How Homeschooling Allows Us the Luxury to Train with the Best Coaches and Embrace Modern Sport.

Today’s Sport.

Time waits for no one! The world moves on, with or without us… Although changes are happening fast and furiously, -when it comes to sport, it seems nothing has changed since I was at school! -Why I ask?

We live in the modern age but, in Zimbabwe for example, only a few girls play cricket. Really?

Wake up everyone!

Let’s embrace the modern world of sport and move forward. There are good careers for our children, in a variety of sports, but we need to change our way of thinking and get with the bowling!

Girls and Cricket.

Paula Joy is currently the only girl in our newly formed cricket team and she absolutely loves her cricket! Thanks to Gary Brent, the excellent cricket coach of the Dynamic Sport Cadets’ Cricket Academy, -and a firm believer in girls’ cricket, Paula Joy is now able to achieve her dream of playing cricket with her brother.

At their first match, a young boy on the opposing team told Paula Joy ‘Tennis is at the tennis courts’, as he could not imagine that she was there to play cricket!

Old vs New.

I was so amused at the kids’ cricket uniform… It was like taking a stroll back to my youth! The outfit was exactly the same as that which my brothers wore, 40 years ago, except for the modern sneakers (-not the ‘Tomys’ of our era!)

Paula Joy and Murray John thought their cricket outfit hysterical and there was no way Murray John was going to bat, or perform as wicket keeper, in that hat! Thankfully, the children were given helmets for those positions…

However, the totally white uniform certainly gave us all a good laugh and, as my Mom pointed out, their cricket uniform could well have been used as an advert for bleach!

Due to so much televised sport, today’s kids want to be dressed like the pros, not like their parents! Hopefully, by next year, the Dynamic Sport Cadets’ Cricket Academy will have their modern red uniform. -Out with the old and in with the new!

Freedom of Choice.

As a homeschooling parent I have the luxury of choosing what sports my kids play, when and with whom. I love the freedom it gives me, to be creative and come up with a sporting program, which will enable my children to reach their full potential. We can also play our chosen sports all year round, as we are not governed by school seasons.

The sky is the limit!

I can tailor make our sporting schedule to suit us and can work our school academic hours around our sports. It’s my privilege to be able to add and remove sports, as and when I like, and can ‘up the pressure’ when necessary. We even have a tennis coach in Cape Town, South Africa, (Sinnet Tennis Academy) who advises me on training techniques for my children. Whats App enables me to send him videos of the children playing tennis, so that he can advise me, to ensure that we keep the basics correct and stay up to date with modern coaching methods.

Coaches and Training.

With homeschooling I have the privilege to seek the best coaches for the sports in which my kids excel. I am always asking questions and researching how others are training their kids. One of the questions parents, whose kids are mainstream schooled, often ask me is, ‘What sports do your kids play and where?’

–Well, as there is so much private sport out there, we are actually spoilt for choice!

I also have the luxury of using coaches in the mornings, when they are usually free, so it makes it easier for us to get a slot of their time. We read, watch and learn from all the best coaches, in all the different sports we do. Then I implement their ‘train to train’ plans into our sporting program.-‘Train to win’ will come later, once the basics are established in all the children’s sports.

Finding coaches who are prepared to go slowly and ‘train to train’ and not just ‘train to win’, has been the biggest hurdle for me. Building a solid foundation is extremely important, as it is making sure that the little things are done correctly, right from the beginning.

Cricket, tennis, golf and horse polo all hone the kids hand/eye coordination. I have learnt that an hour done correctly saves many hours fixing a mistake. Muscle memory is what we are aiming to achieve. Children need some form of gymnastics, in order to develop their sporting ability, plus soccer also provides an excellent foundation for kids’ sporting development.

Team Sports vs. Individual Sports.

I don’t stress about the team sport issue… People question our lack of team sports, however team work skills can be learnt in many different ways and not only through team sports. Just organizing a horse polo weekend takes team effort from all four of us.

Horse polo is a team sport, as well as creating a team between the rider and the horse. Cricket is also a team sport, so our children are now learning to consider other team members. However, as a family, we work constantly as a team, in order to achieve all we do in a week.

‘The family is the team and the team is the family.’

No Age Groups.

As we train in the non-formal sector, our kids’ sporting activities are not set in age groups. My children play to their individual level, which is great, as they are never held back in any way. Each child is allowed to fly ahead, if they so desire. Both our children compete way above their age groups in most of their sports. This has given them a great sense of achievement, as well as having been a confidence boost.

Opportunities.

With talented, sporty kids, there are opportunities for sports scholarships. Also my children have no boundaries to become the best they can be… It takes time thought and dedication as parents to develop and nurture our kids’ talents.

In whatever area your kids excel, one can always look for the best way to develop their skills, without having to fit into the many restrictions of mainline schooling. You will be free to look around and you will be pleasantly surprised at what you can find out there… Do not stress about sport if you decide to homeschool!

There is so much sport available out there and if it’s not available, -then create it!

You can tailor make your sporting activities around your time and finances.

Someone asked me at a cricket match the other day what I did for a living. I replied -‘I homeschool my kids’. The comment came back, -‘So this is your day job, how awesome is that!?’ What a blessing it is to be able to sit in the sun and watch my children play cricket…

Go! Be awesome – and let your children fly…!

“The mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6.

Prayer: Lord, I pray for the wisdom I need to guide my children’s sporting abilities. May Your hand guide their sporting dreams and desires, to be those You have chosen for them. I lift up my children’s gifts to you Lord, for You to use, to bring glory to Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray…. Amen.

• Our Victoria Falls Celebration Trip.
• Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities for May-June 2024.
• What is a Healthy Homeschooling Culture?
• Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities for March-April 2024.
• Developing Life Skills through a Houseboat Adventure.

Please leave your comment or tell us what sport do you do and why?……