Nowadays, training young sportspersons may involve not only long and intense hours of practice but also specialization at tender ages. More often than not, the main people who emphasize this are the parents, teachers, coaches who all act with a zeal help the youngster succeed in youth competitions.
Kids narrowing down on one sport for a duration of more than eight months within a year, increases their chances of injuries and burnout. In addition to that, concentrating on a single sport does not necessarily mean success in that game.
For parents, one sure way of making your kids spend more time on the court or pitch, rather than at the doctor’s, is to avoid pushing them into focusing on a single sport.
On the flipside, concentrating on a single sport can give kids the edge needed to turn out for pro clubs or teams. Many young athletes endeavor to win sports scholarships or catch the attention of college or university scouts.
Motivate your kid to participate in a variety of sports
Participating in various kinds of games is helpful for young players. It enables the kids to acquire diverse skills that can come in handy to his or her primary sport later on. Other than that, it also provides the young athlete with an opportunity to grow emotionally and socially interact with his or her peers.
All these are vital in creating a proper foundation for the young player, to not only develop physical strength, but also emotional when they finally focus on the primary sport later on in life.
Later on, youth players can adopt regiments that utilize both physical fitness and nutritional support, alongside supplements like anadrol 50 mr pharma.
Perspectives on the effects of youths practicing a single sport
The American Journal of Sports Medicine carried out a case study, which sheds more light on the effects of narrowing in on one game at a young age. It says that the practice may increase risks of a variety of injuries in high school athletes.
Quoting from one of the leading scientists and senior researchers at the University of Wisconsin Health Sports Medicine Center, kids who spent more time focusing on one sport had a high risk of having an injury. Researchers found that sprained ankles, fractures due to stress, and knee tendonitis become more common.
The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine also released a statement stating that there lacks concrete evidence that young players will profit from specializing in a single sport later on, when looking at the majority of games.
Parents, coaches, and trainers, alongside other relevant people, are advised to avoid overtraining young athletes to alleviate injury risks and burnouts. The number of hours kids should train should be relative to their age. For example, an 11 year old soccer player should not practice for more than 11 hours per week.
Other than early burnout and injury risks, psychological stress is another effect of zeroing-in on one sport in young athletes. A reported 70% of young players leave the game at the age of thirteen. Kids focusing on a single competition are put under immense pressure to perform well, with high expectations and criticism from parents, and may lack enough motivation. Also, it was found that such children did retire earlier from competitive sport than others who specialized at a later age.
Final Verdict
A certain level of sports specialization is vital for young sportspersons to make it to the professional stage. Nonetheless, focused practice that will lead to neglecting other games should be deferred until one gets to the adolescent stage. This will be significant in helping the player stay clear of injuries, psychological stress, or suffer from early burnout.
