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The Road to Becoming “THE BEST”:   

The Truth About Sports Specialization 

First, let us define sports specialization as:

1. Participating in a single sport 

2. Training in one sport “year round” (8 or more months per year)

3. Quitting all other sports to focus on primary sport

Next, let's talk about injury risk. 

• The more specialized an athlete is (depending on how many variables mentioned above are present), the greater risk of serious overuse injury. 

• Higher volume = higher risk of injury

For example, accumulating 16+ hours of practice per week of any sport or combination of sports is associated with increased injury risk. 

• However, there is a correlation specifically between specialization and injury. Highly specialized athletes have over a 2x greater risk of injury compared to less specialized athletes. Why?

1. Increase Exposure

• For example, baseball pitchers that practice more than 8 months out of the year are at higher risk of shoulder or elbow surgery, ESPECIALLY if they push through pain or fatigue.

2. Introduction of technical skills at a young age.

• For example, a kick serve in tennis is typically taught to youth players by the age of 13. This serve has been associated with increased risk of shoulder and elbow injuries. 

• Young baseball pitchers are at a higher risk of elbow overuse injuries due to pitching volume, fatigue, and poor form/mechanics. 

• Did you know that up to 8% of adolescent athletes will drop out of their sport due to injury or fear of re-injury?

We’ve discussed injury risk due to specialization, but what are the effects on performance? Surely practicing from a young age increases the likelihood of “going pro” right? WRONG. Recent research looking at over 6,000 athletes of all ages ranging from county level to international level competitors has shown the following effects on sports specialization:

1. Being successful at a young age (18 and below) does not mean you will be successful as you get older. In fact, those who were successful athletes at a young age are less likely to be successful as they get older. This means that young athletes should decrease their focus on winning competitions in their youth and rather focus on the big picture if their goal is to compete as they get older or make a career out of their sport. The most successful cyclist of all time, Sir Chris Hoy, started cycling at age 17 and won his first gold medal at age 25. 

2. It is typical that children play multiple sports when they are young, however many start to specialize in their primary sport at a young age. Overall, those who perform at higher levels (national/international level athletes) logged more hours of “other sport practice” (i.e. secondary/tertiary sport) compared to those playing at lower levels. Examples of famous athletes who played multiple sports during childhood/adolescence include Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps, and Wayne Gretzky. Also, consider athletes like Kyler Murray, Tim Tebow, and Patrick Mahomes who competed in two sports at a high level!

3. Overall, success at a young age is associated with starting their primary sport earlier, greater time spent practicing their main sport at ages 15 and younger, less practice of other sports, and reaching “milestones” earlier. These things are the OPPOSITE of older athletes (18 and up) who competed at international levels and are consistent across multiple sports. Older high level athletes practiced multiple sports when they were younger (< 15 years old) and therefore had less main sport practice during childhood and reached milestones later. 

TAKEAWAYS:

1. More practice early on does NOT mean you get to a higher performance level. 

2. Encouraging rapid success in youth athletes may hinder their success as adults. 

3. It is okay to progress slowly. This does NOT mean you won’t compete at a higher level when you are older. Being involved in a competitive “talent development program” early on is NOT the end all be all to long term success. 

4. Specializing in one sport at an early age increases risk of overuse injury and may encourage burnout. We must think about the mental and physical effects of encouraging specialization at an early age!

References:

1. Güllich A, Macnamara BN, Hambrick DZ. What Makes a Champion? Early Multidisciplinary Practice, Not Early Specialization, Predicts World-Class Performance. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2022;17(1):6-29. doi:10.1177/1745691620974772

2. Myer GD, Jayanthi N, Difiori JP, et al. Sport Specialization, Part I: Does Early Sports Specialization Increase Negative Outcomes and Reduce the Opportunity for Success in Young Athletes?. Sports Health. 2015;7(5):437-442. doi:10.1177/1941738115598747