Growing up, I dreamt of being an AFL footballer. Full forward for Collingwood. Brownlow Medal. Premierships. The works.
For various reasons, the largest being a lack of skill, this did not pan out.
Many children have the same dream, to be a star in their given sport. They pursue this sport passionately from a young age, pouring blood, sweat, tears and countless hours into reaching this goal.
It turns out however, that focusing heavily on just one sport is not the greatest idea at a young age! There are many benefits in kids playing multiple, varying sports. These include:
- Avoiding burnout: variation in sport helps to keep it fun, the main reason kids play sport!
- Avoiding overuse injury: playing one sport uses growing bones and muscles in one way. Variety helps to develop different muscle groups rather than overloading the same ones.
- Developing different skills: the more sports a child plays, the more opportunity they have to develop as a well-rounded athlete by learning different skills.
- More opportunity to make friends: social interaction with a wider range of people.
- Good life learning opportunities: as kids adapt to different challenges, coaches, teammates, and game styles, they will learn to be resilient and adaptable.
So, what does this mean practically for your child? It is okay to have a sport that your child is particularly good at and focuses on. But don’t forget to mix it up – help growing bones and muscles to encounter different loads, develop different athletic skill sets, help them to enjoy sport and have fun! This will ultimately lead to a better athlete in the long run.
This article is written by Tom Collier, Physiotherapist at Back In Motion Eltham.
If you would like further information, please contact our practice on 9439 6776 to book in a consultation with Tom.