Too young to CHOOSE
Experts warn that children are often specializing in playing a single sport too early
It used to be that kids changed sports with the season. Spring baseball was followed by soccer, which flowed into hockey or skiing during the winter months. But that has changed. Today’s kids are expected to choose one sport and compete yearround if they want to earn a spot on a competitive team. And during those rare weeks or months when kids aren’t playing or practising their sport, they’re in the gym following a sport-specific training program.
That kind of singleminded focus isn’t encouraged just for teenagers: Many sports organizations are asking kids as young as eight and nine to “make a choice.”
Does early sports specialization give kids the leg up when it comes to beating the competition? That’s the idea, but while data are scarce, what is available suggests it may not be as vital to success as coaches and parents believe.
A 1997 study of high performance sport in Russia, believed to be one of the first adopters of early sports specialization, suggests that only 0.14 per cent of 35,000 Russian athletes attending sport schools transitioned from early selection to a high level of success in sport. A similar study of young German athletes revealed that only 192 of 11,287 athletes in elite sports schools won a medal in international competition.
Closer to home, a UCLA study of 296 NCAA Division 1 male and female athletes reported that 88 per cent participated in an average of two to three sports as children and 70 per cent didn’t specialize in one sport until after age 12.
Does that mean early specialization in sport is a waste of time? Not necessarily — some sports like gymnastics, diving and figure skating demand a certain degree of athletic competency before puberty. Swimming, too, requires skills that need to be developed at a young age.
By contrast, most late-specialization sports require athletes to dedicate themselves to the sport at 12 to 15 years of age, though there’s no universal number of training hours recommended to acquire the necessary expertise. The old theory that it takes 10,000 hours of specific practice to become successful in sport has been questioned by many experts who say there’s not enough evidence to support the much-lauded notion. Despite the lack of hard data, most coaches have their own idea regarding the amount of time needed to acquire the skills associated with their sport.
One of the problems associated with early specialization in sport is that kids repeat the same movements practice after practice with not enough rest. The associated wear and tear is causing more kids to get adult ailments like tendinitis that are directly related to overuse. Once considered an injury found almost exclusively in baby boomers after decades of repetitive use, kids are complaining of sore achy joints almost as much as their parents.
Montreal physiotherapist Andrea Dewar, a former Olympian and member of the women’s national water polo team, says she sees many young athletes whose bodies are starting to break down from overuse.
“Programs like sports études (a school-based program that allows developmental athletes to combine a heavy training schedule with their school work) are demanding kids train a minimum of five days a week,” said Dewar. Gymnasts, swimmers, hockey and soccer players are some of her best customers, with the majority of her young patients complaining of knee and shoulder pain.
Larry Lincoln, a Montreal-based orthopedic surgeon names swimmers and baseball pitchers among his most frequent young customers, with sore shoulders and elbows the most common complaint.
“The pain and injury these young athletes experience can ruin their careers,” said Lincoln.
It’s not just physical pain that can sideline the budding careers of single-sport athletes. Burnout and social isolation are also by-products of spending too much time playing to win and not enough time playing for fun.
So how much time should kids spend in organized sport?
There are no absolutes, especially considering the specificity of sport, but a study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibit last month stated that athletes age eight to 18 who played more hours per week than their age had an increased risk of injury.
The ideal way to prepare kids for a lifetime in sport is to diversify their early training. Being able to perform a variety of physical skills, like running, jumping, catching and throwing in a variety of environments sets kids up for success in whatever sport they choose.
That said, encouraging your child to master several sports when most sport organizations encourage specialization can be an uphill battle. But if the goal is to keep our kids healthy and in sports for life, it’s time to rethink how we develop our young athletes.