It is safe to say that most Mom’s are creatures of habit. One of the only things keeping us from teetering over into insanity is our routine! And the most important part of any routine, is the part that keeps our kids occupied. Sports are a large part of many families schedules and the benefits are endless. Sports keep our kids healthy. They also help our kids make friends and give our family a reason to be together on Saturdays at the ball field or court.
While it may be easy for your child to be successful in one sport and easy to find a sport that meshes well with your family’s lifestyle and schedule, Pediatricians actually say that children shouldn’t pick one single sport to play until they are 15 or 16 years old; if at all. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports that children who specialize in a single sport and train intensively for it are at higher risk of experiencing overuse injuries, as well as burnout, anxiety and depression.
Most parents have their kids college future in mind when they enroll in a sport. Doctors have determined that it is best for children to be encouraged to play sports for fun. Learning teamwork, fundamental movements, and sports skills are more important than training for competition or a career. The AAP have called for a ban on the national ranking and college recruiting of younger athletes until they have reached their late high school years. Dr. Joel Brenner, the report’s lead author and past chair of the AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness recognized the students who are in pursuit of an athletic career- but reminded us that those opportunities are rare. Only 1 percent of high school athletes receive an athletic scholarship, and only 0.03 percent to 0.5 percent of high school athletes make it to the professional level. Dr. Brenner offered instead that “Children who play multiple sports, who diversify their play, are more likely to enjoy physical activity throughout their lives and [be] more successful in achieving their athletic goals.”
Health Risks
The AAP have determined several health benefits from specializing in a single sport too young. The effects aren’t only physical- but can be mental and emotional as well.
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Young athletes who specialize too soon are at risk of physical, emotional, and social problems. Athletes may become socially isolated from their peers and may have altered relationships with family, overdependence on others with a loss of control over their lives, arrested behavioral development, or socially maladaptive behaviors.
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Specializing early with intense training can lead to overuse injuries, which can cause pain and temporary loss of playing time or may lead to early retirement from the sport. … One study in high school athletes showed an increased risk of injury when the training volume exceeded 16 hours per week. Another study determined that sports specialization was an independent risk factor for injury and that athletes who participated in organized sports compared with free play time in a ratio of >2:1 had an increased risk of an overuse injury.
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Burnout, anxiety, depression, and attrition are increased in early specializers. Social isolation from peers who do not participate in the athlete’s sport and lack of being exposed to a variety of sports also are concerns.
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Restriction in exposure to a variety of sports can lead to the young athlete not experiencing a sport that he or she may truly enjoy, excel at playing, or want to participate in throughout his or her adult life.
What Parents Can Do
The AAP makes the following recommendations for doctors, athletes, and their families:
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Delay sports specialization until at least age 15-16 to minimize risks of overuse injury.
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Encourage participation in multiple sports.
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If a young athlete has decided to specialize in a single sport, a pediatrician should discuss the child’s goals to determine whether they are appropriate and realistic.
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Parents are encouraged to monitor the training and coaching environment of “elite” youth sports programs.
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Encourage a young athlete to take off at least three months during the year, in increments of one month, from their particular sport. They can still remain active in other activities during this time.
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Young athletes should take one to two days off per week to decrease changes of injury.
Playing the same sport at the same time every year isn’t a bad thing. The important thing is that parents remember to sign up for different sports during their respective seasons so that the risks aren’t as high as they would be for your child if they were just playing one sport year round. Dr. Brenner defined the goal of sports best when he said, ““The ultimate goal of sports is for kids to have fun and learn lifelong physical activity skills. We want kids to have more time for deliberate play, where they can just go out and play with their friends and have fun.”
So if there is one sport they like- let them play it. But when the season is over, sign them up for the next sport that comes around. Being active keeps our sweet babies healthy and happy- and those should be two of our biggest goals as parents.
*Tips were pulled from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
