PROVIDING INSIGHTS
ON THE EFFECTS OF
EARLY SPORT SPECIALIZATION
IN YOUTH ATHLETES
Paul Christianson, M.S.
JOPERD October 2010
The Promises and Pitfalls of Sport
Specialization in Youth Sport
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT/PERMANENT
IMPLICATIONS
PSYCHOLOGICAL | PHYSIOLOGICAL
BIOMECHANICAL | MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
DANIEL COYLE: THE TALENT CODE
GREAT?
CREEPY?
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
10,000 HOURS | 10 YEARS
Andres Ericcsen
"DELIBERATE PRACTICE"
(INSERT DEFINITION OF DELIBERATE PRACTICE)
DELIBERATE PRACTICE
SWING INSTRUCTOR | PERSONAL TRAINER | GOLF PSYCHOLOGIST
NUTRITIONIST | OTHER EXPERTS
ONLY 10,000 HOURS!!
+
=
CAN YOU BLAME THEM?
MINIMAL RESOURCES
DO IT YOURSELF
TAKE OUT A SECOND
MORTGAGE
DO IT YOURSELF
•
•
•
•
•
Physical Conditioning
Repetitive Skill/Drill
Local Coach/Guru
Practice at Home
Parents Live Vicariously
Through Children
EGO ORIENTATION
DO IT YOURSELF
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT/PERMANENT
HIGH RISK IMPLICATIONS
PSYCHOLOGICAL | PHYSIOLOGICAL
BIOMECHANICAL | MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
Overuse injuries. Burnout. Depression.
SPORT PREP ACADEMY
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Physical Conditioning
Mental Conditioning
Communication Training
Physical Therapy
Nutrition Training
Life Skills
College Placement
MASTERY ORIENTATION
SPORT PREP ACADEMY
DELIBERATE PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
LOW RISK IMPLICATIONS
PSYCHOLOGICAL | PHYSIOLOGICAL
BIOMECHANICAL | MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
CONTROLLED VARIABLES. No Parents.
THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT
MULTIPLE "PILLARS"
PHYSICAL | MENTAL | COMMUNICATION | NUTRITION
LIFE SKILLS | VISION
JOPERD October 2010
The Promises and Pitfalls of Sport
Specialization in Youth Sport
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT/PERMANENT
IMPLICATIONS
PSYCHOLOGICAL | PHYSIOLOGICAL
BIOMECHANICAL | MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
BRING THE ACADEMY
TO THE PARENTS
AFFORDABLE
CONTROL FOR NEGATIVE VARIABLES ASSOCIATED
WITH EARLY SPORT-SPECIALIZATION IN
YOUTH ATHLETES
References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2000). Intensive training and sports specialization in young athletes.
Pediatrics, 106, 154-157.
Baker, J., & Combley, S. (2008). Does practice make perfect? The role of training in developing the expert
athlete. In D.
Farrow, J. Baker, & C. MacMahon (Eds.), Developing Sport Expertise (pp. 29-42). New York: Routledge.
Baker, J., Cobley, S., & Fraser-Thomas, J. (2009). What do we know about early sport specialization? Not
much!. High Ability Studies, 20(1), 77-89.
Baxter-Jones, A., Maffuli, N., & Helms, P. (1993). Low injury in rates in elite athletes. Archives of Disease in
Childhood, 68, 130-132.
Bloom, B. S. (1985). Developing talent in young people. New York: Ballantine.
Branta, C. (2010). Sport Specialization: Developmental and Learning Issues. Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation & Dance, 81(8), 1-58.
Brenner, J. S. (2007). Overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout in child and adolescent athletes.
Pediatrics, 1119, 1242-1245.
Brylinsky, J. (2010). Practice Makes Perfect and Other Curricular Myths in the Sport Specialization Debate.
Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 81(8), 1-58.
Côté, J. (1999). The Influence of the Family in the Development of Talent in Sport. Sport Psychologist, 13(4),
395.
Ericsson, K. (Ed.). (1996). The road to excellence: The acquisition of expert performance in the arts and
sciences, sports, and games. Hillsdale, NJ England: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Ericsson, K., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of
expert performance. Psychological Review, 100(3), 363-406
Ericsson, K.A., & Charness, N. (1994) Expert performance: Its structure and acquisition. American
Psychologist, 49, 725-747.
Gould, D. (2010). Early Sport Specialization: A Psychological Perspective. The Journal of Physical
Education, Recreation & Dance, 81(8), 33-37
Intensive Training and Sports Specialization in Young Athletes. (2000). Pediatrics, 106(1), 154.
Kaleth, A., & Mikesky, A. (2010). Impact of Early Sport Specialization: A Physiological Perspective. Journal
of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 81(8), 1-58.
Landers, R. Q., Carson, R. L., & Bonnie Tjeerdsma, B. (2010). The promises and pitfalls of sport
specialization in youth sport. The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 81(8), 14-15.
Mattson, J., & Richards, J. (2010). Early Specialization in Youth Sport: A Biomechanical Perspective. Journal
of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 81(8), 1-58.