Views On Playing Multiple Sports

At what age should a kid start to specialize in one sport? Now a days you see kids solely playing football, soccer, basketball, etc. With my youngest we are trying to make sure they play a variety of sports early on in their life so that they can make an informed decision (if and when the time comes) to move to one sport. I think there are benefits to playing multiple sports since many different muscles and abilities are being worked. Any thoughts? Do any two sports work together well? Obviously its tough to specialize as practices can encompass quite a bit of time.

Thanks!

My son plays two sports. Soccer and futsal.

soccercity wrote:At what age should a kid start to specialize in one sport? Now a days you see kids solely playing football, soccer, basketball, etc. With my youngest we are trying to make sure they play a variety of sports early on in their life so that they can make an informed decision (if and when the time comes) to move to one sport. I think there are benefits to playing multiple sports since many different muscles and abilities are being worked. Any thoughts? Do any two sports work together well? Obviously its tough to specialize as practices can encompass quite a bit of time.

Thanks!

eleven

both my sons play other sports with soccer including basketball and track. Older son played PA last year and played school basketball and ran track and the younger son plays basketball and soccer. No need to get them out of other sports unless the timing and running around to practices just won't work.

The best youth player I have seen in North Texas played multiple sports for his school along with high level soccer up until 8th grade.

Fourteen .... but by then, you're essentially forced to choose unless you are an absolute beast at Football, Basketball, or Baseball. Rec Sports essentially dry-up around 8th Grade and I feel many times one's social-identity is tied into what sport(s) they play and that makes up a solid core of their High School friends (although the landscape has skewed a little bit with the most Elite players playing Academy and barred from HS Soccer)

As much as I love soccer, I was incredibly burnt out when I turned 18. Soccer was 355-360 of the 365 days in the year. "I" needed to take a break. College Soccer wasn't the avenue I wanted to pursue either. I took a year off and played pick-up Basketball, Sand Volleyball, Softball, etc.. in college. And what did you know! --> after taking a break and playing different sports, I was able to rediscover my continued love for Soccer

This is just my opinion, but I personally get scared watching how some of these kids are pre-determined to soccer with Club Academy Teams starting U5/U6 domination .... c'mon ... they're just kids; let them experience multiple sports, see what they gravitate toward, and make sure it's competitive and most importantly FUN!!!

I don't Coach "Select/Club", but I do volunteer as a Coach for a local Rec Soccer Association.  Ironically enough, my most skilled players all have one thing in common ..... they play MULTIPLE sports!   True, the better "talent" has already been weeded away to youth Academy, but what sets these skilled Rec players apart is their strong SPORTS IQ .... which I feel is developed quicker playing multiple sports than a competitive singular sport .... just my opinion though

http://www.mytpi.com/articles/fitness/jordan_spieth_athlete_first

Nuff said. Others specialized...Jordan wins...his parents are impressive.

I hold two coaching licenses and i expect my kids to play multiple sports...Except for American Football. I let them...but that sport is an injury generator

It was through his dad's work as an equipment manager at a boy's club that Ronaldo was first introduced to the game of soccer. By the time he was 10 years old, he was already recognized as a phenomenon—a kid who ate, slept and drank the game. "All he wanted to do as a boy was play football," his godfather, Fernao Sousa, recalled for British reporters, adding, "He loved the game so much he'd miss meals or escape out of his bedroom window with a ball when he was supposed to be doing his homework."

I am gonna have to go with this single sport athlete instead, but I wouldn't be too surprised to find that most internationals soccer players have a similar story.

Like Freddy Adu? That worked out...

Anecdotal fallacy...huh?

They don't offer soccer in middle school in Mesquite, and my BB was not going to be a "PE Dork" as he put it, so he signed up for Football, Cross Country and Track which all contributed to his endurance and strength.  He has always been in good shape and played the whole game, but now he does it with more ease.  When he gets to high school, he will probably just play football and soccer.  I read an article on Zach Lloyd from FC Dallas and he stated that he thought it helped him playing multiple sports all the way through high school.

I think the notion that you need other sports to get better at a particular sport doesn't hold much water, especially when it comes to soccer.

In soccer (football), your feet are your most important assets and must be developed to sense ball weight, size, and force. A player must have a strong sense of spatial awareness to move the ball without looking at it and to make decisions while adjusting ball speed and direction. Close your eyes and move the ball in any direction while adjusting your speed and you will get an idea of what I am saying.

Core strength, visual acuity, and agility are important physical traits that are best developed by playing the game, but there are some sports like judo and wrestling or exercises like yoga or plyometrics that can also develop core and agility too. Not a big need for eye-hand coordination unless you are a GK, but even then, soccer is the best teacher.

If you want to be good at soccer then soccer is the best sport to develop those skills and physical traits with.

Running is good for cardio and good form while running can make a player more aware of efficiency, but there is not much starting and stopping with directional changes in track and field so it has limited value. Swimming is low impact and can develop muscles and cardio also so it is not entirely out of the question to be involved in multiple sports as long as they are adjuncts to your soccer development.

Perhaps a more helpful future discussion will be: "Which sports assist in the development of a soccer player?" That way we can debate the merits of each sport as it pertains to the development of traits that are soccer specific.

BOREDOM is the PRIMARY reason that I would consider when developing any player in any sport and that alone is a good reason for seeking variety as long as that variety is developing the primary sport (soccer) and is fun for the athlete.

Lots of great views on this topic. I dont like to specialize in one sport though some of the practices almost warrant it. My oldest plays some basketball along with soccer, while my youngest has diversified amongst four sports (none at a competitive level).

Arsenal1984 wrote:
As much as I love soccer, I was incredibly burnt out when I turned 18.  Soccer was 355-360 of the 365 days in the year.  "I" needed to take a break.

Dont want to burn out my kiddos on sports they love. I try and have my kids (remembering they are just kids) by unplugging away from sports a few times a year (vacations, short excursions) so that its not a grind every week.

even Bo Jackson thinks the time of the multi sport athlete is over. He felt he could do it because just being a much better overall athlete was enough. He now feels that the specialization of kids at earlier ages and the amount of time put in would make it too difficult to compete.

As far as burnout goes, it's a myth. Kids do not "burn out". They become self aware. They learn what the limits of their abilities are and can decide what is important too them and where they want to spend their time. The kid who steps away from soccer isn't broken, the kid who dedicates all of his time to mastering one thing and sacrificing everything else is.

Finally PARENTS don't need a veiw on playing multiple sports, kids do. If a kid wants to enjoy playing sports and have other experiences then let him. If THE KID decides he has found his love and wants to master soccer then let him. Just don't lie to him and let him think playing football will help him be the next messi. Life is about choices.

Oh football lies outside of that. It is a sport based purely on athleticism. You are big enough, strong enough, fast enough to play it or you aren't. You play soccer all the way to highschool, hop on the team and do just fine

Here is a novel idea, if your child wants to play multiple sports let them, if they don't then don't.  

If it is an injury thing, well stop letting them ride bikes, skateboards, and play at the park.  Don't let them ride in cars either.

soccercity wrote:I for one can say I am not interested; I've done my homework, talked to some parents, seen a game or two. Not a good fit for my kid, but obviously a good one for yours.

Soccercity this is a quote you posted about looking at our team for you son, did you decide not to play competitive at all? Are you playing recreational?

What team are you on?

Good point Go99 ... "Burn-Out" is kind of loaded statement .... I was exhausted from playing soccer and literally "only soccer", but I was also keenly self-aware of my own athletic abilities + limitations. Even though I think I possessed a PHD in Soccer IQ .... I always knew that my blistering 40 yard dash time of a flat 5 seconds was never go wow the socks off Coaches at the highest level LOL!!!