Early Specialization in Sports; Is it the right approach for your child?

When you are inclined towards sports in your younger days, don’t you get the thought of pursuing your favourite sport professionally? Very few start pursuing but that initial thought is always there in majority of the cases. It seems like a rosy picture from outside especially at that age when all you got to do is play throughout the day. But does it really work that way? Is it right to advise the young athletes to pursue only their favourite sport? When should this call be taken? What is the right way to go about?

What is early specialisation in sports?

Early specialization in sports refers to young athletes focussing only on one sport while ignoring the other. This usually happens with the preceding thought that the earlier you start training for that sport, the better you will get at it and eventually there will be a greater probability of pursuing it as a ‘career’. While there is no specific definition for early specialisation, we can physiologically say that it can result in overuse of similar muscles and can lead to burnout if there is no structured plan in place. This process will automatically ignore the development of other muscles which are not utilised in that sport.

The good:

Specializing in sport at a young age does not guarantee success but it does have a few benefits which work well for children from a long-term perspective. It can inculcate values like discipline and teach the young athlete about how to work in a team atmosphere. It helps in developing the social behaviour of the child. Down the line when they grow a bit older, all these values can help in holistic development of an athlete as we all know in today’s date, an athlete is observed through a microscope on and off the field.

The bad:

Multiple issues are a by-product of early specialisation. To start with, muscle imbalances is one of the major issue. By playing just one sport, only those sport specific muscles get challenged and work extensively compared to the other muscles. Hence, it is important to challenge the remaining muscles as well. Racquet sports like table tennis, badminton, squash, tennis, etc are sports which demand domination of one side, either right or left. Hence, it is important to train the other side unilaterally as well. It is important to maintain strength bilaterally. If a child is not focussing on developing strength for the other muscles, there are high chances that he/she may have to face postural issues. Yes, children need specialisation in sports to some extent, but the amount of time dedicated towards that must be looked after. Excess dedication towards only one sport while ignoring the other sports may not be a very good idea from overall physiological development. The bones and muscles during the adolescent age are not fully developed and hence need to be exposed to multiple movements rather than limiting its exposure by specializing in one sport.

What are the possible solutions to the problems?

To avoid the issues coming up because of early specialisation, time dedicated towards only one sport should be limited. This will give the young athlete an opportunity to explore more sports of different nature. Playing multiple sports along with their main sport can help them in overall development and would not limit their scope. They would have enough time in hand to choose the sport they wish to pursue in the long run without any physiological losses.

Take away:

Early specialisation is both challenging and beneficial for young athletes. It may affect various components like bone and muscle health, muscle imbalances, psychological health, time of gaining maturity and lastly the longevity of the career. To conclude we would like to say that consider all the factors mentioned above and then take your call. We are here to guide you the right way.

• By Sushant Nerurkar (ACSM Certified Fitness Trainer & Sports Nutritionist)