Children Sampling Sports Could Start Lifelong Loyalty To Specialties Later

When it comes to sports, it is easy to get excited when your child shows an inclination for a particular sport and easy to be disappointed when the child doesn't.

I know some incredibly talented young athletes that have competed at the highly competitive-club level but do not make a junior high or high school team. I know it is tempting when you see talent in your child to want that child to take it to the next level or perhaps drop a sport when real talent seems to be lacking.

From a developmental perspective, children ages 7-10 should still be working on building a wide range of skills and perhaps applying them to sports and then specialization in sports should begin about ages 11-13.

I know that is not the norm and many might argue that it isn’t realistic, yet when we look at the research about what kids say about their reasons for liking  (and staying in) sports, it still seems to be a fit.

Sports specialization is defined as investing in one sport year-round from a young age with the goal of developing expertise. It is trendy right now and some parents push their children to specialize in sports perhaps in hopes of a college scholarship, yet not even one percent of high school athletes ultimately compete in the NCAA (of the approximately seven million high school athletes and 25 million children participating in youth sports).

 There is anecdotal evidence that early specialization is not a prerequisite for an athlete to reach the highest level of their sport. For example, Steve Nash of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns (a two-time MVP) reported sampling a variety of sports including lacrosse, soccer and hockey during childhood and specializing in basketball in adolescence.

Even if the elite athlete were to more often fall in the pattern of early specialization rather than diversification, this may not be the happiest pathway to follow (e.g. Andre Agassi, Tiger Woods). And speaking of being happy, I think it is interesting to consider why children like sports and what makes them drop out.

In a 2004 study, Maureen Weiss (well-known researcher who focuses on the psychological and social development of children and adolescents through participation in sport) identified the top reasons why children persist in sports, with the most prominent being:

1. Learning and improving skills

2. Being with and making new friends

3.  Having fun. These three reasons seem vital in developing and sustaining a genuine interest in sports participation. On the flip side, reasons for withdrawing from sport programs were cited as a  dislike for the coach; a lack of playing time; too much pressure; too much time required;  overemphasis on winning; a lack of fun and a lack of progress or success.

However, many other reasons may be even more prominent, like taking up other (non-sport related) activities.

Of course, knowing all of this does not mean we can easily set up the perfect sports experience for our children. Yet it may be worthwhile to consider what is important to children when it comes to sports.