Let ’ s Stop the Early Sport Specialization Madness ! BYJOHN O ' SULLIVAN / “ I have a question , ” said a mother recently at one of my speaking engagements . “ I have an 8 - year - old son who loves soccer . But the only soccer team in our town requires that he play all year round , and he still wants to play other sports . What are we to do ? ” Sound familiar ? Across the country , I hear similar questions all the time . I meet parents who understand that playing a single sport year - round prior to high school is not good for their kids . But they are stuck . There is no alternative . Name any sport , and parents are often faced with a similar dilemma . The only organizations that provide higher level coaching , and where most of the better athletes play , require all or nothing commitments far before any experts recommend them ( As a caveat , this article does not pertain to sports considered early specialization sports such as female gymnastics , figure skating , and diving , where elite competitors reach their athletic peak in their mid - teens ) . Want a spot for your 8 - year - old soccer player ? Welcome aboard , as long as you make soccer your primary commitment 11 months a year . Want to play basketball this winter for three months ? Sorry , we will give your spot to someone else . Does your family like to camp on summer weekends ? Sorry , we have baseball tournaments every weekend , and we don ’ t take kids on our spring baseball travel team who won ’ t commit to playing in the summer and fall . Want to make the high school team ? Want to be recruited for college ? So many parents feel the pressure to force their kids all in too young , especially when colleges in sports likes women ’ s soccer and lacrosse are scouting middle school age events . ( The NCAA , sadly , has refused to take action , even though the NCAA Men ’ s and Women ’ s Lacrosse Coaches Associations have drafted and supported proposals banning contact with kids before September 1 of their junior year ! Even the Ivy League has asked the NCAA to put a stop to early recruiting . ) The youth sports system , aptly called the “ youth sports industrial complex ” by ESPN writer Tim Keown , is failing our kids , especially when it comes to early sports specialization . We are robbing our kids of their childhood and the opportunity to experience the joy of participating in multiple sports . We are stressing out families who are just trying to provide opportunities for their kids . We are creating financial and commitment obstacles that prevent kids from sampling numerous sports , and finding ones that fit the best . We are creating a generation of injured , burned out kids who stop sports altogether , leading to a lifetime of health issues . Perhaps worst of all , we are failing to develop fundamental movement skills in our kids – often termed physical literacy – by focusing on sport - specific form and skills before kids have learned to move correctly . In other words , we teach technical skills to athletes who do not learn to run correctly , jump correctly , or land correctly , and then we wonder why so many are injured . The reason kids are being asked to play a single sport has little to do with science and psychology , and more to do with the business of youth sports . Our youth sports organizations are not forcing children to play a single sport year - round because the physician ’ s , sport scientists and child development experts are recommending that pathway . They are doing it because if hockey doesn ’ t , soccer will . If baseball doesn ’ t , lacrosse will . If our club doesn ’ t , our neighboring club will , and we will lose all our players . Even as organizations such as USA Hockey , US Lacrosse , and US Youth Soccer have come out with position statements encouraging multi - sport participation , on the local level many of their affiliate organizations have not followed through . We are not serving our kids . When it comes to youth sports too often we are focused on the needs of the business , and ignoring the needs of the child . We are making business decisions , not human decisions . Here are some statistics and research links that make you cringe : In an August 2016 position paper entitled “ Sport Specialization and Intensive Training in Young Athletes , ” the American Academy of Pediatrics released several recommendations for their physicians , citing research demonstrating the physical , social and emotional risks for children who specialize too young . They have concluded that research demonstrates postponing specialization until puberty decreases injury , burnout and stress in children , but that such advice is being ignored . Research by the US Olympic Committee and others demonstrates that postponing specialization gives an athlete a great chance of achieving his or her goals , especially in reaching elite levels of competition . US Olympians were involved in an average of three sports a year until age 14 . Yet more families are going down the early specialization pathway . An article on early sport specialization about the roots , effectiveness , and risks of labeling youth as talented and immersing children in an adult - centered world focusing on scholarships , professional contracts . Research highlights the many risks , and that there is little evidence it is a better path to elite performance . According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association , many programs focus on developing sport specific skills instead of first “ developing a range of motor skills and muscular strength qualities [ which ] should enable youth to move proficiently in a variety of environments , but also be sufficiently robust to withstand the physical demands of sports and recreational physical activity . ” I could go on and on here , but the evidence is pretty clear : While every athlete ’ s path is an individual one , the evidence is pretty conclusive that developing highly functioning human beings , and elite athletes , does not need to go down the path of early specialization . The best path is an early multi - sport path that helps athletes find their passion , instead of determining it for them . It includes a lot of free play , falling out of trees , and unsupervised activity where kids learn movement . It is a path that postpones specialization , allows for adequate rest and time off , and promotes early functional and neuromuscular development as a basis for training sport specific skills . It postpones discussion of college scholarships and player rankings during the formative years . It is a path that encourages above all else the health and well - being of the athlete involved , regardless of its effect on the business operations of the organization . But sadly , this is not happening often . In fact , it is usually the opposite . The soccer people tell me that soccer is an early specialization sport around the world , but I believe they are missing the forest for the trees . . Yes , I agree that kids throughout the world play a lot of soccer , but once they enter professional development pipelines , they are participating in a variety of activities to promote all around athleticism , flexibility and neuromuscular development that enhance their soccer . Zlatan Ibrahimovic got his black belt while a youth at Ajax in Holland . Visit Carrington , the Manchester United training complex , and you will see what I saw ; something that looks like a combination weight room and gymnastics arena . In fact , Man United has recently added circus skills trainers and parkour runners to teach their kids how to run , jump and fall to avoid injury . Why ? Because today ’ s kids have not grown up playing multiple sports and engaging in free play in the park , and thus are more injury prone . According to Academy Director and Manchester United legend Nicky Butt , “ I probably fell out of a tree 15 times and never hurt myself . Body mechanics lose so much when you ’ re not climbing trees , not playing basketball , cricket , rugby . I played rugby , cricket , football , basketball . ” At all the top academies , players are enrolled in a comprehensive program that improves athleticism , monitors health and well - being , ensures proper sleep and nutrition , and more . Is that what your club provides when they say “ play only soccer ” or “ play only hockey ? ” I didn ’ t think so . The time has come for the business of youth sports to take a back seat to the needs and well - being of the participants of youth sports ! Here are a few ways we can do this : Coaches : if you are coaching kids age 12 or younger , you have an ethical responsibility to those children to provide and / or allow for a multi - sport experience for them . You must incorporate fundamental movement development into your training . All athletes , regardless of sport , should be taught how to correctly run , jump , fall , roll , catch , throw , turn and twist . The younger your players , the more focus on movement , and less on sport specific skills . Anything less is setting your kids up to fail ! Coaches , you must also create the space for your athletes to play more than one sport . Give them an adequate off - season ; they younger they are , the longer it should be . Sure , if they do not practice 4 x a week all winter they may fall a bit behind those who do , but you are also preventing burnout , increasing motivation , developing athleticism and helping prevent injury . Development is not linear ; some kids want more off - season training , and some want less . Serve the individual . Work with coaches of other sports for the benefit of the child . Help kids find balance , and ensure they get proper rest ( according to the American Academy of Pediatrics , that means at least 3 x 1 month rest periods from your sport ) . Youth Sports Organizations : Stop creating one size fits all programming . Not every young female soccer player wants to be the next Mia Hamm , so why are they all participating in the program designed to produce the next Mia ? Why is an athletic , skillful 8 - year - old soccer player told to either play park and rec , or a year round , four - season program ? What if they are a strong player and a good athlete who belongs with your top players , but isn ’ t ready to commit to a full year yet ? It seems silly to tell her family it ’ s all or nothing , as some good ones will choose nothing ! Youth sports organizations also need to delay high - cost , high - commitment travel programs as long as possible . Develop as many kids as possible with the best coaching possible for as long as possible instead of segregating the haves and have nots in elementary school . Sure your 10 U soccer players travel now , so you are trying to get a handle on your 9 U ’ s by setting up a more organized program . Resist the urge three years from now to say “ well , they are already organized , let ’ s just start a league for them ” and thus push your higher level programming down to the 8 U ’ s . In another few years , there will be a league for them too . It ’ s a death spiral for our kids . Find a training balance that works for all kids and delay the 6 day a week programming until at least 12 . I have worked with some very successful sports organizations that have limited training for their teams to two times per week , instead of the 3 - 4 that others require . They then allow players who are looking for additional sessions to play up an age or two . They have girls train with the boys . Imagine a 14 - year - old boy who is the best on his team . Will he improve faster practicing an extra night or two - a - week with his team , or in more challenging situations with older kids ? This allows your most motivated kids a more challenging pathway , and the kids who do other sports , or theater / music / art , to find their own best pathway while still playing at a level equivalent to their ability . Sport Governing Bodies : It ’ s time to stop paying lip service to our overplayed , burned out kids and do more . Most have issued position statements on early specialization , but they must do more to educate all their coaches . My experience in speaking to thousands of coaches a year tells me that very few coaches understand the need for foundational movement training at young ages . Most coaches do not know a lot about overuse injury and burnout , nor have they had a conversation with an orthopedic or pediatric specialist about the over - training / improper training of many kids . Perhaps most importantly , governing bodies can make a concerted effort to celebrate the organizations that do it right , much like USA Hockey does with its ADM Model Club designation . Every governing body should create high standards and allow clubs that meet them to brand their website appropriately , so their neighbor that focuses on things other than best practices can be shown as failing to meet the standard . Let ’ s start celebrating those organizations that do things the right way , and let them demonstrate to parents that they are following best practices . Parents : The more parents I speak to , the more I understand their feeling of helplessness . They talk to their doctors , they listen to the scientifically based advice , and then they run up against the brick wall of all or nothing requirements for kids . They have athletic children who are far above the single season , local town league standard , and thus want to play with better players . But their kids are not ready to give up other sports in 3 rd or 4 th grade . They may have multiple kids and are not yet prepared to make a huge time or financial commitment to one sport . They understand that one day this may happen , but does it really have to start while their kid is still learning to read ? Parents , please start asking your local organizations for a developmental pathway that is actually in the best interest of your child , and not the best interest of their business . Ask your year round sports club if movement training takes place . Is your child being taught how to properly run , jump , land , fall , roll and more ? What about injury prevention programs such as FIFA Marc 11 , which has been shown to decrease ACL and other injuries by up to 50 % when properly implemented . Are these exercises taught and carefully supervised , or does your child go through the motions while his coach sets up the rest of training ? Please ask your organizations to make it very clear what kind of functional movement they are doing with the kids , and how they are educating their coaches on the dangers of overuse injury and burnout . If your child has gone down that single sport path prior to age 12 , please ensure that he or she is getting adequate rest , downtime and an off - season . Get your kids doing other sports , not necessarily team travel sports , but martial arts , yoga , parkour and tumbling that teach them to move their bodies and build athleticism . I have met 14 - year - old soccer players who cannot balance on their kicking foot ; this is a recipe for disaster , and parents must look after their kids when their youth sports clubs do not . Allow me be blunt as I sum up here : According to all the expert evidence linked to above , evidence provided by actual specialists in sport science , medicine , and psychology , any organization that is allowing , encouraging or forcing a child to play a single sport prior to age 12 , and is not actively developing that child in functional movement and all around athleticism , while also mandating rest and time off , is creating a dangerous situation for that child . They are taking huge risks with his or her health , well - being , and lifetime love of activity . End of story . Next time I hear “ my seven - year - old only plays soccer because that is all he wants to do ” I will say , as I always do , “ and my seven - year - old only wants to eat macaroni and cheese . But I don ’ t allow that because I know it ’ s not good for him . And I am the adult , and I am supposed to know better . ” If you got this far , now you know better too . Let ’ s stop making business decisions , and start making human ones . Let ’ s give the game back to the kids .