Early or late specialization?

When you compare today's athletes to those from the past, you will notice that athletes of today tend to train pretty much all year round. Sports have become big business with a lot at stake and for this reason, the days of taking the summer off from playing hockey or any other professional sport and coming to training camp unfit are unheard of nowadays. This is the reality not only at the professional level but also at the developmental stage. Kids are specializing early in sports in order to improve their skills and ability in a particular sport. They are training all year round to become the next Olympian or get that athletic scholarship. But is early specialization the best thing?

Early specialization does have its benefits as it allows children to understand pattern recognition and strategic thinking at an earlier stage. There are also athletes such as Tiger Woods and Andre Agassi who specialized at young ages and who would become phenomenal athletes. The Theory of Deliberate Practice by Ericsson and his colleagues supports early specialization, concluding that the earlier one can begin on focused training, the greater the chance at becoming exceptional in their chosen domain.

Conversely though, early specialization limits the ability of a child to explore other sports and discover whether they have other talents. Early specialization can also increase the risk of overuse injuries at a young age and burnout. The fact is that just because your child specializes early it does not guarantee the child will be a great athlete. Though Wayne Gretzky was a great hockey player even at a young age, it should be noted that he was also good at baseball and running.

Most sport governing bodies have also moved to the long-term athlete development model encouraging girls to begin specializing at age 11 and boys at the age of 12. This type of model challenges the notion of early specialization and supports the idea that children should be able to participate in a variety of activities before specializing.

A study of collegiate soccer players concluded that it did not really make a difference whether they had specialized in soccer or whether they were multisport athlete in order to play in the NCAA.

As a parent, allowing your child to be a multisport athlete ensures that their muscles and bones adapt to different movements, thus avoiding overuse injuries. Introducing children to a number of different sports also enables them to develop other characteristics and positive social interaction with a wide rage of new friends and less pressure, since they are not playing the same sport all year round.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. Callender S. The Early Specialization of Youth in Sports. Athletic Training & Sports Health Care: The Journal For The Practicing Clinician. November 2010;2(6):255-257.

2. Côté J, Lidor R, Hackfort D. ISSP POSITION STAND: TO SAMPLE OR TO SPECIALIZE? SEVEN POSTULATES ABOUT YOUTH SPORT ACTIVITIES THAT LEAD TO CONTINUED PARTICIPATION AND ELITE PERFORMANCE. International Journal Of Sport & Exercise Psychology. March 2009;7(1):7-17.

3. Ford P, Ward P, Hodges N, Williams A. The role of deliberate practice and play in career progression in sport: the early engagement hypothesis. High Ability Studies. June 2009;20(1):65-75.

4. Jenkins S. Leading Article: Digging it out of the Dirt: Ben Hogan, Deliberate Practice and the Secret. International Journal Of Sports Science & Coaching. December 15, 2010;5:1-21.

5. Malina R. Early Sport Specialization: Roots, Effectiveness, Risks. Current Sports Medicine Reports (American College Of Sports Medicine). November 2010;9(6):364-371.

6. Moesch K, Elbe A, Hauge M, Wikman J. Late specialization: the key to success in centimeters, grams, or seconds (cgs) sports. Scandinavian Journal Of Medicine & Science In Sports. December 2011;21(6):e282-e290.

7. Roberts W. EDITORIAL: Youth Sports: Who's Pushing the Cart?. Current Sports Medicine Reports (American College Of Sports Medicine). November 2010;9(6):323.

Preventing School Sports Injuries

With fall just around the corner, high school students will soon be hitting the gridiron iron fields, the soccer pitch and the rugged terrains of cross-country running. These sports provide another opportunity for children to get active, opening their minds to dreams of becoming great champions, and creating lasting memories. For those athletes however, who have been sitting by the pool or at the beach over the summer and who have neglected their early season training, September can be a prime time for injury.

Why do injuries occur?

There are multiple reasons why young athletes can become injured, these include returning to full activity participation too quickly, biomechanical issues, improper equipment and not having a physical exam before starting training and especially after recovering from an injury or health issue.

Types of injuries

Young athletes usually sustain three types of injuries:

1. Acute injury which occurs from a single, traumatic event such as broken bones, sprains, concussions and dislocations. 
2. Overuse injuries which are injuries that occur over time from repetitive actions. Some overuse injuries can include shin splints, tendinitis and stress fractures. 
3. Recurrent injuries which are injuries sustained when an athlete returns to the playing field before the injury has fully healed, or if he or she returns too fast, rather than gradually building fitness. 

How to teach student athletes to play safe 

1. Physical exams at the beginning of the season allow athletes to be prescreened for injuries or health issues. 
2. Warm ups and cool downs should be done before and after any physical activity. A light jog will bring the athletes heart rate up from the resting rate. Jogging warms the muscles, which are more susceptible to injury when cold. Cool downs bring the heart rate down and help clear the build-up of lactic acid, allowing athletes to be less sore, thus expediting recovery for the next day. 
3. Using proper training techniques and equipment teaches good fundamentals while minimizing injuries in the short and long term. Improper technique can lead to serious injuries; explaining and demonstrating the right way to perform a skill is crucial in injury prevention and development of the athlete. Using gear which fits and which is appropriate to the sport helps prevent injuries and keeps the athlete safe. 
4. Gradually increase training to allow athletes to adjust and recover properly. An off-season program is also beneficial to your athletes as it allows them to stay in shape, without having to start from scratch at the beginning of the season. 

Many school sports injuries are preventable through proper training, use of proper equipment and right conditioning. To build a successful team you have to have all your athletes’ healthy and ready to contribute. Keeping your team healthy makes the experience more memorable and gives your team the best chance of achieving its goals.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. Brumitt J. Injury Prevention for High School Female Cross-Country Athletes. Athletic Therapy Today. July 2009;14(4):8-12.

2. INJURY PREVENTION AND PERFORMANCE. Journal Of Pure Power. April 2009;4(2):58-60.

3. Knowles S, Marshall S, Guskiewicz K. Issues in Estimating Risks and Rates in Sports Injury Research. Journal Of Athletic Training. April 2006;41(2):207-215.

4. R C C. The prevention of catastrophic head and spine injuries in high school and college sports. British Journal Of Sports Medicine. December 2009;43(13):981-986.

5. Sarmiento K, Mitchko J, Klein C, Wong S. Evaluation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Concussion Initiative for High School Coaches: “Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports”. Journal Of School Health. March 2010;80(3):112-118. 

6. Shanley E, Rauh M, Michener L, Ellenbecker T. Incidence of Injuries in High School Softball and Baseball Players. Journal Of Athletic Training. November 2011;46(6):648-654. 

7. Yang J, Bowling J, Lewis M, Marshall S, Runyan C, Mueller F. Use of Discretionary Protective Equipment in High School Athletes: Prevalence and Determinants. American Journal Of Public Health. November 2005;95(11):1996-2002.