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With the 2024 Paris Olympics upon us, you might be feeling particularly inspired to learn a sport, or wistful about ones you weren’t able to try in the past.

But the older we get, the more we suspect our time has passed. While kids are offered the freedom to dabble and play when they first pick up a sport, adults feel like they have to be good at it or else the endeavor isn’t worth their time.

“When adults come in for our gymnastics classes, they’re very apprehensive about doing new things with their body, or doing things they haven’t done in a very long time, and they get scared,” says Jackie Alexis, the recreational gymnastics coach at Industry Gymnastics, a Long Island-based gymnastics school for all ages and abilities.

But there’s so much to gain when picking up — or returning to — a sport, coaches say. Not only are you moving your body and learning new skills, but you’re fostering social connections in a niche community — all of which have positive impacts on mental and physical health. If you don’t know where to start or are unsure of how to build athletics into your routine, coaches and athletes have some tips.

From baseball to badminton, there are a myriad of athletic endeavors to choose from. Think about the sports currently capturing your attention, whether it’s Olympic gymnastics or tennis, thanks to Challengers, and the ones that intrigued you as a kid. Use your interests — past and present — as a guide when selecting your sport.

If nothing comes to mind, let yourself be influenced. Patrick “Pat The Roc” Robinson began offering adult basketball classes at his basketball skills academy to keep parents of youth players engaged while their kids were practicing. Over time, parents began to take notice of the other lesson taking place during their child’s practice.

“Each week, we get more and more parents that just happen to be in the gym,” Robinson says, “and they see the other adults participate. Now, they’re not ashamed or they’re not nervous about joining.”

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Enrolling in a class is often the best first step when diving into a new sport.

Coaches will teach you proper form, safety, and the rules of the game, and have equipment for you to use. Knowing you have practice every Thursday night offers structure and consistency, which is helpful for building routine, Robinson says. You can also join a local club for free but less individualized instruction. Resist the urge to spend exorbitant amounts of money on new gear, Alexis and Robinson say.

There are a few options to find classes near you. See if your town’s parks and recreation department offers adult sport lessons or leagues — these may be cheaper than private gyms. Browse social media, like your city’s subreddit or local Facebook groups dedicated to specific sports to find recommended coaches or instructors.

When people are super inspired, they tend to jump into their new sport headfirst, says Lucy Glanville, the youth programming head coach at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, a facility that was used during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

This excitement is motivating in the short-term, but a two-hour pickleball lesson might leave you so sore the next day that you never want to pick up a paddle again. Small, daily, consistent efforts will ensure you won’t get burned out, Glanville says. 

You can also set incremental goals or milestones that support your consistency-building habits, Glanville says, making sure they are easily achievable and within your control. If your ultimate goal is to run a 10k, give yourself mini-goals that are more about the process of running, rather than the outcome of finishing a race.

“You can’t control whether your body’s going to make 10k that first time,” Glanville says, “but you can control getting your shoes on, stepping outside, and starting. Focusing on that start process and what it is that you can do, as opposed to what the dream is.” 

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If you’re nervous about starting a new sport with a bunch of strangers, enlist a friend to come with you. 

The social aspect of athletics is what brings players year after year to the adult basketball training center Never Too Late Basketball, according to its founder, Steve Bzomowski. 

“People just really like the idea of getting together, meeting people you never knew before,” Bzomowski says, “and creating something that you had no idea that you could create.” 

Bzomowski wants to remind beginner adult athletes that they are capable of learning a new skill — it’s why he named his basketball clinic Never Too Late. 

Regardless of your skill level, there are areas where you will excel. Everyone’s bodies and abilities vary. But Brian Hankerson, a Florida-based accountant who started high-jumping for the first time in his mid-40s and now competes around the world, says you may be surprised at what your body can achieve. “I do something at 60 better than I did at 50,” he says.  

Kelley Shaw, the program director at Industry Gymnastics, believes no one is too old to learn gymnastics, but “you don’t have to do every skill,” she says. “You can do the ones that you feel comfortable with and don’t hurt.” This approach can apply to all sports: Give a drill or exercise your best effort, but listen to your body and ask your instructor for modifications if needed.

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Adult gymnasts at Industry Gymnastics are often concerned with doing a move or drill perfectly, Shaw and Alexis say. But both instructors say learning a new skill or brushing up on old ones requires some imperfection before you start to improve.

As difficult as it may be, don’t compare your abilities to your classmates’ — or your younger self. “Just try to do better than yourself each day,” Hankerson says, “not someone else you see on TV or on YouTube or at the track meet. Don’t worry about that.”

Through these struggles, small accomplishments, and big wins, you learn what your body is capable of, how you work with other people, and what you’re able to overcome.

“It’s not just, ‘I didn’t know whether I was capable of this physically,’” Bzomowski says. “Feeling resistance within myself and overcoming that — I think that’s a big part of it.”

—Allie Volpe, senior reporter

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It’s possible that the entire observable universe is inside a black hole. All we need to do to find out is … build a gigantic particle collider around the moon.

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