We view sports in sport-specific terms, which leads players to specialize earlier and earlier to gain an advantage over their competition. Early specialization – specializing in one sport before puberty – leads to immediate sport-specific skill improvements. The immediate results convince us that early specialization improves a player’s competitive opportunities. Immediate sport-specific development encourages early specialization, as people ignore the counter-argument:

“In 1985, a study by the Swedish Tennis Association suggested that early specialization is unnecessary for players to achieve high performance levels in tennis. Among other things, this study found that the players who were part of the Swedish tennis ‘miracle’ of the 1980s, including the great Bjorn Borg, were keenly active in a range of sports until the age of 14 and did not begin to specialize until about the age of 16” (Launder).

Before one excels in a sport, he must develop athleticism. Some coaches believe playing another sport retards a player’s basketball development. A local coach believes his players fall behind while “wasting time” playing volleyball. However, when I watch volleyball, I see lateral movement, hand-eye coordination, ball skills and vertical jumping. I see the transfer between blocking a ball at the net and contesting a shot in the paint; between moving laterally for a dig and moving laterally to keep an offensive player from driving.

We ignore examples like Chase Budinger and Wes Welker. Budinger was an elite high school volleyball player. University of Arizona Head Coach Lute Olson believes Budinger has the athleticism to be a great defensive player because of his volleyball experience. Welker played soccer throughout high school and his former football coach, Texas Tech University’s Mike Leach, credits soccer for Welker’s quickness and vision which make him nearly unstoppable as the Patriots’ slot receiver.

Playing multiple sports develops a broader foundation which leads to enhanced performance when the athlete specializes. Early specialization leads to early sport-specific development and immediate performance gains; however, early peaks accompany the early development, and over the course of one’s athletic career, the early specialization has a detrimental effect. In the Swedish study, “what was most significant was that many players who had been superior to the eventual elite while in the 12-14 age group had dropped out-been burned out-of the sport,” (Launder).

Considering that less than 3% of high school basketball players continue their competitive careers in college, what do children gain through specialization? On the other hand, what do children lose when they specialize early?

Playing multiple sports increases an athlete’s multilateral development and develops bio-motor qualities like Strength, Speed, Endurance, Flexibility and Coordination. A strong, balanced foundation of these qualities enhances sports performance. Playing baseball enhances hand-eye coordination; playing soccer trains endurance; playing football increases strength and speed; playing tennis increases coordination and speed; playing water polo increases strength and endurance.

Athletes who only play basketball develop with a more shallow foundation and the repetitive movements lead to muscle imbalances and tightness, which decrease flexibility and performance. “In fact, between the ages of 6 – 14, athletes should be focused primarily on developing fundamental proficiency in as many athletic skills as possible. Running, jumping, throwing, lateral movement, spatial orientation – the list is long and endless. The fundamental components of ANY sport are based on movement ability and associated physical properties, such as summation of forces and neuromuscular sequencing. Athletes must progressively master the science of movement as children,” (Grasso).

Playing multiple sports creates a natural periodization: the process of planning training to peak for important games or competitions. For young athletes, playing multiple sports breaks the year into different seasons which keeps the young athlete mentally, physically and psychologically fresh.

Playing multiple sports reduces the incidence of overuse injuries, which has increased dramatically in the past 10 years as more athletes specialize. The American Academy of Pediatrics, advises that “youngsters should be discouraged from specializing in a single sport before adolescence to avoid physical and psychological damage. The risks range from ‘overuse’ injuries such as stress fractures to delayed menstruation, eating disorders, emotional stress and burnout.” Athletes undergo tremendous repetitive stress on muscles, joints and ligaments unprepared for the year-round training. Without a gradual progression from general to specific and a complimentary conditioning program to balance bio-motor training, athletes’ bodies break down and the breakdown manifests as an overuse injury.

Finally, and most importantly, playing different sports is fun. Young athletes engage in different activities with new teammates, coaches and social environments. Currently, many basketball players are mentally and physically fatigued. Everyone notices the precipitous drop in play during the final week of the high school summer evaluation period, as players play non-stop from September through July. As a Division I Assistant Coach told me, “I think burnout is a problem because the kids play too many summer games. Also, injuries occur because a lot of teams do not take breaks during the summer recruiting period.”

With little to gain through early specialization, why are parents, coaches and athletes in such a hurry to rush the developmental process? Presently, most athletes stop playing sports by 18 years of age (well, 70% stop by 13-years-old and 12 is the peak age for sports participation), as only the elite play competitively in college. However, why accept high school graduation as the end of play? Some participate in college intramurals and adult recreation leagues; however, others stop playing altogether. At its most basic level, youth sports provide a foundation for athletic participation throughout one’s life; a multilateral approach to training prepares young athletes for athletic participation in a variety of activities throughout their lifetime.

Four Arguments against Early Specialization
1. Multilateral Development
2. Periodization
3. Reduce Overuse Injuries
4. Fun