What age did your kid specialize in one sport?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9th grade

The intended philosophy regarding (and research promoting) multiple sports is not a whole bunch each season, but varied across the year. So, yes, multiple high level sports all at the same time is an injury risk. Total training volume should be considered.

Through late elementary my kids were able to club swim plus a travel sport (soccer or basketball). In middle school, one sport was at the club/travel level and the other wasn't quite as intense, usually "select" level, above rec, or a school sport plus the club/travel sport.

In high school, my kids made the choice to specialize.

Swimming as a second sport is a great idea but probably too late for that and it didn't go anywhere when I suggested it. DC's sports overlap. They both require an almost year-round commitment to remain competitive. Most of the other kids on the two sports that conflict have specialized by 10-12. DC is getting hurt more often than the other kids and is tired. I drank the Kool-Aid but I'm second-guessing the research.

The overlap and this belief are the problem. I'm not blaming it on you, the youth sports industry runs this way, especially around here. Families aren't left with enough choices, but it is your choice to make. Don't specialize too early, but don't play two travel sports per season...easier said than done (but almost always the right choice).

+1. Trying to do multiple sports at the club/travel level is the problem. It's too much. One club/travel plus one rec at a time (with the rec sport changing depending on season) is more realistic. If a kid likes everything equally it's probably best to stay rec for all of them until they decide on a clear favorite. I know a couple of very athletic kids who could do travel for all their sports, but they are staying in rec so they do 2-3 sports at a time with a ~2 day a week commitment for each. Pursuing multiple "favorites" at the club/travel level, with close to a year round commitment for each, sounds like a recipe for injury and burnout.

[Anonymous]

Narrowed down to 2 sports spring of 8th grade for high school. Played Varsity in those 2 sports for Freshman year. A concussion Sophomore year and the necessary rehab changed the path to just one sport — which was also played in college.

[Anonymous]

College.

Both of my sons went to New England prep schools (think Deerfield, Hotchkiss, etc). They each played some combo of soccer, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, baseball for every year. Recruited in one or more sports, picked the one they liked best to play in college.

Don't let people convince you they should specialize if it's a team sport. Can't speak to more individual sports like gymnastics or swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College.

Both of my sons went to New England prep schools (think Deerfield, Hotchkiss, etc). They each played some combo of soccer, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, baseball for every year. Recruited in one or more sports, picked the one they liked best to play in college.

Don't let people convince you they should specialize if it's a team sport. Can't speak to more individual sports like gymnastics or swimming.

Ps. Recent info, they graduated '19 and '22

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College.

Both of my sons went to New England prep schools (think Deerfield, Hotchkiss, etc). They each played some combo of soccer, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, baseball for every year. Recruited in one or more sports, picked the one they liked best to play in college.

Don't let people convince you they should specialize if it's a team sport. Can't speak to more individual sports like gymnastics or swimming.

Well it doesn’t work for individual sports

[Anonymous]

Never. My 17 year old son plays varsity HS basketball and rec flag football and rec soccer. He loves basketball but not enough to give up his rec sports with his friends.

[Anonymous]

My DS only did one year of 2 sports at travel level. It was a crazy year and he got injured and it was really too much for our family with travel and he ended up missing too much of the sport that was a lower priority to him.

After that, he was able to do one travel level sport and one very rec sport until covid, when he gave up the rec sport and didn't go back (early high school).

I do think there was a benefit to the rec sport - used different muscles, different group of kids, more relaxed attitudes for coaches, etc and he could have kept it up through high school -- to me, that's a good way to not have to specialize but also it was easy to prioritize the travel sport if there was a conflict and no hard feelings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9th grade

The intended philosophy regarding (and research promoting) multiple sports is not a whole bunch each season, but varied across the year. So, yes, multiple high level sports all at the same time is an injury risk. Total training volume should be considered.

Through late elementary my kids were able to club swim plus a travel sport (soccer or basketball). In middle school, one sport was at the club/travel level and the other wasn't quite as intense, usually "select" level, above rec, or a school sport plus the club/travel sport.

In high school, my kids made the choice to specialize.

Swimming as a second sport is a great idea but probably too late for that and it didn't go anywhere when I suggested it. DC's sports overlap. They both require an almost year-round commitment to remain competitive. Most of the other kids on the two sports that conflict have specialized by 10-12. DC is getting hurt more often than the other kids and is tired. I drank the Kool-Aid but I'm second-guessing the research.

The overlap and this belief are the problem. I'm not blaming it on you, the youth sports industry runs this way, especially around here. Families aren't left with enough choices, but it is your choice to make. Don't specialize too early, but don't play two travel sports per season...easier said than done (but almost always the right choice).

+1. Trying to do multiple sports at the club/travel level is the problem. It's too much. One club/travel plus one rec at a time (with the rec sport changing depending on season) is more realistic. If a kid likes everything equally it's probably best to stay rec for all of them until they decide on a clear favorite. I know a couple of very athletic kids who could do travel for all their sports, but they are staying in rec so they do 2-3 sports at a time with a ~2 day a week commitment for each. Pursuing multiple "favorites" at the club/travel level, with close to a year round commitment for each, sounds like a recipe for injury and burnout.

+a million. I don't see how these kids, once they reach high school level, can play two or more sports at the club level. They must have great time management skills or something. I guess it also depends on your high school. My youngest has her club sport but she's also able to play different sports on her high school teams. My oldest dropped playing for a club after her freshman year but she still plays the sport on her Varsity teams and plays another high school sport (also varsity) during the other season.

[Anonymous]

Based on the original post and subsequent answers, I wonder at what age did these kids start playing a sport year round?

I think what the research says is kids should be multi-sport athletes who actually take a break from each sport. If kid is playing three sports but playing sport A year round (or all sports on top of each other), their bodies are not getting the rest and break from repetitive motion.

But sports around here don’t seem to be built this way. If your kid is “sporty” they love to play and find it boring to stay on the rec team. And then you have coaches pushing them etc. Also, even the best athletes often can’t keep up with the kids who devote multiple practices to one sport all year long (many of whom find great success that way).

Very different idea of a girl who plays travel lacrosse year round (fall tournaments, winter box, summer tournaments) and then picks up soccer in fall, basketball in winter, ramps up lax in spring bc it is “in season” and county swim in summer. That is not taking a break compared to someone who plays each of those sports but ONLY in season. I bet very few of those kids still exist. The system is not built for them anymore.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the goals for the child and the child's talent. I have a talented kid who, like a previous poster's kids, said, can probably play multiple sports, maybe two in high school, and still get a scholarship in college. But if he wants to go pro, he will have to specialize probably by middle school. I think this is applicable to a few team sports such as soccer and basketball, and probably individual sports.

It doesn't mean they can't be multisport. Just that all other sports are on a rec level or seasonal.

[Anonymous]

Junior in HS. Played soccer, lax, basketball through eighth grade. Switched out indoor track for basketball in 9th grade and then cross country for soccer in tenth grade and finally switched out track for lax in 11th grade and ran all three seasons. Went to top SLAC and was varsity all four years and a national caliber runner.

[Anonymous]

DS: 6th grade? Trampoline.
DD: 5th grade. Horseback riding.

[Anonymous]

DC is 11 and is now only doing tennis as it requires lots of time and resource commitment plus karate. Wish we could stay committed to soccer but werent able to make it work with two kids! Hoping cross country next year will be of interest.

[Anonymous]

My d1 athlete kids played multiple sports but only 1 at the highest level past Freshman year of HS.

Yes they played HS sports for the others but not travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College.

Both of my sons went to New England prep schools (think Deerfield, Hotchkiss, etc). They each played some combo of soccer, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, baseball for every year. Recruited in one or more sports, picked the one they liked best to play in college.

Don't let people convince you they should specialize if it's a team sport. Can't speak to more individual sports like gymnastics or swimming.

Ps. Recent info, they graduated '19 and '22

It seems like New England prep schools have created a system that works for multi-sport athletes, yet here we are struggling to make 2 sports work with a much younger kid. I am primarily frustrated with the overuse injuries that are creeping up. Both sports are putting stress on the same hot spots.