Nothing you referenced has anything to do with the thread topic. Mine did. Just give an example of what was being talked about, it just happened to be a discussion point yesterday with a parent. Didn't seek it out. Just thought it was interesting. In the end, this "early specialization" discussion is largely an American discussion. I've never heard it discussed anywhere else. I've coached athletes from probably 20+ different countries in the last three years alone, none of them have any issues with injuries based on specialization. There's no "burn out" talk. Most of this American discussion is based on little Johnny or June (or parents) wanting to do everything and not being able to do everything. Parents want to put their kids into everything AND getting maximum playing time. When it comes to them not playing, they don't want to accept the fact they aren't good enough because other players have spent more time in the sport OR are just better. The amount of time international soccer players put into their training dwarfs the American soccer player's time. It comes down to what the individual(s) do off the field (diet, rest, etc.) that impacts the recovery and regeneration.
I find it to be the exact opposite. Nearly all of the discussion around specialization is based on parents steering their kids towards 1 sport at an early (10 and under) age under the impression that it's the optimal way to maximize whatever potential the kid has. That's the gist of the ESPN articles that kicked off this thread.
That's one aspect I was intending to get to in my post. There's two vocal sides: Do everything, complain about specialization taking roster spots, better, etc. Specialization, complain about the costs of it Those that specialize have not been vocal about the injury issues. They don't even truly take it into consideration -- IMO. The specialization articles and studies are those that are advocating against it, and again, IMO it does revolve around there are advocates pushing for less BECAUSE they want more opportunities to do every sport and have their playing time. They utilize the "college application" reasoning on doing everything. Little Johnny or June won't get into the college of their/my choice unless they have this "well-rounded" application. Specialization is not a bad thing. Regardless of what the studies show -- because they don't typically show or know how the specialization was done. A 2017 NBA study showed that 201 out of 237 athletes [studied] were single-sport in high school. Everything else was relatively similar. Sports medicine experts DO agree that some degree of specialization is paramount for gaining elite skills. Unfortunately, even though I used the "NBA" as data. I do not think this is fair for an over-generalization talking about specialization. Nor do I think any pro or Olympic athlete should be compared. Those athletes are on another level. They are beyond the "average" athlete we are talking about with youth or even high school athletics. Will being specialized OR multi-sport turn someone into a pro/Olympic/World Class athlete? I do not think so. Those athletes have something different. And, that different may not be anything physical.
There's a lot to unpack here: I haven't seen a critical mass of the parents you describe in your first bullet point. I'm sure they exist, but it's not something I've seen all that much and that may be a byproduct of my oldest being 9. If anything, I've seen more parents complain that the kids who miss practices or go on vacation are not adequately "punished" enough in the playing time department. This isn't limited to soccer. Those that specialize have not been vocal about the injury issues. They don't even truly take it into consideration -- IMO. The specialization articles and studies are those that are advocating against it, and again, IMO it does revolve around there are advocates pushing for less BECAUSE they want more opportunities to do every sport and have their playing time. They utilize the "college application" reasoning on doing everything. Little Johnny or June won't get into the college of their/my choice unless they have this "well-rounded" application. I'm confused here. Are you arguing that the studies done by doctors and academics, however imperfect, that view early specialization pre-adolescence in a negative light are motivated by a desire for people to have more activities on college applications? If so, that's a gigantic reach. Who's putting the sports they played at 12 years old on their college applications? If anything, the college motivation cuts the other way, with clubs who have a financial incentive for you to play year round touting that as the best path to play in college. Specialization is not a bad thing. Regardless of what the studies show -- because they don't typically show or know how the specialization was done. A 2017 NBA study showed that 201 out of 237 athletes [studied] were single-sport in high school. Everything else was relatively similar. Sports medicine experts DO agree that some degree of specialization is paramount for gaining elite skills. No one doubts that you have to specialize at some point in order to play at a high level. The debate is when. 201 out of 237 single sport in high school (age 14+) tells us nothing about whether those numbers make sense for the under 12 crowd. Unfortunately, even though I used the "NBA" as data. I do not think this is fair for an over-generalization talking about specialization. Nor do I think any pro or Olympic athlete should be compared. Those athletes are on another level. They are beyond the "average" athlete we are talking about with youth or even high school athletics. Will being specialized OR multi-sport turn someone into a pro/Olympic/World Class athlete? I do not think so. Those athletes have something different. And, that different may not be anything physical I agree with most of your point here. World class athletes are on a different level physically and mentally. Yet the primary arguments FOR specialization are rooted in a misunderstanding of the 10,000 "rule", whereby parents think a large amount of training can overcome this basic fact.
After spending 8 years as a college coach, several years working in higher education, spending eight-plus years in higher education, and continuing to work with college athletes (whether current or aspiring), I know for a fact that many are motivated to have multiple activities on a college application. They'll say they played soccer since the age of 5, choir since 10 years old, etc. I know it is a gigantic reach, that's why I tell them otherwise that the school's don't care. I constantly talk with parents about these scenarios. I talk with college coaches. It's basically my career in working with aspiring or current high-level athletes who want to go pro. In the end, parents don't know how to navigate it because they want to do everything that has been presented to them (in no specific order): Encourage many activities (not necessarily limited to just sports) Encourage specialization (without truly doing what's needed) Listening to AAU, clubs, etc. about following their path There are "doubters." They are the ones who want to point to the DI football players or NFL players who are multi-sport. It makes its rounds every year. That "evidence" is used to further "prove" that multi-sport athletes are more beneficial to garnering either a college scholarship or an NFL contract. Never mind the fact that football is mainly a fall-only sport with NO club options the remainder of the year. Most football players have no other options other than a) lift with the football team; or b) play another sport that keeps them lifting or maintaining some level of fitness.
Actually it does. My example was to prove taking the story of some athletes at a single school doesn't prove anything. Interesting? Maybe. Injuries happen for a number of different reasons, including repetitive stress. Does repetitive stress cause more injuries than other factors? That is the million dollar question when it comes to this thread.
There have been similar studies in places like the UK, Germany and in Scandinavian countries. And European, South American players probably train a lot more than American counterparts but, they play a lot less competitive games. And academies in Europe do not really ramp up the amount of training until they are like 13-14 which is around the age they say you should start specializing.
Boy I agree with the tournaments being a problem. My son only had two injuries last year. Both were hamstring injuries which occurred on the second game of the day. Going forward after the first game of the tournament I'm instructing him to roll out of his sprints instead of hitting the breaks hard and overworking his hamstrings. Hamstring injuries are simply a lot more common during a sprint after you are worn down versus when you are tired. Also regarding overuse and specialization there is a common sort of hip pain or bone on bone grind that professional soccer players often get. I can't recall the exact name but the condition was way more common in players who started specializing in youth soccer at ages of 9 - 11. They believe the condition is caused by all the cutting a youth player does while the hips are still growing. And that the muscles involved in cutting cause the hip shape to change. There is an easy surgery for it and lots of pro players have to have it done. Sorry I can't recall its name right now or link to it. Sure others here have probably heard about it. But yea early specialization can lead to certain types of injuries later in life.
That is incorrect. In the UK, academies affiliated to professional clubs will train a minimum of 3 times per week with a game at the weekend. Some will train as much as 5 times per week. The boys are expected to work on fitness levels in their own time and maintain a level that allows them to compete against other club academies. This ramps up from u10s. It's painfully obvious when a player is not physically at the required level to compete. Academies will say they encourage the players to play school football or play other sports, but in reality, this is almost impossible due to the high demands of playing academy football. So, specialising in one sport is pretty much a given if playing club academy football in the UK.
The hip issue is FAI, and it can be addressed via a qualified physical therapist as well. The ball part of a hip joint is not universally a perfect orb. Therefore, alignment issues caused by some muscles in the leg and hip being disproportionately strong or weak exacerbate the issue by causing the joint to rub. Can happen to athlete’s in many sports. The surgery isn’t complicated but will put the athlete out for a length of time. A “real” PT facility with a focus on athletic rehab will know the issue and can realign the hip over a period of weeks. This one is a great example of what has been discussed before...1,000 players do the same drills, playing and stretching...2 suffer from this issue...is that an overuse injury? Or, do those 2 players have an anomaly with a bone structure that is brought to light when doing the same amount of use as the next several hundred of players? In my view, I’m not a doctor or a Pt, the term overuse gets applied too often. If kids did nothing at all they’d have less risk of ankle issues but maybe more risk of other issues. My position is coaches and parents should ensure there is proper warm up, cool down, post-game stretching, recovery days and recovery exercise. Too many times our kids showed up, barely warmed up due to no space, bad weather, no time etc and too many times hopped in the car for a long ride home without proper hydration, stretching and recovery. This will create issues over time just like if you didn’t take care of a car etc. It isn’t use of the car that causes the issue as much as it is a failure to properly maintain the car. Go to a high level cross-country meet...see how much warm up and cool down they do for a 17-20 minute race with very little top end speed. Note how long it takes for a team to finish a race and get on the van. Easily an hour for a top team. Ask the coach how long before a race they start warming up and if warm up is specifically designed to warm up muscles. (Soccer warm ups are often focused on touch and passing) Those XC kids get stress fractures and AC band issues too...but they work so much harder on warm up, cool down and recovery. 40 kids on a team doing the same thing..one gets a stress fracture in foot...is that overuse or possible a genetic disposition towards foot issues? I don’t care about the term, I do care when there is a suggestion that youth should play less sports because some experience largely preventable injuries.
@Terrier1966 Your post is spot on. My dd's physio suggested that there is really no such thing as an overuse injury - it's either bad genetics or a failure to recover properly. Figure out what your child needs to recover after a game: 8+ hours sleep, 20 mins of walking or swim the next morning and if you can a deep tissue massage. And of course eating properly. I highly recommend putting your kids in track/athletics/XC - My daughter spends 20 or so minutes rolling out and doing exercises to fire up glutes and hamstrings before she goes to practice - all things she learned from her track days.Has kept her injury free since she started doing it.
The human body is a remarkable machine. There's a lot that we don't know about it and a lot it can overcome. Tons of good information in these last couple posts. Thank you. Good discussion all.
Hi all, forgive me but I only take a look at these boards infrequently. I've been looking into development (physical, technical, cognitive) and had kids that were good enough to play with and against senior national team level players. I'm not a doctor or physio but know quite a few including some who work with national team level athletes. Here are some top level points I give to parents with young kids: Physical development - Get as much sleep as possible. Your brain processes information during sleep with is critical for development of motor and cognitive skills. Most children get far too little sleep. Practice is input. Sleep and recovery periods are when the body processes the input. - Don’t focus on one sport. Start with a wide base and narrow over time. Get a wide variety of movement patterns. Gymnastics, soccer and martial arts are 3 of the best. Basketball is very good and baseball or tennis are good for hand eye coordination. Watch out for sports that have the same movement patters (for example playing basketball directly after soccer will (a lot of force on hips, knees etc.) will not allow a child to recover as well as say soccer and martial arts, gymnastics or swimming. - Make sure your child has proper basic movement patterns (deceleration, acceleration, cutting, jumping) - Make all training bilateral (for every repetition with your dominant limb, do at least one more with your non-dominant one). - Perfect form by moving from really slow speeds to high speed. Start with prime movers to fine movers. - Adapt training loads to your child’s sensitive periods of development (example don’t waste time doing strength training before testosterone starts kicking in but instead focus on development of quickness, balance and coordination at young age). - Be vigilant for over use. Youth coaches like to coach all year round so they can get paid all year round. Take planned breaks to and utilize periodization in training loads. If your kid is really good, use it as leverage to get what is good for your kid. Soccer development - Practice time should primarily involve ball manipulation, ball striking and ball control. - Teach your child to juggle to 100 touches using a variety of surfaces (once you can regularly get to 100 the marginal value quickly drops so then move on to something else unless you want to join a Vegas act). - Learn to various ways to manipulate the ball (See Coerver – named for the Dutch coach that evangelized this type of training) as it not only encourages comfort on the ball and can be used to evade opponents, but also encourages balance and coordination development. - Learn to strike the ball properly (Blast the ball is a good book). Start with a very light ball (thin 99 cent plastic ball, then volleyball and finally soccer ball) to perfect technique and build strength in feet to properly strike the ball. - Find a good wall (handball courts are good for young players – if your son keeps at it, I can show you a great wall in La Canada they my boys practiced at when they were older). Use it to pass, shoot and juggle against. - Watch professional games with your kid. Team selection - Good practice environment is most important thing for development but games are most important for development of enjoyment. There is one ball for 12 – 22 players during games, while there can be 22 balls for 22 players during practice. - Ideally you want to pick a team where you son is around the 65-75 percentile. Good enough that coaches will always want them on the field, but with better kids to learn from and be challenged. - Even more ideal is a variety of teams (ones where they have to struggle to get on the field (20th percentile) to ones they are dominant and aren’t afraid to make mistakes. - Play a variety of positions. - Look for coaches that teach a balance of styles (practice 1 v 1 defending and attacking off the dribble but also passing and moving – many overemphasize one or the other) and know how to set up drills that force kids into making decisions (eg multiple goal games, end zone games) - Look for kids having fun. Lots of games and challenges in activities. Celebration of success. My teams even had fun running sprints because they were always relay races or had the kids do forward rolls or other things to make it interesting. - Look to play up in age (Hispanic leagues are great for this). Super duper leagues, tournaments, uniforms don’t mean anything until your kid is about 15. Prior to then, no one cares but the parents. - Watch for coaches that coach kids off the ball (coaches that focus instruction to kids on the ball generally don’t know how to coach) Here is a 15 minute video segment from the show 60 minutes with Christian Pulisic's parents. In terms of physical development he was raised very similarly to what I did an recommend to others (his dad is a coach and his mom taught PE). Note as was mentioned briefly, I'm sure his dad spent a lot of time playing with him and helping him outside of organized practices.
Now some comments specific to this thread: 1) In my experience European kids participate in programs where people running them are focused on players development while US kids spend most of their time in programs designed to make money by the people running them or entertain the parents through endless competition. 2) Organized play is very different than unstructured play. A kid with a sore arm or sore knee in unstructured play is going to take a break, but the same kid in play organized by adults is going to try to play through pain to get a result. The complete overemphasis on tournament play in baseball, basketball and soccer is what I believe is driving the epidemic of over use injuries. I still remember the watching idiot parent "coaches" having 10 year old kids throwing curve ball after curve ball in 5 game tournaments held on weekends. 3) Discussions on burnout are misplaced. In my experience, the kids with the most intense interest in sport are the ones that are most likely to keep playing. "Burnout" happens when kids are pushed by extrinsic motivators (parents aspirations, college scholarships) rather than intrinsic motivators (developing new skills, perfecting existing one to compete play at a higher level) 4) Discussion on specialization is misplaced. At some point virtually every high level athlete or student needs to specialize - the question is when. If you want to be a great mathematician it makes sense to specialize in math. However you don't want to start doing that in 5th grade if you want to be a functional human or eventually get a PHD in mathematics from Cal Tech.
Glad to see this is more well understood these days. Took some of the top doctors and physios to figure this out as the symptoms of this injury tend to manifest themselves everywhere but the hip. To your other point, each person's body is different. What will sometimes help one person will be the exact opposite of what another needs. Exercises, training loads and diet need to be tailored to the needs of each individual child.
Incorrect. The majority of coaches focus on winning games. Many may spout about the virtue of development over winning, but most do not practise what they preach.
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Fair point - my experience with European teams were limited to fairly high level of play with truly professional and educated coaches. Lower level play may be no different than in US. In US with few exceptions outside of MLS teams, even high level teams were driven by pay to play models in which coaches speak to development but focus on winning because that attracts parents. Since many hadn't grown up with the game, it is unfortunately the one objective thing parents could measure.