Attention to sports specialization has been on the rise in the past five years due to increased participation of younger people in athletics worldwide. This is attributed to existing divide among stakeholders in sports, including coaches, sports authorities, and professionals, concerning early and late specialization. One side of prefers the latter, while the other is for the late specialization model. Interestingly, there is no a clear definition for sports specialization. There is, however, increased consensus on the definition by Jaynthi et al. (2013), who defined sports specialization as “intensive year-round training in single sports at the exclusion of other sports.” Research on this topic however, reveals growing criticism toward early specialization, due to the associated negative consequences.
The early specialization model follows the “deliberate action framework “(Erickson, 1993). According to Mosher et al. (2022), the intentional action framework posits that athletes who start focused training early in any particular sporting activity have more significant advantages than those who focus on the same activities in their later stages of life (Ericksson, 1993). Despite this strong argument, there is growing activism against early specialization due to the associated negativities. Cote and Thomas (2016) argue that the early domain in sports denies athletes a critical developmental stage in which younger people participate in various sporting activities for leisure and peer interaction. Early specialization has been linked to a series of undesirable consequences and is not a predetermination of a successful sports career in the future (Buckley et al., 2017; Huxley et al., 2017). Contrary to the widely accepted notion that early specialization establishes a sure pathway for younger athletes to elite status, numerous researches appear to dispute it.
In addition to that, many indications augment the antagonistic stance toward early specialization. Various researchers have established that candidates of early specialization are more prone to injuries than those who embrace the late specialization model, they are more likely to experience fatigue, and are associated with a high dropout rate compared to their counterparts (Bell et al., 2018; Strachan et al., 2009). Apart from the negative physical consequences, early specialization in sports has been cited as having adverse psychological effects, including emotional exhaustion and life dissatisfaction (Mosher et al., 2022). With the increased negative assertions from both literature and expert opinions, major national and international sports bodies, including associations, federations, and organizations, have discouraged early sports specialization, including the International Society of Sports Psychology and the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (Mosher et al.,2020).
Generally, the subject of sports specialization, particularly early specialization, is majorly inclined toward negative consequences. One could conclude that late specialization is more beneficial than early specialization, and therefore the latter should be encouraged. However, according to Mosher et al. (2021), currently available literature on the subject is majorly based on recycled information in the form of annotations and editorials. Apart from that, many researchers cite the lack of a clear definition of early specialization as a loophole to understanding the topic. This shows a lack of in-depth research and analysis of the subject despite its prominence in current discussions on youth sports development. Without in-depth and data-driven research, it is not easy to ascertain early specialization’s real consequences and impacts on athletes. Therefore, there is a need for new and more data-driven research to add credibility and reliability to research conclusions.
References
Bell, D. R., Post, E. G., Trigsted, S. M., Schaefer, D. A., McGuine, T. A., Watson, A. M., & Brooks, M. A. (2018). Sport specialization characteristics between rural and suburban high school athletes. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 6(1), 2325967117751386.
Buckley, P. S., Bishop, M., Kane, P., Ciccotti, M. C., Selverian, S., Exume, D.,… & Ciccotti, M. G. (2017). Early single-sport specialization: a survey of 3090 high school, collegiate, and professional athletes. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 5(7), 2325967117703944.
Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological review, 100(3), 363.
Huxley, D. J., O’Connor, D., & Larkin, P. (2017). The pathway to the top: Key factors and influences in the development of Australian Olympic and World Championship Track and Field athletes. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 12(2), 264-275.
Jayanthi, N., Pinkham, C., Dugas, L., Patrick, B., & LaBella, C. (2013). Sports specialization in young athletes: evidence-based recommendations. Sports health, 5(3), 251-257.
Mosher, A., Fraser-Thomas, J., & Baker, J. (2020). What defines early specialization: a systematic review of literature. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 164.
Mosher, A., Till, K., Fraser-Thomas, J., & Baker, J. (2022). Revisiting Early Sport Specialization: What’s the Problem? Sports Health, 14(1), 13-19.
Strachan, L., Côté, J., & Deakin, J. (2009). “Specializers” versus “samplers” in youth sport: Comparing experiences and outcomes. The sport psychologist, 23(1), 77-92.
Wiersma LD. Risks and benefits of youth sport specialization: perspectives and recommendations. Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2000;12:13-22