Should You Repeat The 8th Grade For Sports

Below we will be discussing if you should repeat the 8th grade for sports. This is a common dilemma a lot of families face these days. I hope this is able to help!

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So when I was in high school repeating the 8th grade or “holding back” or “reclassifying” was decently popular. Many kids especially at the QB position were doing it. I personally didn’t do it. Myself & my parents thought it was stupid. Our mindset was, if I’m good enough I’m good enough and if I’m not I’m not. So I better work my ass off because I’m competing with guys a full year and a half older than me. I was a September birthday so I was naturally young. I played my first game of my senior year at 16 & my first college game at 17. If that’s your approach, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But if you’re planning on holding back, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that either. The benefits of holding back are obviously physical and maturity. Personally I didn’t notice much of a difference my sophomore year to my freshman year- but my junior, senior & 1st year of college I got SIGNIFICANTLY better & stronger. So that’s why athletes do it. It gives them an edge. Here’s my advice, if you are going to hold back- don’t waste the year. I’ve seen a countless number of athletes who think “oh I get a year off” and they just sit on their ass and waste time. Take the year to TRAIN & develop. Most athletes do home school that year… and let’s be honest- it’s a walk in the park. It’s not hard. The extra year is for training. So everyday you need to be working. Everyday you need to be training so you don’t waste your parents time and money. But if you’re the kid who isn’t going to hold back, just know you need to work 10x harder than the other guys you compete with. Which honestly is a valuable lesson to learn in life. Life isn’t fair. The deck will be stacked against you in anything you pursue. If you want to be successful, the odds are always very low- so you need to outwork everyone. Same thing applies here.