Many coaches, parents, and children believe that the best way to develop elite athletes is for them to participate in only 1 sport from an early age and to play it year-round. However, emerging evidence to the contrary indicates that efforts to specialize in 1 sport may reduce opportunities for all children to participate in a diverse year-round sports season and can lead to lost development of lifetime sports skills. Early sports specialization may also reduce motor skill development and ongoing participation in games and sports as a lifestyle choice. The purpose of this review is to employ the current literature to provide evidence-based alternative strategies that may help to optimize opportunities for all aspiring young athletes to maximize their health, fitness, and sports performance.
Evidence Acquisition:
Nonsystematic review with critical appraisal of existing literature.
Study Design:
Clinical review.
Level of Evidence:
Level 4.
Conclusion:
Based on the current evidence, parents and educators should help provide opportunities for free unstructured play to improve motor skill development and youth should be encouraged to participate in a variety of sports during their growing years to influence the development of diverse motor skills. For those children who do choose to specialize in a single sport, periods of intense training and specialized sport activities should be closely monitored for indicators of burnout, overuse injury, or potential decrements in performance due to overtraining. Last, the evidence indicates that all youth should be involved in periodized strength and conditioning (eg, integrative neuromuscular training) to help them prepare for the demands of competitive sport participation, and youth who specialize in a single sport should plan periods of isolated and focused integrative neuromuscular training to enhance diverse motor skill development and reduce injury risk factors.
American Academy of Pediatrics. Intensive training and sports specialization in young athletes. Pediatrics. 2000;106(1 pt 1):154-157.
2.
BloemersFCollardDPawMCVan MechelenWTwiskJVerhagenE. Physical inactivity is a risk factor for physical activity-related injuries in children. Br J Sports Med. 2012;46:669-674.
3.
BrennerJS. Overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout in child and adolescent athletes. Pediatrics. 2007;119:1242-1245.
4.
BukowskyMFaigenbaumADMyerGD. FUNdamental Integrative Training (FIT) for physical education. J Phys Educ Rec Dance. 2014;85(6):23-30.
5.
ChaseWGSimonHA. Perception in chess. Cognit Psychol. 1973;4:55-81.
6.
ClarkJFEllisJKBenchJKhouryJGramanP. High-performance vision training improves batting statistics for University of Cincinnati baseball players. PLoS One. 2012;7:e29109.
7.
CohenDVossCTaylorMDelextratAOgunleyeASandercockG. Ten-year secular changes in muscular fitness in English children. Acta Paediatr. 2011;100:e175-e177.
8.
CookHDKohlHW3rd. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2013.
9.
CôtéJLidorRHackfortD. SSP position stand: to sample or to specialize? Seven postulates about youth sport activities that lead to continued participation and elite performance. Int J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2009;7:7-17.
10.
EiðsdóttirSÞKristjánssonÁLSigfúsdóttirIDAllegranteJP. Trends in physical activity and participation in sports clubs among Icelandic adolescents. Eur J Public Health. 2008;18:289-293.
11.
EpsteinD. The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance. Westminster, UK: Penguin; 2013.
12.
EricksonARYasudaKBeynnonBJohnsonRPopeM. An in vitro dynamic evaluation of prophylactic knee braces during lateral impact loading. Am J Sports Med. 1993;21:26-35.
13.
EricssonKAKrampeRTTesch-RömerC. The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychol Rev. 1993;100:363-406.
14.
FaigenbaumADFarrellAFabianoM. Effects of integrative neuromuscular training on fitness performance in children. Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2011;23:573-584.
15.
FaigenbaumADFarrellACFabianoM. Effects of detraining on fitness performance in 7-year-old children. J Strength Cond Res. 2013;27:323-330.
FaigenbaumADMyerGDFarrellA. Integrative neuromuscular training and sex-specific fitness performance in 7-year-old children: an exploratory investigation. J Athl Train. 2014;49:145-153.
18.
FarreyT. Game On: How the Pressure to Win at All Costs Endangers Youth Sports, and What Parents Can Do About It. New York, NY: Random House; 2009.
FransenJPionJVandendriesscheJ. Differences in physical fitness and gross motor coordination in boys aged 6-12 years specializing in one versus sampling more than one sport. J Sport Sci. 2012;30:379-386.
21.
GüllichAEmrichE. Evaluation of the support of young athletes in the elite sport system. Eur J Sport Soc. 2006;2:85-108.
22.
GüllichAEmrichE. Considering long-term sustainability in the development of world class success. Eur J Sport Sci. 2014;14(suppl 1):S383-S397.
23.
HallRBarber FossKHewettTEMyerGD. Sport specialization’s association with an increased risk of developing anterior knee pain in adolescent female athletes. J Sport Rehabil. 2015;24:31-35.
24.
HardyLLBarnettLEspinelPOkelyAD. Thirteen-year trends in child and adolescent fundamental movement skills: 1997-2010. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2013;45:1965-1970.
25.
HecimovichM. Sport specialization in youth: a literature review. J Am Chiropract Assoc. 2004;41:32-41.
26.
HewettTEMyerGDFordKR. Biomechanical measures of neuromuscular control and valgus loading of the knee predict anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in female athletes: a prospective study. Am J Sports Med. 2005;33:492-501.
27.
JayanthiNPinkhamCDugasLPatrickBLaBellaC. Sports specialization in young athletes: evidence-based recommendations. Sports Health. 2013;5:251-257.
28.
JayanthiNALaBellaCRFischerDPasulkaJDugasLR. Sports-specialized intensive training and the risk of injury in young athletes: a clinical case-control study. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43:794-801.
29.
KushnerAMKieferAWLesnickSFaigenbaumADKashikar-ZuckSMyerGD. Training the developing brain, part II: cognitive developmental considerations for training youth. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2015;14:235-243.
30.
LawMPCôtéJEricssonKA. Characteristics of expert development in rhythmic gymnastics: a retrospective study. Int J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2008;5:82-103.
31.
LjachW. High-performance sport of children in Russia. Leistungssport. 1997;27:37-40.
32.
LloydRSOliverJL. The youth physical development model: a new approach to long-term athletic development. Strength Cond J. 2012;34:61-72.
33.
LubansDRMorganPJCliffDPBarnettLMOkelyAD. Fundamental movement skills in children and adolescents: review of associated health benefits. Sports Med. 2010;40:1019-1035.
34.
MalinaR. Early sport specialization: roots, effectiveness, risks. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2010;9:364-371.
35.
McLeodTCVDecosterLCLoudKJ. National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: prevention of pediatric overuse injuries. J Athl Train. 2011;46:206-220.
36.
MoeschKElbeAMHaugeMLWikmanJM. Late specialization: the key to success in centimeters, grams, or seconds (cgs) sports. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2011;21:e282-e290.
37.
MostafavifarAMBestTMMyerGD. Early sport specialisation, does it lead to long-term problems?Br J Sports Med. 2013;47:1060-1061.
38.
MountjoyMAndersenLArmstrongN. International Olympic Committee consensus statement on the health and fitness of young people through physical activity and sport. Br J Sports Med. 2011;45:839-848.
39.
MyerGDFaigenbaumADChuDA. Integrative training for children and adolescents: techniques and practices for reducing sports-related injuries and enhancing athletic performance. Phys Sportsmed. 2011;39:74-84.
40.
MyerGDFaigenbaumADEdwardsNClarkJFBestTMSallisRE. Sixty minutes of what? A developing brain perspective for activating children with an integrative exercise approach [published online January23, 2015]. Br J Sports Med. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2014-093661.
41.
MyerGDFaigenbaumADFordKRBestTMBergeronMFHewettTE. When to initiate integrative neuromuscular training to reduce sports-related injuries and enhance health in youth?Curr Sports Med Rep. 2011;10:157-166.
42.
MyerGDFaigenbaumADFossKB. Injury initiates unfavourable weight gain and obesity markers in youth. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48:1477-1481.
43.
MyerGDFordKRBarber FossKD. The incidence and potential pathomechanics of patellofemoral pain in female athletes. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2010;25:700-707.
44.
MyerGDFordKRBrentJLHewettTE. The effects of plyometric versus dynamic balance training on power, balance and landing force in female athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2006;20:345-353.
45.
MyerGDFordKRBrentJLHewettTE. Differential neuromuscular training effects on ACL injury risk factors in”high-risk” versus “low-risk” athletes. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2007;8:39.
46.
MyerGDFordKRMcLeanSGHewettTE. The effects of plyometric versus dynamic stabilization and balance training on lower extremity biomechanics. Am J Sports Med. 2006;34:445-455.
47.
MyerGDFordKRPalumboJPHewettTE. Neuromuscular training improves performance and lower-extremity biomechanics in female athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2005;19:51-60.
48.
MyerGDJayanthiNDifioriJP. Sport specialization, part I: does early sports specialization increase negative outcomes and reduce the opportunity for success in young athletes?Sports Health. 2015;7:437-442.
49.
MyerGDKushnerAMFaigenbaumADKieferAKashikar-ZuckSClarkJF. Training the developing brain, part I: cognitive developmental considerations for training youth. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2013;12:304-310.
50.
MyerGDLloydRSBrentJLFaigenbaumAD. How young is “too young” to start training?ACSMs Health Fit J. 2013;17(5):14-23.
51.
MyerGDSugimotoDThomasSHewettTE. The influence of age on the effectiveness of neuromuscular training to reduce anterior cruciate ligament injury in female athletes: a meta-analysis. Am J Sports Med. 2013;41:203-215.
52.
National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Guidelines for Participation in Youth Sport Programs: Specialization Versus Multi-sport Participation. Reston, VA: National Association for Sport and Physical Education; 2010.
53.
National Collegiate Athletic Association. The National Collegiate Athletic Association “fact sheet.”http://www.ncaa.org/about/fact_sheet.pdf. Accessed September 2010.
54.
PesceC. Benefits of multi-sports physical education in the elementary school context. Health Educ J. 2013;72:326-336.
55.
QuitiquitCDiFioriJPBakerRGrayA. Comparing sport participation history between NCAA student-athletes and undergraduate students. Clin J Sport Med. 2014;24(2).
56.
RoseMSEmeryCAMeeuwisseWH. Sociodemographic predictors of sport injury in adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008;40:444-450.
57.
RunhaarJCollardDSinghAKemperHvan MechelenWChinapawM. Motor fitness in Dutch youth: differences over a 26-year period (1980-2006). J Sci Med Sport. 2010;13:323-328.
58.
TremblayMSGrayCEAkinroyeKK. Physical activity of children: a global matrix of grades comparing 15 countries. J Phys Act Health. 2014;11(suppl 1):113-125.
59.
VaeyensRGüllichAWarrCRPhilippaertsR. Talent identification and promotion programmes of Olympic athletes. J Sports Sci. 2009;27:1367-1380.
60.
WiersmaLD. Risks and benefits of youth sport specialization: perspectives and recommendations. Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2000;12:13-22.
