Every month PopWarner.com will feature an article written by 2003 Gold Football Award winner Pat McInally, GoodSports' founder and NFL alumnus. McInally is spreading the word that sports should help kids learn, teach the importance of physical fitness and complement schooling.

DID YOU KNOW: McInally recieved the 2003 Pop Warner Gold Football Award at the 43rd Annual Scholar Banquet

POP WARNER SPECIALIZATION

By Pat McInally, Director of PacifiCare's GoodSports Program

“You know, son, if you stick with your soccer, you can develop the skills to really become good. Maybe you should get on one of those team that plays all year.”

“But, Dad, then I wouldn't be able to play other sports. I really like football and baseball and basketball.”

It's a conversation that probably is heard often. As some sports grow to year-round competition, monopolizing a young athlete's participation, is it helping develop skills or, by robbing the youngster of multiple experiences, actually hurting him (or her)?

At GoodSports, our principle is simple: let your kids enjoy as many sports as possible, for as long as possible. In the long run, we believe most youngsters' all-around athleticism and mental preparation will prosper because of the varied experiences.

Look at some our best professionals: baseball's Cal Ripken Jr. was an all-state soccer player, Deion Sanders was an all-state basketball player but played professional baseball and football, baseball's Tom Glavine was a star hockey player drafted by the NHL, basketball's Michael Jordan nearly pitched his Little League baseball team into the national finals, football's Dan Marino's goal as a youngster was to win a World Series, not a Super Bowl (as it turned out, perhaps a more realistic one).

Of course, there are success stories such as Tiger Woods, whose golf began at age 3, and seemingly large numbers of child gymnasts and swimmers.

It is generally a fact that specialization eventually will win out. By the professional, collegiate and even high school level, team sports are dominated by specialization and constant substitution. Athletes seldom stay on the field, or court, throughout games and fewer still, when they reach the higher levels of competition, play more than one sport as they climb up to to their greatest potential.

But don't rush your kids into that specialization.

Here's what the American Academy on Pediatrics said about the issue in a June, 2000, policy statement:

“Children involved in sports should be encouraged to participate in a variety of different activities and develop a wide range of skills. Young athletes who specialize in just one sport may be denied the benefits of varied activity while facing additional physical, physiologic, and psychologic demands from intense training and competition.”

In fact, demands of year-round soccer and other sports are beginning to smother young athletes. With the growth of travel teams, club programs and even personal trainers, parents and children are being pressured very early on to commit to specialization. In many cases, they are even focusing on specific positions within a sport.

This can be a big mistake. Young athletes should be watching and learning to keep their options open as long as possible and to play as many sports as they enjoy and excel in, as long as they can.

There are good reasons to participate in a variety of sports:

--Each sport develops different physical skills, coordination and conditioning -- all of which can result in overall athletic growth.

--Each sport requires a different mental approach, yields a variety of experiences, and breeds discipline which can be applied to other sports.

--A variety of coaches, in different sports, can provide a broader background of fundamentals, strategies and performance tips.

--Playing different sports can help youngsters avoid mental burnout, injuries and letting a sport becoming work, instead of fun.

--Playing different sports early on can give athletes an edge when they are forced to specialize later on, because of their well-rounded experiences.

--Building competence in a variety of sports can build self-esteem, enjoyment, motivation and goal-orientation skills.

-- Playing a variety of sports can reduce kids' fear of trying, can teach that performance errors are part of the learning process, and can reduce fears of getting hurt.

Parents need to understand how important it is for young athletes to broaden their overall athletic skills, conditioning and competitive experience if their youngsters are going to reach their fullest potential.

These athletes need time and a variety of experiences to find which sport best fits their talents and drive to excel as they reach more competitive levels. Also, size, speed and strength are developed over time and have to be applied to an activity, so specializing in one sport or position early on may have no basis for reality as their bodies fill out and their priorities surface.

One of the great things about football, for example, is that it actually promotes non-specialization. First off, almost every player begins after having played baseball, soccer, basketball or other sports. They then continue to play these while competing in football, in most cases, all the way through high school. If you look around the NFL, an extremely high percentage of players competed in other sports. Many continue playing basketball or other sports in the off-season for fun, conditioning and competition, throughout their careers.

How often have you heard a professional head coach, scout or director of player personnel state that they were going to draft the best athlete available, regardless of position, when their first-round selection came up? Or that many college scholarships are given to the best athletes with the most versatility and potential, instead of those who were the biggest stars in high school?

“Playing lots of different sports can give athletes a broader athletic background, more flexibility to change sports and positions within those sports and reach their fullest potential later in their athletic careers,” says Gil Brandt, NFL.Com consultant and long-time, legendary, player personnel director for the Dallas Cowboys.

So, parents, don't rush. Encourage your kids to play as many sports as they can, as long as they desire to. Give them a realistic opportunity to discover what sport they're most talented in, which one they enjoy most and, ultimately, in which one their genetics -- height, weight, speed and strength – as well as their personal, emotional and mental strengths, will give them the greatest chances of success.

posted October 1, 2003