Single Sport vs Multi-Sport Emphasis in Youth Athletes
Risk of specialization too soon
For most sports, there is no evidence that intense training and specialization before adolescence are necessary to achieve elite status. “Early specialization may enhance a skill but it does not enhance athleticism like practicing multiple sports can,” according to researcher and sports psychologist, Richard Ginsburg. Sport specialization too early increases the risks of: overuse injuries, burnout, and a decrease in overall athletic development.
An overuse injury occurs as a result of repeating the same or very similar movement over and over again until the joint, ligament, tendon, muscle, growth plate, or bone becomes too painful to move in that way anymore. Many athletes play on school teams and club teams for the same sports. This increases their playing time, but can also increase their risk for overuse injuries. Signs and symptoms of overtraining include: decreased performance, weight loss, decreased appetite and sleep disturbances. A study in 2015 showed that athletes who train more than 8 months of the year in a single, main sport were over twice as likely to sustain an overuse injury.
According to American Academy of Pediatric guidelines, young athletes should take at least one to two days off per week from sport-specific training and two to three months off per year from a specific sport. To reduce the likelihood of burnout, emphasis should be placed on skill development rather than competition. Burnout is mental and physical exhaustion from prolonged stress. Signs of burnout include: general fatigue, nonspecific muscle or joint problems, and poor academic performance.
Multiple movement patterns learned early will carry over into other sports
Participating in a variety of sports as a child fosters well-rounded motor skills, which carry over into other activities and are crucial for long-term athletic success. By varying the sport played throughout the year, it helps children avoid repetitive stress placed on the body by a single set of movement patterns (eg- throwing and swinging, etc.).
Research studies have also found that athletes who play multiple sports have movement advantages over athletes who just stick to one sport. The vast majority of elite athletes today played multiple sports through high school and didn't specialize early. Nick Saban, former Alabama head football coach, recognized the importance of multiple sports and looked for recruits who played more than just football.
Benefits of strength training
At Refuge Physiotherapy, we know that being strong in multiple movement patterns is healthy, improves resilience, and limits the risk of injury from repetitive stress. Strength-training helps with well-rounded strength and introduces novel movement patterns (overhead press, lunges, squats, bridges, etc.) to counteract the stress of repetitive movements found in sports.
Strength-training allows athletes to get a variety of movements that they do not experience in their games and practices. All athletes can benefit from general full-body strength movement to ensure that their body is prepared not just for sport, but for life itself.
Conclusion
If you want your kids to stay healthy, motivated, and perform better in the long run, multi-sport participation combined with general strength-training is best. Our therapy sessions include movement-analysis and training in proper form for lifting techniques to promote life-long health for our young athletes.
If your child is experiencing a nagging sports injury or a decline in their overall performance, contact Refuge Physiotherapy to set up an evaluation so we can assess their overall strength and mobility and limit the severity of a sports-related injury.
