Does Your Young Athlete Have to Play Multiple Sports?
Dr. Mom | Raising Whole Athletes
Worried your child is specializing in one sport too soon?
It’s a concern many sports parents have.
Maybe your child loves basketball.
Not basketball and soccer.
Not basketball and baseball.
Just basketball.
They want to play it, watch it, practice it, and spend most of their athletic time getting better at it.
We are right there with you! Our boys LOVE basketball!
As a parent, you may have heard the recommendation that young athletes should play multiple sports. So naturally, you start wondering:
Do I need to make my child play another sport?
The answer is a little more complex than just yes or no. Lets discuss it.
Why We Talk About Early Sport Specialization
Early sport specialization generally refers to a young athlete focusing heavily on one sport, often year-round and at the exclusion of other sports and activities.
And there are legitimate reasons parents should pay attention to it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has reported concerns associated with specializing too early, including increased risk of overuse injuries, overtraining and burnout. For most sports, the AAP encourages diversification during childhood and delaying specialization until later adolescence.
But there’s an important word in that recommendation:
Diversification.
The bigger picture isn't simply getting your child onto as many teams as possible.
We want young athletes exposed to a variety of movements, physical challenges, activities and experiences while their bodies are developing.
Playing Multiple Sports Is One Great Way to Create Variety
There are real advantages to playing different sports.
A basketball player who also swims encounters completely different physical demands.
A soccer player who tries gymnastics may develop body awareness, balance and control in ways they don't experience on the soccer field.
A baseball player playing recreational basketball may be exposed to different jumping, landing, cutting and reactive movements.
Different sports can also mean different teammates, coaches, environments and challenges.
That variety can be valuable.
But what happens when your child simply doesn't want to play another organized sport?
Don't Force Another Sport Just to Check a Box
If your athlete genuinely wants to try another sport, encourage it.
But I wouldn't automatically force a child onto another team simply because you're worried they aren't checking the "multi-sport athlete" box.
Instead, zoom out and look at their whole development.
Ask:
What movement experiences is my child getting outside of their primary sport?
That's where we can start thinking differently about diversification.
Variety Can Show Up in Different Ways
The National Strength and Conditioning Association's long-term athletic development model emphasizes developing physical literacy, motor skills and foundational muscular strength as children grow.
The NSCA also discusses age-appropriate development of qualities such as strength, speed, agility and other fundamental motor skills as part of developing athleticism.
So consider opportunities for your young athlete to experience:
Strength
Age-appropriate resistance training can help young athletes learn how to control their bodies and progressively develop strength.
Speed and agility
Running, accelerating, decelerating and changing direction expose athletes to movement demands that may not always be emphasized during sport practice.
Balance and coordination
Young athletes are still learning how to control growing bodies. Activities that challenge balance, rhythm, coordination and body awareness can contribute to a broader movement foundation.
Jumping and landing
Learning to jump, absorb force and control a landing gives athletes another opportunity to develop fundamental movement skills.
Recreational activities
Swimming. Skating. Riding a bike. Hiking. Playing at the park. Jumping on a trampoline. Playing a backyard game.
Not everything needs a coach, uniform or scoreboard.
Free Play Still Counts
Sometimes in our effort to create a "well-rounded athlete," we accidentally create an even busier athlete.
Basketball practice Monday.
Strength training Tuesday.
Team practice Wednesday.
Agility Thursday.
Private training Friday.
Tournament Saturday and Sunday.
Technically, that athlete may be doing different types of training.
But we've missed something important:
Recovery and unstructured play are part of development too.
The American Academy of Pediatrics specifically encourages young athletes to have regular time away from their primary sport.
Their recommendations include:
at least one to two days off each week from that sport and
periods (3 months or more) away from it throughout the year.
Time away doesn't mean a child has to sit on the couch.
They can still move.
They can swim with friends.
Ride their bike.
Go skating.
Shoot hoops in the driveway for fun.
Play something completely unrelated to their primary sport.
Or simply rest.
The goal isn't to optimize every hour of childhood for athletic performance.
Think Beyond the Sport
If your child loves one sport, you don't necessarily need to panic.
And you don't need to immediately register them for another team they have no interest in joining.
Instead, look at the bigger picture.
Are they exposed to different movements?
Are they developing general strength, balance, coordination and body control?
Do they have opportunities for unstructured play?
Are they getting adequate rest?
Do they still enjoy their sport?
Are they experiencing activities where performance doesn't matter?
Those questions may tell us more about the athlete's overall development than simply counting how many sports are on their schedule.
Let Them Love Their Sport; But Develop Beyond It
There is nothing wrong with a child loving basketball.
Or soccer.
Or baseball.
Or volleyball.
We don't necessarily need to take that passion away.
But as parents, we can help make sure their entire physical development doesn't revolve around repeating the same sport-specific movements all year long.
Give them opportunities to explore.
To get stronger.
To develop speed.
To improve coordination.
To play.
To try something new.
And sometimes, to do absolutely nothing athletic at all.
Because we're not only developing the basketball player, soccer player or baseball player standing in front of us today.
We're building the athlete, and the person, behind the sport.
Dr. Mom | Raising Whole Athletes
Helpful Links
American Academy of Pediatrics - https://www.aap.org/en/
The National Strength and Conditioning Association - https://www.nsca.com/?srsltid=AU7gw4UvKYR6ShAYYvzTDL-vc01ytt-qwl5Tt0yaIN1VAuJDikP_WhAq
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