Whether it's a good idea or not, kids do play competitively at very young ages and choose just one sport to specialize in earlier than ever. “If an athlete truly finds a pure passion, I have no issues with the athlete playing just that one sport, even at a young age,” says Lee Taft, CSCS, owner of Sports Speed, Etc., in New Castle, Indiana. “I’m constantly amazed at how many late bloomers” develop into successful college players, and eventually become pro prospects, he says. These Shoes Helped Me Level Up My Home Workouts, The Best Face Masks That Won’t Fog Up Your Glasses, 3 Ways to Make Your Flu Shot Even More Effective, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Other kids may be less than welcoming or even downright intimidating to a newcomer. You might hire a high school student to provide individual or small-group lessons, just to give your child a taste of a sport he's curious about. Most high-level soccer players, for example, start at 5 years old. The larger his athletic portfolio, the greater his risk of a career-ending injury. She volunteers as a lactation consultant and pregnancy coach. Graham speaks from both personal and professional experience. If playing at an elite level is her dream, she might consider a less popular sport, such as golf, rowing, or cross-country running (although levels of popularity and demand vary from one community to another). So should you push your kid to focus on his or her best sport, and train for it year-round? On the other hand: Is your child gunning for a spot on an elite team in a popular sport such as soccer, basketball, gymnastics, or baseball? And if you have a choice of coaches, teams, or leagues, look for one that emphasizes skill development and sportsmanship instead of winning at all costs. That obsession may be what ultimately separates the very best from the next-best. Why Non-Competitive Sports May Be a Better Option for Your Tween. If your child has a friend who's already on the team, that may help. The same might also apply to a slightly built baseball player, Graham adds. To excel at a sport, the pressure is on young athletes specialize early. She is currently working on her first book, "Pain Free Delivery: A Guide to Natural Childbirth.". With high-stakes competitive play continuing to spread to younger children, it's easy to feel like anything past age 5 is "too late" for a child to start a sport.
In a study of top Russian swimmers, for example, those who specialized before their 11th birthdays spent less time on national teams and retired earlier than those who waited longer to go all-in. Another reason to specialize: to mitigate injury risk. His life revolved around hockey. Similarly, the visual tracking required for baseball and softball carries over to soccer, lacrosse, tennis, football, and rugby. Advertisement. The importance of sports and games in school encompasses more than just the benefit of physical activity. There’s Tiger Woods, who hit golf balls on The Mike Douglas Show when he was just 2, won his first tournament at 8, and was ranked #1 in the world at 21. “Parents are constantly asking me that question,” says John Graham, CSCS, who runs St. Luke’s Sports and Human Performance Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. A child who works hard, is passionate, and has a natural talent for the game may still be able to rise through the ranks. NOT ALL CHOICES ARE GOOD CHOICESFor all the downsides to early specialization, there are certainly times when it’s the best and perhaps only option. It is important to remember in these cases not to make your child feel badly about not being a higher level athlete, but to remember the more important benefits of playing sports, and encourage them in this endeavor. By Staff Writer Last Updated Mar 27, 2020 7:05:48 AM ET. With a tough economy, many schools are cutting spending for sports and athletics programs. Competitive athletes aren’t the only ones at risk. That’s moderately true of tennis—top players typically specialize before puberty—but golfers don’t necessarily have to emulate Tiger Woods and go straight from potty training to putting. According to Theodore Hesburgh, author of "The Importance of School Sports and Education," it is imperative for school age children to have access to sports and games.
Should they? Or, look for a sport in which she can compete individually instead of having to elbow her way into a team, such as martial arts or figure skating. Such early training comes with a steep price.
“They weren’t great athletes at a young age, but that broad range of abilities made it possible for them to become great in a specific sport.”, Lack of athletic development isn’t the only risk of early specialization. Imagine for a moment that you’re a teenage athlete. Vancouver Film School/CC-BY 2.0. Although it dramatically improves his odds of dating a cheerleader, the injury risk is enormous. BAD EXAMPLESKids and parents alike can be seduced by the success of the outlier. I could hardly train her.