I will 100% respectfully disagree. You can ask any recruiter out there if they want specialization and they will tell you absolutely not. We have become a society of if I train in one sport year round I have a better chance. That is false and it is proved over again and again at the college level. But high school coaches think that you have to have them 24/7/365 and that is just not the case. I wish more and more people in this state would understand this.

 

We are talking about 2 totaly different types of athletes. Unless you have a DI body, you will fall behind in other sports. OSU's WRs who played basketball weren't falling behind on the football field b/c they were better athletes than the kids on the other side of the field. Their linemen weren't going to not get DI scholarships b/c you can't teach that type of athleticism at 6'5 300+ lbs. Those kids could have not played another sport and still gotten the full ride. It was up to the kids. It is the D3 type athlete that get hurt by not specializing. Where they would really have to hone skill throughout the year be it BBall, Soccer, or baseball, they are getting passed up in those sports by kids who do focus. It is up to the athlete to balance, do I want to improve very marginal chances of going higher than D3, or do I want to be a role player in all 3 sports.

The multi-sport people have provided factual numbers and with more digging could provide more. The focus on 1 sport people have supplied smoke and mirrors to distract and change the question? Do they have any actual facts? :popcorn:

The multi-sport people have provided factual numbers and with more digging could provide more. The focus on 1 sport people have supplied smoke and mirrors to distract and change the question? Do they have any actual facts? :popcorn:

 

I don't know what this means. You can make stats say whatever you want. The fact is that Ezekial didn't get a scholarship to THE OSU b/c he played basketball or ran track. He got a scholarship to play for the Bucks b/c he is a genetic freak like 98% of that roster. If you are a marginal athlete, and you are in a highly skilled sport like soccer or bball, then you have to practice that skill continually or you will fall behind to the kids that do.

I don't know what this means. You can make stats say whatever you want. The fact is that Ezekial didn't get a scholarship to THE OSU b/c he played basketball or ran track. He got a scholarship to play for the Bucks b/c he is a genetic freak like 98% of that roster. If you are a marginal athlete, and you are in a highly skilled sport like soccer or bball, then you have to practice that skill continually or you will fall behind to the kids that do.

 

Everyones point is that if you are a marginal athlete specializing is going to help you get a scholarship! It doesn't benefit anyone but the extra coaches and personal trainers making money off the kids.

Is a 6'3" receiver running a 4.7 40 better off playing basketball, or , speed training????????

Everyones point is that if you are a marginal athlete specializing is going to help you get a scholarship! It doesn't benefit anyone but the extra coaches and personal trainers making money off the kids.

 

No, what it means is that you are doing what you can to get a scholarship. Chances are much better that no matter how hard you work, you won't get a scholarship b/c you aren't that type of athlete. That being said, you will have a more successful high school career in your sport of choice. Therein lies the dilemma. Do you want to be good and maybe great at one sport, or marginal at all 3? That is something that only the athlete can answer.

And thanks for your last 3 posts doing exactly what I called in my original post.

Is a 6'3" receiver running a 4.7 40 better off playing basketball, or , speed training????????

 

Both....playing basketball and doing this little thing called running track.

Most look at this issue in regards to skill positions. Its a lineman issue as well.

 

I would get compliments on kids who were linemen being 'quick, good footwork, explosive - how do they do that?'.

 

Answer was simple - they played hockey. You play ice hockey and you will have good footwork, flexible ankles, quick launch, ability to spin around with one leg planted.

 

If I could make one recommendation to linemen - learn to ice skate and play hockey if you can.

 

I like your line of thought on this subject, however, know asking a lineman to ice skate is similar to asking a skill position player to do ballet! :lol2: A tough sell either way. Plyometrics is a good medium. Swimming is even better! :sssh:

Interesting read. Avoid The Travel-Team Trap: Single-Sport Specialization More Likely To Bring Pain Than Scholarship - Forbes

 

And these statistics tell the story. Specialization or not 93+% of high school athletes will not play at the college level.

 

https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Probability-of-going-pro-methodology_Update2013.pdf

Interesting read. Avoid The Travel-Team Trap: Single-Sport Specialization More Likely To Bring Pain Than Scholarship - Forbes

 

And these statistics tell the story. Specialization or not 93+% of high school athletes will not play at the college level.

 

https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Probability-of-going-pro-methodology_Update2013.pdf

Good stuff. Playing one sport increases the chances of "over-use" injuries by a great margin. It also can and does "mentally burn out" many kids.

Also, facts being that most people never play sports beyond high school... Why not enjoy the once in a lifetime experience of playing multiple high school sports?

Again, it's up to the individual.. But I think most athletes benefit from playing at least 2 sports.

Good stuff. Playing one sport increases the chances of "over-use" injuries by a great margin. It also can and does "mentally burn out" many kids.

Also, facts being that most people never play sports beyond high school... Why not enjoy the once in a lifetime experience of playing multiple high school sports?

Again, it's up to the individual.. But I think most athletes benefit from playing at least 2 sports.

 

I agree that if you want to play more than one then you should for sure. If football and soccer were in different seasons, my boys would do both.

 

The problem w/ specialization isn't specialization. If a kid loves a sport, then they will be playing it on their own whether in season or not. Actually, they'll probably be playing more than they would in season at the local playground or wherever. The problem w/ specialization are the parents who don't understand how college recruiting works. Playing for a high club level/travel team is all well and good, but if your kid can't hit 85 on the radar gun, or is too slow, nothing is going to help get them beyond the kids that can throw or run fast in a coach's eyes.

I agree that if you want to play more than one then you should for sure. If football and soccer were in different seasons, my boys would do both.

 

The problem w/ specialization isn't specialization. If a kid loves a sport, then they will be playing it on their own whether in season or not. Actually, they'll probably be playing more than they would in season at the local playground or wherever. The problem w/ specialization are the parents who don't understand how college recruiting works. Playing for a high club level/travel team is all well and good, but if your kid can't hit 85 on the radar gun, or is too slow, nothing is going to help get them beyond the kids that can throw or run fast in a coach's eyes.

 

This is the problem right here.

 

Also, I might add (and, I know you you were just throwing out an example w/ the hitting 85 comment), but a kid hitting 85 or so as a junior or senior is as common as the day is long if he is a righty.

 

Most people just don't get it. I hear it all the time, "Well, so and so is a heck of a pitcher. He throws 86." Get in line (if a junior or senior...if younger...room to grow).

 

Or the same about a junior-senior golfer who is in that 72-76 range. Solid kid, no doubt...problem is...there are Lord knows how many (hundreds, maybe even thousands) in Bama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida etc. who are that good and then some.

 

I hate to be so blunt and sound like Debbie Downer, but the fact is, parents are the problem with a lot of this 'specialization' ideas and what they think is GOOD/SPECIAL is really just COMMON in the grand scheme of things.

I would love to see a basketball chart. I would bet it would be the opposite if you took 47 D1 recruits, 42 would play basketball only and 5 would play multiple sports.

 

I don't know about that.

 

I will say a lot of DI kids probably dropped football their Sr. year, but knowing the few coaches I know and their roster, many kids were top level athletes in other sports.

The Detrimental Effect of Early Sport Specialization | Changing the Game Project

Among other fact based info in there, "Most College Athletes Come From a Multi-Sport Background: A 2013 American Medical Society for Sports Medicine survey found that 88% of college athletes surveyed participated in more than one sport as a child"