Do you want your child to be a top athlete? Arjuna awardee Hina Sidhu shares 6 sports to try before majoring | Today’s news
In an era of hyper-competitive parenting, where early sports specialization is often seen as a fast track to success, Heena Sidhu, former world No. 1 pistol shooter and Arjuna awardee, urges parents to take a step back and rewrite the textbook.
Sidhu hit out at the rush to specialize young athletes with a direct appeal on social media: “Parents! Listen up! Do you want your child to become India’s next top sportsperson? Then you must watch this!”
The master marksman outlined why committing to one sport too early can be a development trap, advocating building a robust “movement vocabulary” rather than narrowing down the focus to just one game.
Before committing to a specific track and field, she recommended that children try a combination of six core sports designed to build a complete and resilient physical foundation:
Read also | Asian Games 2026: 5 Indian athletes who won medals after changing sports
1. Gymnastics: Masterclass in body control
Long before a child chooses a sport to specialize in, it is important to understand how their own body moves through space. Sidhu stressed that gymnastics is essential “for mobility, body control and improving proprioception (awareness of body position)”.
It teaches the absolute fundamentals of movement that translate into every other physical activity.
2. Swimming: Ultimate Life Skill
Swimming is the only sport on this list that functions as a critical survival skill. In addition to water safety and confidence building, swimming develops cardiovascular endurance, breath control and bilateral coordination, Sidhu said.
She said it teaches kids how to move confidently in a completely different medium.
Read also | A businessman who started swimming at 38 and became an Ironman at 49
3. Athletics (track and field): Basics of man
Every complex sport is ultimately a combination of basic human movements.
Sidhu noted that track and field strips sports of their absolute core: running, jumping and throwing. Mastering these raw biomechanical fundamentals creates a physiological foundation that will improve a child’s performance in whatever future sport they choose to pursue.
“These fundamentals of movement are the foundation of every other sport,” she said.
4. Team Ball Sports: Spatial Awareness and Strategy
Whether it’s football, basketball or hockey, team ball sports are complex, dynamic environments.
Sidhu said team ball sports teach kids how to read open space, communicate effectively under pressure, pass and react immediately to teammates and opponents — all while simultaneously moving and planning strategically.
“This will teach them how to read space, communicate, pass, react to teammates and opponents, all while moving and strategizing,” she said.
5. Racket Sports: Tracking and Timing
Tennis, badminton and squash are exceptional for fine-tuning the nervous system.
Sidhu said racket sports force children to develop acute hand-eye coordination, precise timing and visual tracking. Learning to predict the trajectory of a fast-moving object leads the brain to a fast reaction time.
Read also | Does your child want to resume a career? How to support the move without derailing your finances
6. Contact sports: Endurance and leverage
While some parents may balk at the idea of contact sports, Sidhu specifically recommended disciplines like judo and wrestling — noting that they will keep a child from being aggressive.
Instead, these sports, she said, teach leverage, physical control and spatial boundaries. Most importantly, it teaches children how to fall safely, absorb shock and push themselves back up.
The strongest athletes are not those who can only do one thing; they are the ones with the most versatile physical foundations.
“The aim is to give them a broad vocabulary of movement, including water, speed, gravity, ball, team and opponent,” concluded Sidhu.
