LARRY MOORE

Physical education, says Larry Moore of Lenox, Massachusetts, isn't simply about throwing or catching a ball. It's about learning to feel confident in what you can do. When you give a third grader a basketball and ask him to aim at a hoop 10 feet high, says Moore, it's the equivalent of giving a professional basketball player a medicine ball and a basket 25 feet high--conditions that would keep even Michael Jordan from making the team.

Moore, a physical education instructor in the Central Berkshire Regional School District, began to question the way kids are traditionally taught to play sports after working with his own two sons, who are now in their 20s. "When my son was much younger, I threw the football at him and he tried to catch it because I told him to," recalls Moore. "This hard, pointed ball bent back his finger and it hurt. The next time it hit him square in the face."

Experiences like this convinced Moore that teaching kids to play adult sports using the same rules and equipment doesn't always make sense. "The point of physical education is to make kids feel good about what they can do," he notes. To that end, he has modified games to give kids a fighting chance on the field, and he encourages parents to do the same. The effect is that even those who hate gym become competent in sports.

In basketball, Moore recommends a lower hoop, a lighter ball and a half-court playing area. These changes can make it possible for a child to learn to shoot, dribble and even make a rebound. In soccer, the ball is often too big, causing kids to trip and hit it with their knees. A smaller ball (say, size three rather than the regulation size five) gives young kids a chance to develop ball-handling skills. Leaving out goalies can give kids the joy of making a goal. "Sure, the final score might be 14 to 13, but isn't that the fun of it?" asks Moore.

In tennis, Moore recommends that parents start kids out by hitting a light ball--even a balloon--with their hand. "This way they learn that the racket is just an extension of their hand," he explains. In volleyball, parents might try lowering the net.

Whatever sport your child might need help with, it's important to approach the activity with an open mind. "Many parents believe kids are either good at sports or they're not," says Moore. "And they won't modify sports for their kids because of some macho idea that a smaller ball or lower net is sissy." Oddly enough, he says, they'd never say something like that if their child had problems in reading or writing. "They'd find a way to help with those subjects no matter what."

RESOURCES

CONSTRUCTIVE PLAYTHINGS (800-832-0572) and CHILDCRAFT (309-689-3873) are two toy catalogs that include child-size sports equipment for basketball, golf, baseball, volleyball and more.

PASSON'S SPORTS (800-523-1557) is a sports equipment catalog for all ages.