Specialization in Youth Sports Can Be Dangerous
2008 January 28 by: Scott
Dangers of Playing The Same Sport
- It only makes sense… the more one uses the same pencil over and over, the more it wears down. Our human body does the same thing; it wears down. There is a difference, however, between the body use and pencil use. When given an appropriate period of rest the human body most often regenerates and restores to its original form. Author, Tim Kauppinen drives home the point that overuse of body parts, especially occurring with our young athletes today, can cause harm and sometimes, permanent injury.
Four Dangers to Consider
Kauppin’s article shares some realistic stories that parents need to react to in regards to our children’s physical development.
- “My son wrestled since he was in grade school. Now he is in high school and so burnt out that he didn’t even go out for the team.”“My neighbor plays club basketball year round and is out indefinitely because of stress fractures in her lower legs…”
- “All that I’ve ever played is soccer – now I’m not a starter so I’m going to quit. I think it is too late to start another sport now…”
Have you ever heard statements like these? I am sad to say that I hear them all too often. With the media screaming about the Tiger Woods and Venus and Serena Williams of the world, many people are making the mistake of starting one sport at a young – make that very young – age and specializing in it. The lure of college scholarships has also convinced these people that specialization is the only way to become good at a sport.
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