Don’t Focus on Just One Sport – Here’s Why

Youth sports is a wonderful time as kids discover what sports they love playing and which ones they are best at. When your kid flashes potential at a certain sport, it can be tempting to focus on that one. After all, you could have the next superstar on your hands. Limiting your kids’ choices too early may prevent them from realizing long lasting benefits.

In fact, according to a study from the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, 88 percent of Division 1 athletes participated in an average of two to three sports as children and 70 percent of them didn’t specialize in a sport until they were 12 or older.

Letting your child play multiple sports may have bigger impacts than you realize:  What are some of the benefits to letting your child play multiple sports?

• Letting your child play multiple sports allows them to discover what they like about different sports and find some that they truly love playing.

• It also helps kids enjoy playing for the sake of the game, rather than focusing only on winning and losing.

• Playing multiple sports reduces the chance of injury resulting from overuse or overtraining.

• It allows kids to develop skills that can transfer to multiple sports.

• It provides chances for kids to adapt to difference coaches, training styles and teammates.

While it may be tempting to have your child focus on a single sport, allowing them to experience a multitude of sports will pay off in the long run.