Comments on specializing too early

[Anonymous]

Ok, I think we will just stick with the plan and drop baseball. If he changes his mind later he can always switch to that instead of lax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at your high school football, basketball and baseball games. The OVERWHELMING majority of these kids play varsity in multiple sports.

Definitely not at our school.

The overwhelming majority of varsity athletes play one sport only, and focus on that sport more or less year round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, I think we will just stick with the plan and drop baseball. If he changes his mind later he can always switch to that instead of lax.

+1
Skipping a year of little league is inconsequential. He can always pick baseball up again if he changes his mind

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at your high school football, basketball and baseball games. The OVERWHELMING majority of these kids play varsity in multiple sports.

This must be a small and remote private school. The unfortunate reality in most communities is that single-sport specialization occurs by middle school. Which is awful. Even professional NBA and MLB coaches are lamenting the early specialization of today's athletes. People who play multiple sports tend to be better overall athletes and more resilient to repetitive-use injuries. I think the best approach is to simply pretend it's still 1984 and change sports with the seasons and ignore the pressure to specialize early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at your high school football, basketball and baseball games. The OVERWHELMING majority of these kids play varsity in multiple sports.

Definitely not at our school.

The overwhelming majority of varsity athletes play one sport only, and focus on that sport more or less year round.

You don’t know that fool

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First grade? So we’re talking a 6 or 7 year old?

Right now it’s not an even a question of specialization or “dropping” a sport… just stop having him do so much right now!

Again, these are all rec programs. Just seems to be a higher commitment than other areas.

You know you don’t actually HAVE to do even rec teams yet for kids this young, right? And even if there are 3 practices per week you don’t actually HAVE to go to all of them?

There’s no magical “higher commitment” in your area. You’re apparently surrounded by people who have no perspective and you’re happy to follow the herd. You do you, mom, but this is ultimately just a choice you’re making.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at your high school football, basketball and baseball games. The OVERWHELMING majority of these kids play varsity in multiple sports.

This must be a small and remote private school. The unfortunate reality in most communities is that single-sport specialization occurs by middle school. Which is awful. Even professional NBA and MLB coaches are lamenting the early specialization of today's athletes. People who play multiple sports tend to be better overall athletes and more resilient to repetitive-use injuries. I think the best approach is to simply pretend it's still 1984 and change sports with the seasons and ignore the pressure to specialize early.

And yet the talented multi sport athletes will continue to make the high school teams over the less talented kids who were forced to “specialize” at the age of 7.

I agree with your final point. Just because everybody else is doing something one way doesn’t mean it’s the best way.

That being said, OP is going the other way. Her 7 year old isn’t an athlete by any stretch of the definition- he’s a little kid. Maybe she should consider cutting back to let him play with toys or take a nap or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First grade? So we’re talking a 6 or 7 year old?

Right now it’s not an even a question of specialization or “dropping” a sport… just stop having him do so much right now!

Again, these are all rec programs. Just seems to be a higher commitment than other areas.

You know you don’t actually HAVE to do even rec teams yet for kids this young, right? And even if there are 3 practices per week you don’t actually HAVE to go to all of them?

There’s no magical “higher commitment” in your area. You’re apparently surrounded by people who have no perspective and you’re happy to follow the herd. You do you, mom, but this is ultimately just a choice you’re making.

Yes but my kids enjoy it and I believe in committing to the practices and games we sign up for and not checking in and checking out based on our mood. Sure we miss from time to time but we try to make them. It’s a team sport after all and that’s one of the big lessons of team sports. Sorry you don’t agree. You do you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First grade? So we’re talking a 6 or 7 year old?

Right now it’s not an even a question of specialization or “dropping” a sport… just stop having him do so much right now!

Again, these are all rec programs. Just seems to be a higher commitment than other areas.

You know you don’t actually HAVE to do even rec teams yet for kids this young, right? And even if there are 3 practices per week you don’t actually HAVE to go to all of them?

There’s no magical “higher commitment” in your area. You’re apparently surrounded by people who have no perspective and you’re happy to follow the herd. You do you, mom, but this is ultimately just a choice you’re making.

Yes but my kids enjoy it and I believe in committing to the practices and games we sign up for and not checking in and checking out based on our mood. Sure we miss from time to time but we try to make them. It’s a team sport after all and that’s one of the big lessons of team sports. Sorry you don’t agree. You do you.

You are ridiculous and basic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at your high school football, basketball and baseball games. The OVERWHELMING majority of these kids play varsity in multiple sports.

This must be a small and remote private school. The unfortunate reality in most communities is that single-sport specialization occurs by middle school. Which is awful. Even professional NBA and MLB coaches are lamenting the early specialization of today's athletes. People who play multiple sports tend to be better overall athletes and more resilient to repetitive-use injuries. I think the best approach is to simply pretend it's still 1984 and change sports with the seasons and ignore the pressure to specialize early.

And yet the talented multi sport athletes will continue to make the high school teams over the less talented kids who were forced to “specialize” at the age of 7.

I agree with your final point. Just because everybody else is doing something one way doesn’t mean it’s the best way.

That being said, OP is going the other way. Her 7 year old isn’t an athlete by any stretch of the definition- he’s a little kid. Maybe she should consider cutting back to let him play with toys or take a nap or something.

Sort of... Our high school has about 400 people per class in a wealthy suburb, and I know of only one boy who is a 3-sport varsity athlete and will play one of those sports in college. Of those sports, lacrosse is the most competitive in our school and all but the 1 kid I mentioned specialized pretty early and played a lot of club lax. I know of several kids who do two sports, but their second sport is a no-cut sport like cross country, track, or football. I know of a few girls who play a combination of lax, soccer, basketball, and volleyball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at your high school football, basketball and baseball games. The OVERWHELMING majority of these kids play varsity in multiple sports.

Definitely not at our school.

The overwhelming majority of varsity athletes play one sport only, and focus on that sport more or less year round.

That’s terrible for their body/muscle care. Most pro athletes were multi sport growing up. Tennis is an exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at your high school football, basketball and baseball games. The OVERWHELMING majority of these kids play varsity in multiple sports.

This must be a small and remote private school. The unfortunate reality in most communities is that single-sport specialization occurs by middle school. Which is awful. Even professional NBA and MLB coaches are lamenting the early specialization of today's athletes. People who play multiple sports tend to be better overall athletes and more resilient to repetitive-use injuries. I think the best approach is to simply pretend it's still 1984 and change sports with the seasons and ignore the pressure to specialize early.

It’s like this at our large public- Yorktown High school in Arlington. Although the girls tend to specialize, many of baseball players either play basketball or football as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at your high school football, basketball and baseball games. The OVERWHELMING majority of these kids play varsity in multiple sports.

Definitely not at our school.

The overwhelming majority of varsity athletes play one sport only, and focus on that sport more or less year round.

That’s terrible for their body/muscle care. Most pro athletes were multi sport growing up. Tennis is an exception.

Why’s that

[Anonymous]

Eventually your kid will tell you. You'll have the option to go to the park and throw the ball around they'll either have the baseball glove or lacrosse stick in their hand.

That's where we're at with swimming v basketball, but it wasn't OK to drop summer recreation swim league just yet.

IMO that is a little young for ball sport decisions, kids don't get eye hand coordination until nine or ten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First grade? So we’re talking a 6 or 7 year old?

Right now it’s not an even a question of specialization or “dropping” a sport… just stop having him do so much right now!

Again, these are all rec programs. Just seems to be a higher commitment than other areas.

You know you don’t actually HAVE to do even rec teams yet for kids this young, right? And even if there are 3 practices per week you don’t actually HAVE to go to all of them?

There’s no magical “higher commitment” in your area. You’re apparently surrounded by people who have no perspective and you’re happy to follow the herd. You do you, mom, but this is ultimately just a choice you’re making.

Yes but my kids enjoy it and I believe in committing to the practices and games we sign up for and not checking in and checking out based on our mood. Sure we miss from time to time but we try to make them. It’s a team sport after all and that’s one of the big lessons of team sports. Sorry you don’t agree. You do you.

I don’t agree that sports, even team sports, are remotely serious at such a young age, which is why I never signed any of my kids up for daily sporting “commitments” when they were in first grade. Which is why I said initially to consider not signing him up for multiple sports per season in the first place. It’s too much, and reasonable parents know that. Agree with the other poster that you’re ridiculous.

Please name this “sporty area” so we normal people can be sure to avoid it.