❌ Early sport specialization, the path to injury, burnout and suboptimal performance?
As a fresh father of three, I am thinking about this early vs. late specialization debate a lot. Seeing my son playing football matches 80% of his training, while general athletic development (jumping, catching, throwing,…) would likely be a much better option for him long-term.
Most of the data follow this idea, particularly the study discussed in slide 8 is interesting. Researchers surveyed 148 elite and 95 near-elite Danish athletes (24.5 years old on average; track and field, weightlifting, cycling, rowing, swimming, skiing) and found that the elite group of athletes began to specialize in their sport of choice ~3.5 years later and spent far fewer hours practicing its main sport during early adolescence (before 18 years old), compared with the near-elite group.
Key to longevity in sports in having fun as a kid and remaining injury free. Best chances of achieving these goals are letting kids play multiple (different) sports at young age and focus on getting strong and athletic.
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Just sign them up to CrossFit kids 😊
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References to studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24427397/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17545398/
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