One of the toughest parts of sports performance training is discussing young (Ages 7-14) athletes and their schedule of playing just one sport. There is such an incredible amount of research that shows that you shouldn’t allow your child’s club teams to own their time. They should play more than one sport and prepare their bodies to play those sports. Specialization can take place in high school if the athlete wants that.
When we do a performance evaluation with athletes, we can often tell fairly quickly if they play one sport. Their bodies have key deficiencies in strength and movement. They have trouble with basic movements such as a squat, lunge, or sprint. A lack of strength from constant playing can lead to a host of lower body injuries.
Not only does the risk of injury go up in a dramatic way, but the risk of mental burnout goes though the roof for most athletes when they specialize at a young age. I have personally seen time and time again how athletes stick to one sport starting in middle school, or even in elementary school. They often make it to play a college sport, just to drop out after freshman year. They are simply done. Don’t do this to your child!
Don’t just take it from me. Dr. Damion Martins, MD, Director of Sports Medicine for Atlantic Health System, joins Bill Parisi for a discussion on the risk factors of early sport specialization for athletes.
As a coach since 2011, I can definitively say that if I had a child old enough to play sports, the single most important aspect would be to play more than one sport, and to physically prepare their bodies to play those sports through strength training.
If you have any questions about early sports specialization or would like to discuss how to physically prepare your child to play their sport, contact us here!
