Play.Stay.Thrive
An AMSSM toolkit to promote safe and
healthy participation in youth sports
 
Play.Stay.Thrive
An AMSSM toolkit to promote safe and
healthy participation in youth sports
Play.Stay.Thrive
An AMSSM toolkit to promote safe and
healthy participation in youth sports

I am concerned that if my child does not specialize in a sport early, they will not have a chance at making the high school team.

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  • This is a common concern. But early specialization does not necessarily increase one’s chances of securing a spot on the high school team. It may, however, increase risk for injury and burnout before your child even gets to high school.
  • Good high school coaches will seek healthy, well-rounded athletes with solid fundamental skills, which are qualities that that are often better developed in athletes who play more than one sport. In fact, for athletes in team sports and ball sports there is a cross-over effect from participation in other team/ball sports which can enhance playing skills.
  • Finally, if your child is involved in more than one sport, that allows them the opportunity to try out for more than one high school team, increasing the chances they will get to play at the high school level.
References:
Kliethermes SA, Nagle K, Côté J, Malina RM, Faigenbaum A, Watson A, Feeley B, Marshall SW, LaBella CR, Herman DC, Tenforde A, Beutler AI, Jayanthi N. Impact of youth sports specialisation on career and task-specific athletic performance: a systematic review following the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) Collaborative Research Network’s 2019 Youth Early Sport Specialisation Summit. Br J Sports Med. 2019 Nov 18. PMID: 31740483
Giusti NE, Carder SL, Vopat L, et al. Comparing Burnout in Sport-Specializing Versus Sport-Sampling Adolescent Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Orthop J Sports Med. 2020;8(3):2325967120907579. Published 2020 Mar 2. doi:10.1177/2325967120907579
Carder SL, Giusti NE, Vopat LM, et al. The Concept of Sport Sampling Versus Sport Specialization: Preventing Youth Athlete Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jan 21]. Am J Sports Med. 2020;363546519899380. doi:10.1177/0363546519899380. 
Logan K, Cuff S, and COUNCIL ON SPORTS MEDICINE AND FITNESS. Organized Sports for Children, Preadolescents, and Adolescents. Pediatrics. June 2019;143 (6) e20190997; DOI:https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-0997.