Mike was the No. 1 golfer at LSU and a good friend. During his senior year he complained so much about his back that he rarely played a competitive match. He confided that there was nothing wrong with his back, that he now played without joy. He was only 23 but had already played a lifetime of golf. Tiger Woods had a bad back, resulting in five back operations. I remember watching Tiger on The Tonight Show, hitting balls at five years of age. He developed his young body in an unbalanced way, twisting his body in only one direction, predisposing him to unequal development.
Early sport specialization led to Mike’s burnout and left Tiger with injuries that will plague him his entire life. These problems were rare 40 years ago but youth sports culture has changed drastically. It is rare to see a group of children playing a “pick-up” game without adult presence. Independent mobility is mostly gone. Extensive research has shown the benefits of physical education, but many of these programs have been reduced, often thought frivolous. The norm today is sport organized by coaches and parents. Unfortunately, many of these programs are oriented toward competition and winning rather than development. Often, sport specialization is the option, year-round participation in only one sport while excluding other sports.
With one or two exceptions, early childhood is not the time for sport specialization. Research has shown that early sport specialization does not result in superior athletes nor does it increase one’s chances of collegiate scholarships. Early sport specialization does increase the incidence of overuse injuries and burnout. Children who specialize early often skip developmental stages. For example, children who do not learn to run will shy away from running sports like soccer, basketball, or lacrosse; children who do not learn to throw struggle with playing baseball, softball, or the tennis serve; children who do not learn to swim tend not to enjoy water sports.
Childhood should be the time to develop the physical basis that will allow them to achieve in any activity they pursue. Running, jumping, landing, skipping, throwing, catching, and swimming are just some of the basics. Young children need activity but no coaching from ages 0-6. Thereafter, more complicated movements like agility and coordination should follow involving multiple sports. More specific sport skills should start around 11 for girls and 12 for boys. Sport specific training should involve more time spent training than competing. If a child wants to specialize they should learn to compete around 15 or 16. Many great players such as Joe Namath and Peyton Manning have followed this model, playing multiple sports in high school.
Coaches have huge influence on children. I have enormous respect for people prepared to coach children, but I am also well aware that malpractice occurs. While coaching can result in a positive attitude about oneself, too much attention to weight can be devastating. In fact, body weight should never be mentioned. Coaches should not punish children with exercise. Physical activity should be considered positive, not punitive. The National Athletic Trainer’s Association has recommended that children who specialize should only play on one team at a time and for no more than eight months a year. The number of training hours per week should not exceed their age and they should have two days of rest a week. At the end of each season, children need to spend part of their time away from organized sport, allowing for rest and recovery.
Whether children specialize or not, one goal for our children should be to become adults who have developed a positive attitude toward exercise, sport, and their bodies. They should also have developed themselves physically, and be prepared to participate in a lifetime of exercise and sport. Parents and coaches need to support this outcome.
Some years back, one of my boys was playing farm league baseball. The game was a good one, lots of scoring and the lead going back and forth. On the ride home I said what a great game it was, must have been a lot of fun. My son agreed, lots of fun. “Who won?” My first thought was annoyance; why wasn’t he paying attention? Was he looking at the Ding Dong truck? Then I realized that this was the environment the coach created. He wasn’t going to chew out the kids, punish them with exercise. He had achieved the goal.
Jim Johnson is a retired professor of exercise and sport science after teaching 52 years at Smith College and Washington University in St. Louis. He comments about sport, exercise, and sports medicine. He can be reached at jjohnson@smith.edu