Email this article 
A Review of Early Sport Specialization in Relation to the Development of a Young Athlete
Abstract
Background: The overall physical and psychological development of a young athlete is crucial for the enjoyment of physical activity for a lifetime. Children, as well as parents, tend to focus on individual accomplishment in sport despite any other aspect of physical development or appropriate training. Objective: the pressure to excel in sport has all too often brought about negative consequences through specialization at an early age. Method: A review and commentary report on the impact of early sport specialization on the physical and psychological development of a young athlete. Conclusion: A long-term, activity and age-appropriate developmental model is essential to those involved in training young athletes. Sport specialization may be appropriate in unique situations but only after the development of specific skills, abilities, and psychological maturity. As sport professionals, parents and coaches should be educated the pros/cons of early sport specialization. Ultimately, the focus on sport participation should be to increase physical activity, psychological development, and appreciation for a lifetime.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Bailey, R., Collins, D., Ford, P., MacNamara, A., Toms, M., & Pearce, G. (2010). Participant development in sport: An academic review. Sports Coach UK, 4, 1-134.
Baker, J., Cote, J., & Abernethy, B. (2010). Sport-specific practice and the development of expert decision-making in team ball sports. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 15(1), 12-25.
Callahan, T. (2010). His father’s son: Earl and Tiger Woods. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
DiFiori, J. P., Benjamin, H. J., Brenner, J. S., Gregory, A., Jayanthi, N., Landry, G. L., & Luke, A. (2014). Overuse injuries and burnout in youth sports: A position statement from the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(4), 287-288.
Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100(3), 363.
Ferguson, B., & Stern, P. J. (2014). A case of early sports specialization in an adolescent athlete. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 58(4), 377.
Haff, G. G., & Triplett, N. T. (2015). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Korman, C. (2015, April 15). AAU basketball has a lot of problems but it’s still the best way to develop young players. USA Today. Retrieved from http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/aau-basketball-scandals
Martindale, R. J., Collins, D., & Daubney, J. (2005). Talent development: A guide for practice and research within sport. Quest, 57(4), 353-375.
McLeod, T. C. V., Decoster, L. C., Loud, K. J., Micheli, L. J., Parker, J. T., Sandrey, M. A., & White, C. (2011). National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement: Prevention of pediatric overuse injuries. Journal of Athletic Training, 46(2), 206.
Merkel, D. L. (2013). Youth sport: Positive and negative impact on young athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine, 4, 151–160.
Myer, G.D., Jayanthi, N., Difiori, J.P., Faigenbaum, A.D., Kiefer, A.W., Logerstedt, D., & Micheli, L.J. (2015). Sport specialization, part 1: Does early sport specialization increase negative outcomes and reduce the opportunity for success in young athletes? Sports Health, 7(5): 437-442.
Russell, W. D., & Limle, A. N. (2013). The relationship between youth sport specialization and involvement in sport and physical activity in young adulthood. Journal of Sport Behavior, 36(1), 82.
Sherar, L. B., Baxter-Jones, A. D., Faulkner, R. A., & Russell, K. W. (2007). Do physical maturity and birth date predict talent in male youth ice hockey players? Journal of Sports Sciences, 25(8), 879-886.
Strachan, L., Côté, J., & Deakin, J. (2009). "Specializers" versus" samplers" in youth sport: Comparing experiences and outcomes. Sport Psychologist, 23(1), 77.
Sullivan, P. (2015, January 16). The rising costs of youth sports in money and emotion. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/17/your-money/rising-costs-of-youth-sports.html?_r=0
Thompson, P. D., Arena, R., Riebe, D., & Pescatello, L. S. (2013). ACSM’s new preparticipation health screening recommendations from ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 12(4), 215-217.
Wiersma, L. D. (2000). Risks and benefits of youth sport specialization: Perspectives and recommendations. Pediatric Exercise Science, 12(1), 13-22.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijkss.v.5n.2p.37
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
2013-2024 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD.
International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science
You may require to add the 'aiac.org.au' domain to your e-mail 'safe list’ If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox'. Otherwise, you may check your 'Spam mail' or 'junk mail' folders.