the Nike Vapor Strike which we also have.
Get them a basketball, far superior sport
Nope, if not a football then get a hockey puck.
Hockey makes basketball look like curling.
....not sure where you live but they are all over here in Chicago. I think I've seen them in the metro Detroit area. Get a "used" ball that just feels right....and it will be cheap. To me that is the best way to go. The Nike Vapor Strike mentioned above is a great ball with a great grip, but I also feel that it may be too big for an 8 year old.
Enjoy the time with the little guys because it goes by in the blink of an eye, and man do i miss the youth football Saturday's with my son. Was a great time watching him compete and meeting so many many great families over the years!