Sports specialization considerations -
But there are many other great athletes who maintained participation in multiple sports throughout high school. In fact, research is showing that early specialization is unnecessary and may actually be hurting athletes and their performances.
Now, many college coaches even prefer athletes who have participated in multiple sports. Here, Michele LaBotz, TrueSport Expert and sports medicine physician, shares five tips that parents and coaches should know about sport specialization, particularly in younger athletes. Research has found that healthy levels of physical activity are determined in large part by family patterns of activity.
Furthermore, most young athletes will not end up pursuing their sport professionally, but hopefully will remain active, healthy humans for the rest of their lives.
Ultimately, pursuing a wide variety of sports is not only healthy for a young athlete, but it also is going to make them better at building skill in any sport on which they may ultimately decide to focus. The mental benefits from playing different types of sports—especially trying individual sports in addition to team sports—can help significantly in development.
They need more variety in their diet. The same is true for physical activity: Variety is a key component and too much of a good thing is not a good thing. A focus on a singular sport at an early age may build up imbalances, and injury risk and overtraining are minimized when athletes try sports that emphasize different types of movement, such as some sports that focus on the upper body e.
Additionally, athletes who specialize early often end up with body image standards specific to that one sport, rather than developing an appreciation for everything that their bodies can do athletically, which can lead to issues with body image and disordered eating.
While your year-old may love gymnastics right now, that fact may not be true in five years. Instead, by 17, your athlete may decide that soccer or triathlon is more interesting. That way the athlete can figure out where their talents and passions lie. If you start specializing in basketball at nine years of age, then you may never learn you could have been a champion at tennis.
For younger children, participation in a variety of activities and sports experiences is beneficial for the longer-term development of athletic skill. Early sport specialization might seem important for sport skill development, but engaging in a variety of individual and team-based sports can lead to a happier, healthier athlete.
Sign up for the TrueSport Newsletter and receive a FREE copy of our Sportsmanship Lesson. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete.
Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile.
As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title.
I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day. So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top.
The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA. By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one.
Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars.
And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin.
In the lead up to the Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.
So I changed my diet. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the London games.
You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover.
And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.
Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser.
And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character. I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing.
I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance.
My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail. I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses.
And I hope to see you out there. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. With the exception of a few sports, such as gymnastics and figure skating, the odds of excelling to the elite level in sports do not appear to be increased by early sports specialization.
In contrast, Wayne Gretzky, arguably the greatest hockey player of all-time, played baseball and lacrosse in his youth. Instead of early specialization, emphasis should be placed on early diversification , which allows the athlete to explore a variety of sports while growing physically, cognitively, and socially in a positive environment and developing intrinsic motivation.
Early Sports Specialization and Overuse Injury. Numerous studies have examined the rates of injury in early sports specialization:. Studies by Jayanthi and Hall examined the rates of overuse injuries in children following early sports specialization and found that sports specialization was significantly associated with the onset of all injuries, including serious overuse injuries 8 and knee injuries.
That same study by Jayanthi et al. found that athletes who participated in organized sports compared with free play time in a ratio of greater than had an increased risk of an overuse injury. Additionally, young athletes who participated in more hours of organized sports per week than their age in years also had an increased risk of an overuse injury.
A study on high school athletes found that increased overall sports exposure was the most important risk factor for injury, especially once training volume exceeded 16 hours per week.
Year-round exposure to a single sport. A study on youth baseball pitchers found greater risk for shoulder and elbow surgery in those who pitched greater than eight months per year. Repetitive technical skills and high-risk mechanics.
Certain sports, such as tennis and baseball, carry a greater risk of overuse injuries due to the repetitive nature of certain movements. For example, an early introduction of the kick serve in tennis or higher pitching volume and poor pitching mechanics led to increased injuries to shoulder and elbow.
Overscheduling and competition. Studies show injury risk is higher in competition, especially intense competitions lasting 6 hours or longer. Psychological burnout: Burnout in athletics is a topic that deserves its own dedicated article, but burnout from early sports specialization likely results from a combination of physical and psychological factors.
Participating in multiple sports, at least until puberty, decreases the chances of injuries, stress, and burnout in young athletes.
Young athletes can still remain active in other activities to meet physical activity guidelines during the time off.
Young athletes having at least one to two days off per week from their particular sport of interest can decrease the chance for injuries.
Other age-related play such as pitch counts in baseball should be followed to avoid excessive repetitive movements. Youth who specialize in a single sport should plan periods of isolated and focused integrative neuromuscular training to enhance diverse motor skill development and reduce injury risk factors.
Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis or individual treatment advice via e-mail or online. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns. Emily Kraus is a BridgeAthletic performance team contributor where she focuses on topics that are at the forefront of athletics and medicine.
She is the incoming Stanford non-operative sports medicine fellow in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Emily has provided medical coverage for events such as the USATF National Track and Field Championships and is the research coordinator for a multi-center study focused on prevention of stress fractures in division I collegiate runners.
Emily has finished six marathons, recently ran and won her first 50km trail ultramarathon, and placed 56th female in the Boston Marathon. Emily is passionate about injury prevention, running biomechanics, and the promotion of health and wellness. This post is part of our Coaches Corner series with Taylor Rimmer.
Taylor is NSCA-CPT, StrongFirst A recent study has discovered that a week supervised strength training program SSTP may result June 29, By Dr.
Emily Kraus. Sports Specialization: Striking the balance between performance and injury prevention. Background and Definitions Whatever happened to the neighborhood pick-up game? Early Sports Specialization and Performance A commonly cited example of early sport specialization is top professional golfer, Tiger Woods, who was introduced to golf at the ripe age of two years old.
Why increased risk? Several theories exist for why the increased injury risk: 4 Year-round exposure to a single sport. Recommendations : Participating in multiple sports, at least until puberty, decreases the chances of injuries, stress, and burnout in young athletes.
Report on Trends and Participation in Organized Youth Sports. Available at: www. Accessed December 15, Brenner, COUNCIL ON SPORTS MEDICINE AND FITNESS. Sports Specialization and Intensive Training in Young Athletes.
Pediatrics Sep , 3 e; DOI: Jayanthi N, Pinkham C, Dugas L, Patrick B, LaBella C. Sports specialization in young athletes: evidence-based recommendations.
Sports Health. Myer G D, Jayanthi N, Difiori J P, Faigenbaum A D, Kiefer A W, Logerstedt D, Micheli L J. Sport Specialization, Part I: Does Early Sports Specialization Increase Negative Outcomes and Reduce the Opportunity for Success in Young Athletes?.
Sports health 7 5 : Côté, J. Youth involvement in sport. Crocker Ed. Toronto: Pearson. Côté J, Lidor R, Hackfort D.
Dark chocolate heaven are vonsiderations benefits to Spors active and participating in coonsiderations at a young Citrus aurantium for weight management. It allows considerattions to gain confidence, learn consideratuons and Citrus oil for soothing muscle pain skills, socialize and build friendships, all while having fun. Studies have even specoalization that active children are more likely to be healthier and continue to be active later in life, attend college, and be more successful in their work life. With all these positives, youth participation in sports seems to be no drawback. However, there has been a shift in our culture in how children play sports. The demands that both parents and coaches put on these young athletes have led to an increase in early sport specialization.
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