Youth Sports Specialization: The Drawbacks of Playing One Sport
In the competitive world of youth sports, fewer children are playing multiple sports and are instead focusing on one sport year-round. Club teams designed for year-round play are surpassing school-based sports in popularity. Although it may seem athletes would benefit from specialization, fewer skills and more injuries result from concentrating on a single sport.
Young athletes need a break from the same physical activity to allow their growing bodies to recover. There is not enough recovery time when a child plays a single sport year-round. When an athlete does not take a break, their body cannot adapt to the stress associated with exercise, replenish energy, or repair tissue. Recovery time is important in reducing stress on the body and helping young athletes heal.
Athletes ages 14 and younger who specialize in a single sport are at the greatest risk for injury. These young athletes are more likely to experience overuse injuries, changes in skeletal development, increased pressure, and burnout.
Myths and misconceptions
Anders Ericsson, PhD, a psychologist who specialized in the science of peak performance, developed the 10,000-hour rule. This rule is often misapplied to sports specialization. Ericsson stated that a person needed 10,000 hours of practice with a task to become an expert. However, the 10,000-hour rule is not intended for athletics. Studies show it takes much less time for an athlete to become an expert in their sport. If a child attempts to follow the 10,000-hour rule, the athlete is more likely to become injured due to overuse.
Parents may have a false impression of the benefits of specialization. For example, many parents believe that without the distraction of other sports, their child has a greater chance of success in the sport of their choice. It is also often assumed that if an athlete sticks with one position, such as a forward on a soccer team, the child will develop exceptional skills in that role. In fact, research has shown that the opposite is true for both beliefs.
Variety is key to success
An athlete who participates in multiple sports and plays multiple positions develops greater skills in all athletic areas. Playing multiple sports encourages healthy body development, as well as various physical and cognitive skills. By playing different sports, young athletes develop strength in other muscles and coordinated movement patterns. WashU Medicine orthopedic pediatric surgeon Jeffrey Nepple, MD, cites the U.S. women’s national soccer team as evidence for this. The World Cup champion team collectively played about 14 competitive sports growing up.
Give me a break
It is important that athletes rest between seasons, or for about three months, before taking up a sport again. The resting period will help a child’s body heal and grow stronger.
Drawbacks of specialization
- Heightened risk of injury due to overuse
- Alterations in skeletal development
- Increased pressure and burnout
Benefits of playing multiple sports
- Improved motor skills
- Greater overall development of athletic abilities
- Increased motivation and engagement while playing sports
- Better decision-making, pattern recognition, and creativity
- Healthier development of bones, growth plates, joints, muscles, and ligaments
- Development of varying physical and cognitive skills
Did you know?
- In a study of 1,200 youth athletes, Neeru Jayanthi, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine, found that children who specialize in a single sport are 70% to 93% more likely to be injured.
- Fifty percent of youth sports injuries come from athletes who specialize in one sport, according to the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.
- Dr. Nepple says that athletes who specialize in one sport quit sports earlier and more often than those who play multiple sports.
- According to a 2013 study from the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, 88% of college athletes surveyed played more than one sport as a youth.
- Many college and professional teams purposefully select athletes who have played more than one sport in their youth, according to Dr. Nepple.
The St. Louis Children’s Young Athlete Center offers programs to help young athletes stay healthy through injury prevention and education. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 314-454-KIDS (5437).
