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Six years old ran 3:19 for 900m park run
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Because the 6yr old youngsters playing golf or tennis will be learning technique not fitness. Training for running is largely fitness and overloading the body and that's not good for a youngster who is growing.
Which is why most replies here are let the lad do fun running at this age.
Sorry Dean... it's exactly that misconception that is the cause of most replies being negative!
You can't really think that an athletics coach for six your olds will be consulting VO2 max tables, measuring blood lactate levels and having them on a 30 miles a week programme
Training for running, at this young age, is nothing to do with overloading that young body, but is exactly as you suggest it should be... it's all about fun and is not supposed to be at the exclusion of other sports and activities. It's all about fun. games. balance, agility, coordination etc as part of a well balanced childhood.
Read back , most people have said just do fun running. Exactly what I have said as well. The misconception is those that say things like what was tiger woods or Andy Murray doing at 6, indicating the same level should be applied his running.
Top point Dean. Norwegian cross country skiers have an advantage because they were on ski aged 5 learning technique, not trying to break world records.
But it sounds like people are saying don't encourage him to join a club??
I am in agreement with NN here - it is more fun for kids to run with others, and if you find the right club, who have a junior session which is about fun and technique delivered in an engaging way, then not only is the running going to be more enjoyable but he will also be subtly learning about form, co-ordination, pacing etc. With someone experienced in working with kids, this is done through games and enjoyable activities (and most junior athletics clubs do other things too - hurdles, field events etc), so they keep active, have fun with others their age and learn some things about running that will help them be better, and avoid injury in the future - what can be bad about that?
To the OP, I think you need to look around carefully to choose an appropriate club with an experienced juniors coach, but there can't be any harm in encouraging him go along to a few sessions and see if he likes it - if not, no biggie - let him do what he wants to do - but if he does and he is physically developed enough to cope with the exercise (which I'm guessing he must be to have done so well in the run he did) then I can't see how learning and enjoying new skills can be a bad thing, however young he is.
School clubs, by the way, are well and good, but often used simply as childcare facilities by parents so a lot of the children at them won't be there because they want to be. An athletics club will be more likely to have motivated and interested children who enjoy the activities, not to mention more specifically experienced/qualified coaches who will design activities to suit the age group they are working with, rather than a vaguely interested teaching assistant (I'm being a little dismissive and I'm sure there are good ones - but having done a lot of work in after school clubs as a musician, very few of the people regularly leading sessions know the right way to bring children on musically, so I assume this also applies to sport.)
Sorry Victoria. Your thread has turned into a long-winded and theoretical debate. But it is interesting to hear different views, which probably also backs up the argument that not all children are the same and so what's appropriate for your lad might not be for someone else, and I imagine you are best placed to know what might work for him!
Dean... I did read back , and yes, you me and all of us are saying that it needs to be kept fun. (Well, to be honest, I didn't read back because I didn't need to!!)
But the main point you made was that "Because the 6yr old youngsters playing golf or tennis will be learning technique not fitness. Training for running is largely fitness and overloading the body and that's not good for a youngster who is growing. "
I don't want to get into a pointless argument, but it grates a bit that you dismiss me by telling me to "read back" - as though I had misrepresented you. I think most people would interpret that you joined in with the general tone that Madbee and skylark both highlight very clearly.
I think people were put off by the original tone of the OP, it seemed like this child should be pushed towards running because of a good performance. If the OP had said 'my child did their first park run and really enjoyed it I'm not a runner what should we do now?' no one would have questioned it.
I give up.
Find another forum Victoria.
It's funny how people read different things into a message. I thought the OP's tone/message was totally fine.
I thought the tone of the opening remark was fine.......
I think she left out an important part though........nowhere did she say that her son thought is was amazing and wants to do loads more running and find a club etc......
she said that she thought he was amazing and should they look at training etc....
I'm sure she just forgot the part about what the son wanted....but it is that fact that made people interpret as being a pushy mum trying to force a child into training at a young age
so easy to read things differently
But then if she had written war and peace, she may have been criticised by some of writing way too much and not getting to the point. I suppose some presume that her intentions are good ones and that she's just asking for a bit of advice, whereas others presume the opposite. Personally, I didn't read anything that screamed "Pushy parent!" to me.
Anyway, it looks like she may have been scared off, which is unfortunate.
I could be completely wrong but I still think it was a fake post about an obivously touchy topic to wind people up. I don't really believe there was a 6 year old kid who ran 900m in 3:17.
In case it's a real boy here, I think it's great if she wants to get him into running but from my perspective she seemed mainly excited about that fact that he's fast and this was the reason for looking at getting coaching rather that the fact that he loved it, so I can understand why people have been somewhat critical.
Whatever happened to the 4 year old Indian kid? He must running sub 3s for fun now.
Took into care and allowed to live a normal life