The Problem with Early Specialization

One of the many problems facing youth sports today is early specialization. Youth sports were originally designed to be fun, expose kids to a variety of athletic/movement stimuli, and give them positive movement experiences so they can develop a positive relationship with activity. Unfortunately, the model has shifted to one of extreme intensity and competitiveness, putting more pressure than was ever intended on young athletes to perform, succeed, and win. This has led to the need for kids to practice, develop, and specialize in one sport way earlier than they were ever intended to.

This is a problem because being exposed to many different sports is one of the best ways to develop the foundational movement skills they need to be successful in sports and life later down the road.

Beyond that, early specialization also leads to:

·       Boredom

·       Increased dropout rates

·       Missed critical windows of opportunities to learn other skills

·       Increased risk of injury (due to the repetitive nature of one sport and the lack of a well-rounded athletic foundation)

Thankfully, our Little Athlete Academy is designed to combat early specialization and put the fun back in youth sports. Our athletes balance, grapple, jump, tumble, throw, kick, react, dodge, climb, and play their way to physical literacy and coordination.

Don’t believe us? Check out this short clip from a previous program and see for yourself: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn8HArCvbNS/