One of the reasons often cited in favor of early specialization in a single sport and playing on select or travel teams is that it makes a better player, promoting the development of the skills a player will need to be a successful athlete as a high school player and beyond.
The problem is that the emphasis of select teams on winning games and tournaments may actually deter your child's athletic development for the following reasons:
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True learning doesn't occur during games, where players are often afraid to take risks because a mistake may cost the team the game, but in training, where players have a chance to be spontaneous, creative, try new moves, and take risks. The reason soccer players in Europe and South America are often more skilled than those produced by our soccer system is that their programs emphasize training, skill development, and creativity, and focus less on playing game after game after game, tournament after tournament. A good analogy would be if your child's math teacher were to limit actual teaching to one day out of the week and give tests the other four days.
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No matter what their mission statements may say, many select programs are all about winning. Player development can and often does become secondary to that goal, with the coach playing the "best" players in order to win and relegating the rest to the bench, where they cannot hone their skills.
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Sometimes players who train too much, receive too much coaching, and specialize too early develop bad habits that become harder to fix when they are older.
Before grade six, your child is far better off playing in a low-pressure environment that emphasizes skill development than in an environment that stresses winning and intense competition, which characterize today's select programs.
Nurturing Specialization
Brooke, what a challenge it is to make your point on specialization stick.
In my experience working with beginner athletes (ages 2-8), I feel sad sometimes. I am sad because I can almost tell which kids will not make it playing sports. Although I am thinking this, it doesn't change my approach to teaching them. Unfortunately, some of the children I teach are predisposed to overbearing parents. They don't hear me say that sports at these young ages is a process. They don't hear that the first two to three weeks of parent-tot classes are a time for children's exploration. It is not a time to compare, and it is not a time to get frustrated when children don't listen or do what the coach asks. And why didn't they hear me? They couldn't let go long enough. Their child sits right in front of them as I say this, and they miss the biggest lesson every parent needs to hear. You have to let go.
Herein lies one root to this problem of specialization. Parents who can't let go at the older age groups often get their start deciding the path for their kids inside these parent-tot classes. Frankly, it is a sad sight to see them dragging their child around the floor doing the skills for them as the child squirms, kicks and screams. I agree, when parents' don't let go and give children enough space to be (as you wrote) creative, be spontaneous, try new moves or take risks, they are, in a sense, strangling children with their love. Expanding upon what you said from a beginner athletes' perspective, sports class is a time to explore and learn what the bleachers are, how long the water will stay on at the water fountain, what that sound is coming from the gym on the other side of the curtain, or to ask how did that bug get into the gym and land on the floor, or what is that basketball hoop doing hanging from the ceiling.
Unfortunately, beginner athletes are under-valued and under-appreciated. There should be more of us catching parents bad habits at this level and making comment to its destructive nature. Until the reinforcements come, I will be doing my part to Keep Sports Simple, and Make Learning Fun for children and Build Better Sports Parents for tomorrow.
Good article, Brooke.
Bradley J. Kayden, MHR, NYSCA Member
Coach Pickles, Chief Fun Officer
Jelly Bean Sports, Inc.
www.jellybeansports.com