Coming to Realization in Specialization
Sport specialization has blanketed this country and in some cases it is not for the better. This trending norm within the youth sports world has been accepted with aspirations that high volume practice and game participation, sometimes going on for up to a full year, will allow the athlete to rise above the rest. In return, there is hope that a college scholarship or even higher participation of play will be the outcome.
The goal of sport specialization at an early age is to optimize the opportunities to develop athletic skills in one sport to enhance the chances of competing at the next level. Having fun and developing lifelong interests in athletic activities does not appear to be a goal of many, if not most, specialization programs. While there is no doubt that structured athletic practice time plays an important role in athlete development, the question becomes at what age and at what cost?
Fifty years ago, opportunities for sport specialization was very rare. Sure there were the kids who really only liked one sport to the exclusion of others, but that was usually the athlete’s choice, not that of the parents or coaches. There was a lot more unstructured time to play ball. Summer days were spent at the local park from morning until the streetlights came on; all you had to do was ride your bike to the park and pick-up games would ensue. There were no parents or coaches to guide play.
In today’s society, the sport specialization world seems to have an emphasis on competitive success. Often, this is driven by goals of elite-level travel teams, select teams, collegiate scholarships, Olympic and National team membership, and even professional contracts. This has resulted in increased pressure to begin high-intensity training at a young age. It has brought on an excessive focus on early intensive training and competition at young ages rather than skill development. This in turn can often lead to burnout and overuse injuries.
There appears to be an increasing number of children who specialize in one sport at an early age, train year-round for a sport, and/or compete on an “elite” level. Media coverage of national and international competition in sports such as gymnastics, figure skating, swimming, diving, and tennis has focused attention on a number of very talented but very young competitors.
The successes of young athletes can serve as a powerful inducement for others to follow. Most Olympic sports have selection processes that attempt to identify future champions and initiate specialized training — often before the prospect finishes elementary school. The lure of a college scholarship or a professional career can also motivate athletes (and their parents) to commit to specialized training regimens at an early age. The low probability of reaching these lofty goals does not appear to discourage many aspirants.
Overuse is one of the most common factors that leads to injuries in the pediatric and adolescent athlete. As more children are becoming involved in organized and recreational athletics, the incidence of overuse injuries is increasing. Many children are participating in sports year-round and sometimes on multiple teams simultaneously. This overtraining can lead to burnout, which may have a detrimental effect on the child participating in sports as a lifelong healthy activity. One contributing factor to overtraining may be parental pressure to compete and succeed.
With sport specialization there is a big concern with the physical stress that comes on the body. An overuse injury is micro-traumatic damage to a bone, muscle, or tendon that has been subjected to repetitive stress without sufficient time to heal or undergo the natural reparative process. Overuse injuries can be classified into four stages: (1) pain in the affected area after physical activity; (2) pain during the activity, without restricting performance; (3) pain during the activity that restricts performance; and (4) chronic, unremitting pain even at rest. The incidence of overuse injuries in the young athlete has paralleled the growth of youth participation in sports. Up to 50% of all injuries seen in pediatric sports medicine are related to overuse.
Overuse injuries (tendinitis, apophysitis, and stress fractures) can be consequences of excessive sports training in child and adult athletes. Certain aspects of the growing athlete may predispose the child and adolescent to repetitive stress injuries such as traction apophysitis (Osgood-Schlatter disease, sever disease, medial epicondylitis [Little League elbow]), injuries to developing joint surfaces (osteochondritis dissecans), and/or injuries to the immature spine which would consist of spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, vertebral apophysitis.
In a study of 1,200 youth athletes, Dr. Neeru Jayanthi of Loyola University found that early specialization in a single sport is one of the strongest predictors of injury. Athletes in the study who specialized were 70% to 93% more likely to be injured than children who played multiple sports. Children who specialize early are at a far greater risk for burnout due to stress, decreased motivation and lack of enjoyment.
Early sport specialization in female adolescents is associated with increased risk of anterior knee pain disorders including PFP, Osgood-Schlatter and Sinding Larsen-Johansson compared to multi-sport athletes, and may lead to higher rates of future ACL tears.
With the sports world growing ever more popular, it is apparent that today’s society can find its brand at every store it walks in, every channel it surfs through, social media, and in conversations with everyday friends and family. The seed has been planted at some point in their life that in order to play today’s sports you must give yourself the competitive edge that will allow you to succeed in today’s gladiator-like sports arenas.
Some coaches, parents and athletes feel as though sports specialization in the early youth age is the ticket. Little do they know that this specific road has a ticking time bomb within it. Due to research of sports specialization being very limited, it is our duty as parents, coaches and athletes to seek out the facts and relay it out to all involved in the sports world. In doing so, it is with hope that proper guidance and recommendations can be mentored to our future youth so that they can enjoy the love of the game and take on a physical and mental lifestyle of health.
Providing our youth the best opportunities to enjoy sports is what will allow us as a nation to grow healthy children. By allowing them to take in everything that sports has to offer, instead of forcing perfection in one specific thing, will allow the natural competition and active lifestyle to grow within them.
Bogging down today’s young athlete with the expectation that they must master a sport in order to pursue recognition that may lead to a scholarship or professional contract is pressure that many adults may not even be able to bare. By providing a structured system that strategically involves a periodization scheme, the athletes of tomorrow will flourish with wonderful memories of sports, and so will the parents.
The intensely trained, specialized child athlete needs ongoing assessment of nutritional intake, with particular attention to total calories, a balanced diet, and intake of iron and calcium. Attention and consistent measurements of body weight are particularly important in ensuring the adequacy of caloric intake and early identification of pathologic eating behaviors. The athlete, family, and coach should reserve time to look into the many approaches that the physical fitness industry has matured in.
The general physical preparedness, or overall athletic base, can be attained through regular play, and organized sports as well. Wrestling, gymnastics, swimming, skating, resistance training, and many other sports can give them and their bodies a broad, athletically-sound base. Let them push. Let them pull. Let them jump. Let them chase. Let them be kids!
Being someone who has played sports growing up, played at the collegiate level, and who has currently worked with high school and collegiate sports, I have a true deep love for what sports have done for me and my family. I believe the physical movement of our children lies within our ability to educate them in the necessity of it as well as teaching them the fun of it. As the Latin saying goes, “Crescit Eundo,” it grows as it goes. Through the continuation of proper collaborations of those in the youth organizations, we can all help our future youth to enjoy all that sports have to offer. Let them go and let them grow!
*Anderson, S. J., Griesemer, B.A., Johnson, M., Martin, T. J., McLain, L. G., Rowland, T. W., & Small, E. (2000). Intensive training and sports specialization in young athletes. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/106/1/154
*Colitti, M. (2014). Young children should play multiple sports rather than specialize in one: Opinion. Retrieved from http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/10/young_children_should_play_multiple_sports_rather_than_specialize_in_one_opinion.html
*De Lench, B. (2015). Early sports specialization: Does it lead to long-term problems?. Retrieved from http://www.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/early-sport-specialization-does-it-lead-long-term-problems
