What is Early Specialisation?
Practice of young athletes <12 years old focusing exclusively on a single sport, often to the exclusion of other sports/ activities/ hobbies throughout their developmental years
Starting an activity very young
Intensive training
Emphasis on competition/ outcomes instead of development/ logevity/ enjoyment
Year round commitment
Risk of early specialisation
Increased risk of injury
Psychological stress
Burnout
What can be done?
Diversification
Sampling differrent sports/ activities in pre-pubertal years
Emphasis on fun, physical movement, sportsmanship
Improve physcial, cognitive, emotional and psychosocial skills
Specialisation post puberty
Max. number of hours/ week not more than age
At least 1 off day/ week for rest and recovery
Periodisation with off season
Include cross training
Conclusion
For most sports, there is no evidence that intense trainingn and specialization before puberty are necessary to achieve elite status
Risks of early sports specialization include higher rates of injury, increased psychological stress, and quitting sports at a young age
Some degree of sports specialization is necessary to develop elite-level skill development. However, 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