When I was growing up, my father "pushed" towards soccer right from the start. At the time, it was less about feeling we should specialize in just one sport but more of a cultural situation as soccer had been his main sport. It doesn't mean at all that we discouraged from seeking out other athletic opportunities. As kids, we skied regularly, like a lot of younger kids, I tried hockey although, I just didn't have the skill set to get very far, wrestles fairly successfully in high school. My brothers sought out different sporting experiences, however at the core of it all, soccer was the one activity that our father directed us towards.
In my case, soccer has become a very important part of my life although not in terms of athletic success but for my role in coaching. With the rising costs associated with participation at elite level sports and the dreams of getting scholarships or perhaps even making the pros, many parents are looking at pushing their kids towards specializing in one sport. Children are choosing one sport to focus on and specialize in at alarmingly younger ages. And we’re not talking just about sports that have long attracted early specialization, such as gymnastics, figure skating or swimming and diving. Sports such as soccer, tennis, ice hockey, basketball and others are also attracting early specialization. Most experts define early specialization as focusing on a singular sport by age 12. Boys and girls as young as nine or 10-years old are whittling their athletic pursuits to a single sport. So, is this good or bad ? In most cases, an in my opinion, the answer is no. There is also strong, quantifiable evidence that single-sport specialization for children under 12 often have long term effects both athletically and socially. Whereas the thought behind having young athlete focus and specialize in one sport is to have them excel, in many cases over time it will actually cause much the opposite. Players who are multi-sport athletes can develop of more extensive skill set that will allow them to become more successful. First among them the diversity of skill sets and overall athleticism hat they develop. It also allows opportunities to be leaders, to stay in good shape, to stretch themselves as athletes, communicators, teammates and leaders. Another benefit, maybe in one sport the kid shines and is a leader. In another sport, they may not be the superstar. So they learn to be humble, to be a good teammate and to support the go-to players. That’s a tremendous benefit. There are physical and emotional risks associated with specialization at too young an age. There is significant evidence that having pre or early teen athletes focus on just one sport and the very specific physical requirements an repetitive motions of playing a singular sport year-round, lead to a greater risk of overuse injuries. At these younger ages, the physical growth is still ongoing and often the body has not completely achieved a level when it cab ne put under a repetitive singular stress. Using the example of someone who is a baseball pitcher, focusing just on this, can cause degenerative arms problems which lead to serious injury. Putting an emphasis on competition, working towards scholarships and elite-level success has led to increased pressure to begin high-intensity training at young ages, often in only one sport. It puts young kids in environments that they are not yet emotionally or mentally capable of handling. Early specialization often leads to attaching an excessive amount of one’s self-worth and identity to one sport. The extra time commitment to specialize in one area can also lead to social isolation and missing out on normal childhood activities and relationships which are part of kids growing into well rounded adults. Over time, if the aspired athletic results are not achieved, it can lead to a negative perception of sport and physical activity and in the worse cases, a level of burnout. So why is the trend of sports specialization apparently becoming so prevalent and required ? Well, to begin with, originally seen as a way to stand out among peers or perhaps seek some form of non academic success, this trend has trickled down to younger ages. Many parents of this generation feel their child should find their purpose or “passion” at a precocious age. Finding one’s so-called “passion” and early specialization go hand in hand or so it is perceived. The more young athletes specialize, the more likely they are to travel. A decade ago, the youth sports tourism industry wasn’t even tracked. Now it’s the fastest-growing segment in the domestic travel industry, and in 2013 was estimated at more than $7 billion annually. Even in the changing economic times, parents still seem to find the resources to spend on their children when it comes to athletic participation. This has led to a vicious circle effect, starting with sports complexes being built at an apparently growing rate. Communities want a piece of the youth sports financial return. With more facilities, tournaments, competitive level leagues etc, more teams are needed to fill the calendar year-round. More local coaches convince parents that their children need to play nearly year-round and travel to seek the best opportunities and experiences. The more emphasis put on early specialization, the more opportunities exist for adults to profit. There has been an explosion of club (non-school) sports in the past decade. Many more adults are making their full-time living, or in many cases, supplementing their income through youth sports. The list includes coaches (mostly non-parent coaches hired by clubs), trainers, league organizers, tournament/showcase/camp organizers, website owners and employees, the youth sports travel industry, and workers at mega-youth sports complexes being built all over the country. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and many other social media platforms, have become a great companion for the family who invests a considerable amount of money, time and emotional resources into their child’s sports specialization. It feels good to share something they are proud of, or something they sacrificed for (maybe that big out-of-town tournament where their child's team won 1st place). Before social media the sharing of children’s accomplishments and activities, coverage and exposure of youth sport accomplishments was usually limited mostly to face-to-face conversations, phone calls and if lucky perhaps some coverage in a local paper which led to the box full of clippings. Now with with such accessible opportunities to use different mediums in order to broadcast accomplishments and successes, via, images and updates not to mention in real time, parents have an additional motivation to create little "stars" at an earlier age. It has become so much easier to reach family and friends, not to mention a wider range of strangers with the click of a button leading to one post or photo. Now, I don't think a majority of parents are really pushing their children into early competitive sports specialization for ego or selfish reasons. The over involved parents is a real occurrence but overall, I still believe that parents are interested in the well being of their kids. So if this is the case, why are parents still buying into this growing trend even though there is sufficient evidence and documentation showing it isn't ideal? It’s easy to dismiss something you read, even if it’s from nationally prominent medical or coaching experts. Despite the fact they have years of experience and no apparent vested interest in the impact of their opinions, the reality is that words on a page when there is no interaction with these individuals don't have the same impact as "advice" given by someone you've grown to trust ( like your child's coach). The so-called local “experts” have face-to-face interactions with the parents and often have financial or other motivations (like wanting to build a stronger team to boost their own coaching profile). It’s hard to say no to them, despite the fact that they often have a conflict of interest and far less credentials than others. Many parents allow ego to get in the way. Some have unfulfilled dreams of their own. Others have over inflated opinions of their child’s potential. Yet, others spend too much time comparing their own child to others and their current status with club or select teams. Understandably dreams of university scholarships or the enviable dream of reaching the pros are in the heads of youth sports parents. Youth sports organizers have developed a set of vocabulary within each youth sports culture, which also resonates within the ego of some parents. Is your child on a Select team, a Premier team, or an Elite team? Which league do they play in, single, double or triple letters? There are acronyms galore and many status symbols for leagues and teams, even within one organization. And when it comes to convincing parents that their children should specialize, don’t underestimate the power of fear. A universal parental desire is for their child to have good opportunities. No parent wants to hear that there child will be “missing out on something special. Coaches who offer early specialization opportunities play right into those fears. Don't get me wrong, specialization may make sense for athletes at a certain age or after showing a measurable level of ability. However it is important to keep in mind what’s really at play when it comes to making this important decision in their athletic career.
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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