APPLETON (NBC 26) — It’s one of the hottest topics in youth sports: specialization. Athletes who focus on one sport, versus athletes who practice several.
There are advantages.
“Of course they’re going to develop their skills and that competitive edge,” said Chris Weister, fitness director at Blaze Sports and Fitness in Appleton. “And there’s also this part: They’re passionate about something. So when they dive into it, there’s this pleasure.
And there are downsides.
“They may be a little less well-rounded as athletes because they haven’t been exposed to these other sports,” Weister said. “And there’s also burnout. There’s a lot of pressure.
Weister coaches young athletes on both sides of the debate. She said sports specialization was a “hot topic” among these athletes and their parents.
Dr. Ryan Ziegler, an orthopedic surgeon at OSMS, said he has seen an increase in sports specialization in recent years.
From a medical perspective, he said there are risks to playing just one sport, especially for athletes under 12 years old.
“Repetitive loading activities and intense workouts can lead to overuse injuries in an accelerated manner,” Dr. Ziegler said. “(This) can ultimately lead to decreased performance.”
Dr. Zeigler said specializing in one sport year-round means these athletes use the same parts of their body over and over again.
“Basketball players generally see more knee problems,” he said. “Baseball players generally have more elbow and shoulder problems.”
Both Weister and Dr. Ziegler said that if an athlete specializes, it’s important to take time off. They believe that rest can provide both physical and psychological benefits.
“If it lasts more than eight months a year, it means overuse of the muscles and joints and the risk of injury is higher,” Weister said. “We therefore recommend taking time off.”
“Things like a periodic month off throughout the year in a phased manner or one to two days off throughout the week,” Dr. Ziegler said. “The benefit can come even from the rest alone and the mental break they get.”
In a presentation at Blaze Sports and Fitness, Dr. Ziegler listed the benefits of specialization as follows:
- Accelerated sport-specific improvement.
- Increased performance compared to peers.
- Routine: same techniques, equipment, places.
- Routine: friends, relationships.
He listed the disadvantages of specialization as follows:
- Greater susceptibility to injury.
- Early specialization is one of the main predictors of injury.
- Young specialist athletes have a 70% increased risk compared to multi-sport athletes.
- 50% of injuries treated in pediatric sports medicine are overuse injuries.
- Inability to develop alternative neuromuscular skills.
- Lack of recovery after repetitive activities.
- Psychological exhaustion.
For more perspective, NBC 26 spoke with two of the area’s top high school athletes.
Oshkosh North’s Xzavion Mitchell said that in seventh grade, his family urged him to focus on basketball.
“They saw something for basketball and the path I was having with basketball and they were like, okay, I think it’s time for you to focus on one sport.” , added Mitchell. “And I agreed because I was much better at basketball than I was at any other sport.
Mitchell focused on basketball year-round, playing in select countries on the AAU circuits.
Earlier this spring, it paid off. He has committed to play college ball at Big 12 powerhouse Iowa State.
“Playing other sports, I don’t think I could have been in this situation and had this opportunity,” Mitchell said.
“I just felt like focusing on one sport was going to benefit me the most and that’s what I did,” he added. “And obviously that’s where I’m at right now.”
Last month, Neenah’s Grant Dean has committed to play college football at Wisconsin.
Dean is a three-sport athlete: a two-way star on the football field, the sixth man on Neenah’s state qualifying basketball team and a state track champion in the 4×400-meter relay.
“When I was younger, I always played a lot of sports,” Dean said. “I remember one time I was playing soccer and football in the same season.”
“I think I was always pushed to do more sports,” he added. “(My parents) always wanted me to be more active.”
Dean said he believes playing multiple sports has been instrumental in his development, on and off the field.
“I think it’s helped me in more ways than just sports,” he said. “I think it’s helped me in class, just in life. Having the responsibility of having to get up every morning and work hard at what I do. I think it goes way deeper than sports.
Ultimately, experts say communication is everything.
“I think the most important thing is we try to open up that communication between the athlete and the parent,” Weister said. “I know parents always want the best for their kids, obviously. But sometimes just following their cues (can help).
“So if they seem overtrained, tired or need a day off, it’s OK if they back off,” she added.
“If you get to a point between ages 12 and 16 where things become more intense and more dedicated to a single sport, just make sure you incorporate proper rest and recovery,” Dr. Ziegler added.
While ultimately it’s up to each family to decide what’s best for them, Dr. Ziegler said that from a medical standpoint, he advises against specialization, especially for athletes younger than 12 years.
