Diversification Is Key to Athletic Success

Early diversification in sports is more likely to lead to success than is specialization according to a study presented at a Sports Science Institute convention in Johannesburg, South Africa. Presenters pointed out that most elite athletes who perform at the Olympic level played more than one sport in their developmental years and specialized only from the age of 12.

Justin Durandt, manager of the Discovery High Performance Centre, said, “For most sports early diversification with good coaching is critical. Let your child start early but he or she must be careful not to over train. Children should specialize only in high school.”

A schedule recommended by the coaches was for children to play a number of sports when they are between the ages of five and 11. From age 12 on, the coaches recommended reducing this to two or thee sports. They said that only certain sports, such as ice-skating and gymnastics, require specialization before the age of 12.

A study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine reported that athletes who spent more hours a week playing their sport than their age—for example, 12 hours when eight years old—were “70% more likely to experience a severe injury.”

Neeru Jayanthi, head of the tennis program at Emory University, wrote in an article in Sports Health, , “For most sports, such intense training in a single sport to the exclusion of others should be delayed until late adolescence to optimize success while minimizing injury, psychological stress and burnout.”

The consensus of the conference was that children should start at about two years old with basic movement skills involving co-ordination and control and recreational free play. Good examples would be throwing or kicking a ball. This should be followed by sports-specific and complex skills for which instruction is beneficial.