In part one of this two-part series we discussed factors that need to be considered regarding having an athlete specialize in a single sport. If you haven’t gotten a chance to read that article, you can head here to read it. Now that we have an understanding of those components, what further steps can we recommend if an athlete decides that they want to focus solely on one sport going forward? Fortunately, there are still several options for athletes to include in their weekly and year-round schedules for them to continue to enhance their athletic development throughout their playing careers:

Rec Leagues

Yes, this isn’t exactly for the scenario where a child may decide they only want to play one sport, but having a child participate in recreational leagues still has a lot of value in the right circumstances. This itself doesn’t come without some potential drawbacks - namely the scheduling challenges that may be presented with overlapping sports, as well as this almost requiring a child to pick a primary sport so they can decide which sports to go the recreational route with. But still, recreational leagues, with their lower time commitments and more casual environments can be a great way for children to get the additional exposure to athletic attributes that we talked about in part one. While not every sport will necessarily have recreational leagues depending on a family’s location, they can provide a great alternative to more competitive leagues that kids may already be filling their schedules with.

Weight Training

For a lot of parents and coaches of younger athletes, weight training may seem a bit more daunting and borderline overkill. Let me clarify though that I am not suggesting that you get your 10U player on a college lifting program, start attending CrossFit classes, or have them watch ‘Pumping Iron’ and tell them “figure it out”. I am using the term ‘Weight Training’ here more broadly to include some type of resistance training, while this can include the use of weights, even for younger kids, this can also mean bodyweight exercises, gymnastics-type movements, as well as various jumping and sprint work. What this looks like for an eight to ten-year-old will look very different than what it would for a sixteen to eighteen-year-old, but for a multitude of reasons working on developing strength, body control, power, and explosiveness in the weight room is one of the best ways to enhance an athlete’s overall athleticism.

Additionally, I would argue that when programmed appropriately, a good resistance training program is a better injury prevention program than any standard arm care program, corrective exercise, or flexibility routine you will find. We are going through the process of making athletes more resilient to the stresses that their sport will demand of them. The more stress they have been exposed to, in a controlled environment, the less likely they will encounter something their body can’t handle in competition.

Aside from needing to be prescribed appropriately, this also comes with a couple of caveats for parents to consider.

This isn’t something that is added to an already full plate for a child. In many instances, this would take the place of a practice, lesson, or other sport-related activity. Trying to find the right balance will be challenging in many instances.
Just like when contemplating specialization vs non-specialization there is also often a financial cost associated with this as you will likely need to find a trainer or purchase some type of program for an athlete to follow. However, there should be some cost-effective options available if you search around. Additionally, the cost is still often less than a lot of equipment, lessons, and so on.

Cross-Training At Practice

An option that would be a bit more practical for a coach to implement in a team setting would be to dedicate practice time each week to some type of cross-training. This could be either in the form of resistance training type exercises or even having the team participate in other various games or sports during practice. Whether it be spikeball or capture the flag as a team warm-up, or having your baseball team play ultimate frisbee at the end of practice, this can be a fun and engaging way for kids to get those other exposures they may not traditionally get in their sports practices, as well as continuing to drive a competitive environment.

Go Outside And Play

If neither of the two options above is viable for whatever reason you can always default to the old philosophy of “Just let kids be kids”, meaning when they don’t have dedicated practice or game time, get them outside, run around, play with friends, and get creative with how they move. This can have huge benefits not only from a physical and movement perspective but also from a mental aspect of having some time where they aren’t always focused on their sport or school work - something that will go a long way in preventing burnout down the road. So if dedicated weight training or cross-training at practice isn’t an option, make sure there are a few times within a week where your kid can get out and enjoy themselves in an unorganized manner.

Hopefully, by now, you recognize that the decision for a kid to specialize or not specialize in a sport isn’t as black and white as we may make it out to be. Recognizing that there are options available on both sides of the spectrum and educating parents and coaches alike can be very helpful in reducing the pressure to pick what is deemed ‘best’ for a child.

Discouraging Specialization: A Double-Edged Sword - Part 2

Discouraging Specialization: A Double-Edged Sword - Part 1