First Coast YMCA offering esports programs for kids

Normally, when you hear the name YMCA, you think of sports clubs or a song by the Village People, but not video games. Now, several First Coast YMCAs are offering esports clubs for kids after school. Each club will focus on one game in particular, like Rocket League, Super Smash Bros., and Fortnite, among others. Each club will have a coach there to help the kids improve their skills to make them better in their respective games.

“The esports programs that the YMCA is offering is a really helpful way for kids to meet other kids that are also interested in the same games that they are,” says Nick Stead, one of the coaches at the YMCA. When it comes to skill development, Stead says he has the kids do practice drills, similar to how athletes practice on the field. “I make sure they are able to do the inputs they need to do, to do the moves they want to do. So they don’t really have to think too hard about what they’re actually doing in the game, and a lot more thought can be put into how they could win, rather than pressing the buttons they need to press.”

When Doug Nichols saw his local YMCA was offering the program, he knew his son would like it. “We have been doing the youth soccer at the Dye Clay YMCA fora number of years, and as soon as we saw that they were offering the esports program, we knew that it was something he was going to want to do and try out,” says Nichols.

For those hesitant to have their kids join a club because it involved video games, Nichols says esports is more than just video games. “It can be about teaching them teamwork, communication skills, how to keep quiet in an indoor environment because now they’re in an environment with 5, 6, 7 people.”

If you think your child may be interested in the esports program, you can find more information here.