Learn to play sports as an adult?

[phillipunion]

@susan417 There are touch rugby leagues but I know plenty of 40 yos playing at D1/D2 US club levels!!

 

[aribears]

@datahead I don't know much about alpine skiing, but from what I can see at the surface level, it has a lot of similarities with cycling. It's a solo competition (some cycling disciplines are team sports, but not all of them), it requires whole-body control and precision but not much hand-eye coordination, it can be a high-speed adrenaline rush with a fair amount of danger, it gets you outdoors in nature, and it's just as fun and fulfilling to do it recreationally if you don't necessarily want to compete.

I personally love gravel racing (although I'm not competing against anyone but myself), which from what I can see is fairly popular in the Netherlands. It's a more welcoming atmosphere for women and other underrepresented cyclist groups than some other cycling disciplines. You might have some groups in your area; if you're interested, the local bike shops in your area would be a good place to start.

 

[russel7507]

@aribears Growing up I used to cross train skiing for biking!! Lots of my team mates did the same, we cycled during the summer (when we weren’t at glacier camps) and skied during the winter. They’re so complementary to one another other.

 

[cssml]

@datahead What about rock climbing? It pairs quite well with skiing. If you are still in Austria then you may be near pretty epic places for both!

 

[datahead]

@cssml Sadly not. I visit in the winter for my family and obviously the skiing

 

[peterrose679]

@datahead Brazilian Jiu jitsu!! People start at all ages, I started at 29 and we have a guy who started at 50 at my gym. The best community.

 

[sakhi]

@datahead Another great option is to go for a minority sport - people who play are usually incredibly stoked to have someone interested in joining their niche sporting hobby and often there will be lots of folk in the newbie camp. For example, I run women’s cricket teams and we have tonnes of never-played-sports people joining because hardly anyone played at school so most people are joining as adult beginners and everyone has a similar learning curve experience!

 

[godspeaker]

@datahead I’m 30 and picked up beach volleyball during the pandemic. I’ve been playing for about 4 years now and I can’t get enough. It’s never too late to start something

 

[papabear4811]

@datahead Regardless of how you get into it, the biggest thing I can recommend is trying to find a beer league. I know you're across the pond, but in the US a lot of adult leagues are full of people who played competitively in their high school and even sometimes college years. If you're brand new to any of those sports it can be incredibly frustrating to try and join up with a team sport where everyone else on the field or court has 10+ years of skill development from their adolescence that you're missing. Of the 2 you're interested in I'd say basketball is probably the better choice, just in respect of the fact that you can grow your own skills with solo practice just with a ball and hoop tot he point that you're proficient when playing with other folks. Volleyball OTOH you need a second person to practice basic skills with.

Do they have co-ed beer league softball over there? At least in the US that's a popular entry to sport with near-zero competitive pressure.

 

[shoeshavetongues]

@papabear4811 The f is a “beer league” in this context?

 

[ryanks]

@datahead Not sure where you live, but in the U.S. towns tend to have parks and recreation departments. Every season they have lessons for adults in different sports. I’m learning to play tennis right now that way.

Also consider looking up if there’s a league in your area. They would probably be able to set you up with other beginner players.

 

[coveredgirl81]

@datahead Where do you live now? Try seek out a netball team, your height would be beneficial there. You can choose what position to play, there’s a lot less running/movement if you play GS (goal shooter) or GK (goal keeper).

 

[shoeshavetongues]

@coveredgirl81 This.

I’m from NZ and really miss indoor netball, but would take “normal” netball at a pinch.

OP No need to get stuck in goal just because of height. Some tall people absolutely are shite shooters/goal defenders but make awesome center-fielders.

No idea if netball is played in Benelux. Might be an Anglo-thing.

 

[jacqueline52]

@datahead I think I would recommend just contacting your local volleyball team and see if you can sit in or participate in a beginner team training. With teamsport it’s also important to fit in with the rest of the people.

Also, when I read your story, I kind of feel like you expect to instantly be good at something, otherwise you feel like a failure? However, that is a mindset that won’t work as an adult, the chances of you getting as good anytime soon as someone that has played a sport from early childhood are very slim. That doesn’t make you a failure, learning should be part of the fun. And it is also totally fine if you find out that volleyball isn’t the sport for you, you won’t know until you try.

Korfbal could be fun too, those are mixed teams if you’d prefer that.

 

[purpose51]

@datahead Volleyball sounds good? I think some people only play it recreationally, like my college had beach volleyball courses in summer and I think they were quite beginner-friendly. I also met people who played korfball and faustball, don't know how popular those are in the netherlands, but these also seemed welcoming and similar to volleyball. A roommate of mine also got into quidditch (now quadball) which is a mixture of handball and rugby.

People are probably also going to suggest rollerderby, but I have never met someone who played it, I think it's not that popular in Europe? There are inline-skating teams though, and I think even roller skiing if you don't mind skiing on the road in summer

 

[melissa77]

@purpose51 I was wondering if someone would mention roller derby! The advantage there is that it's a sport that most people join as an adult, so everyone is starting at the basic learn-to-skate level. It's definitely more popular in the US than Europe but there are teams in Amsterdam and Utrecht that I know about, probably more places too.