1.Mental Toughness Gained through Adversity

 

2.Physical Maturation of the Whole Body

 

3.Prevent Burnout

 

3 Reasons to Encourage Playing Multiple Sports | Coach Notes

Play'em all.

Play'em all.

 

I agree Harry.

Agreed. Dad was an old school football, wrestling and track coach. Many of his most successful athletes competed in all three.

My dad got me a shirt one time when I was about 10 or so.....on the front it had all of these sports listed...from football to tiddly winks and everything in between it seemed.

 

On the back it read...

 

"Rest When Your Dead"

 

....wish I still had it. Proud to have grown up in a family where it was encouraged, as was making time for other hobbies.

 

Whole hell of a lot more to life than being completely consumed by playing and/or coaching a single sport.

Edited April 15, 201610 yr by Harry Doyle

Agreed. Dad was an old school football, wrestling and track coach. Many of his most successful athletes competed in all three.

 

Now that's old school. Love hearing stories about those guys.

Speaking of various sports, does anyone here have any history with playing the game Tetherball?

 

I've never played it, and it was never played on any of the playgrounds that I grew up around, yet I used to see it being played here and there in other schoolyards in other neighborhoods etc...

 

I looked up the rules on youtube just to get a quick understanding, and while I suppose I can sorta get the attraction, it mostly seems like something that I would get bored and annoyed with in a short period of time.

 

Is this a game that anyone has ever taken seriously, or is it just something for kids to do to pass the time and jump around some to work up a sweat, and to expire their wild energy?

 

It seems rather one dimensional, but since I've never played it perhaps there's more of a technique about it than I'm aware at first glance.

 

Play as many as you can

I always felt every athlete who played fall and winter sports like football, soccer , basketball and wrestling should do track in the spring if they weren't a good baseball player. Help develop and keep in shape.

So here's a question... if a football player also plays baseball when he could be lifting with the football team in the spring, how does that effect his strength and conditioning for football?

 

I am assuming that lifting for football will do more for strength and muscle mass development than any conditioning he does at baseball. So, if a kid is trying to get on the field during football season, will playing baseball in the spring make that more difficult?

So here's a question... if a football player also plays baseball when he could be lifting with the football team in the spring, how does that effect his strength and conditioning for football?

 

I am assuming that lifting for football will do more for strength and muscle mass development than any conditioning he does at baseball. So, if a kid is trying to get on the field during football season, will playing baseball in the spring make that more difficult?

 

Baseball in the spring is no different than playing a sport in the winter. And while any football related work you do in the offseason will help, for most kids, in most situations, missing 3 months of lifting because of baseball (or any other sport) is going to kill your chances to play football. If you can play, you can play. I know plenty of kids that have done both successfully (my oldest son included). And really for a kid who is truly committed, it is possible to get stuff done in the weight room while playing another sport.

I feel the exact same way as Harry, Guru, McPapa and others in that I feel that should a high school kid want to, can handle it along with balancing academics then yes, "Play em' All". :thumb:

I support a very small, 1A school and with the much smaller enrollment than the bigger schools the number of athletes is naturally less. Should what I term as "Pure, all around athletes" be limited to only one sport then it hurts the other sports as they could obviously contribute greatly to that sports success as well. #1, if the kid can balance playing multiple sports along with their academics (not hurt their studies / grades) then why not. I don't feel as some do that concentrating on one sport only makes a kid a lot better in that chosen sport. As guru mentioned, playing multiple sports prevents burnout on the one sport only. I have seen kids do exactly that ... by the time they are a senior they are so tired / bored with the one sport and nothing else it causes them to become not as enthusiastic over that same sport and some end up not playing any.

Another point and maybe the most important ... a kid is only in high school once in their life. Those few years can become some of the best memories of your life. Why limit what a kid is capable of doing ? Another thing is a very large majority of high school athletes will not play at the next level / college sports and high school is their one and only chance at that opportunity. Even fewer will be good enough to play professional sports so they won't be making a living at that "one" sport they were more than likely told to concentrate on for their future.

Bottom Line --- "Play em' All" !

"Old School" alumni here, "Old School" is the "Best school"

 

Yes, I know this is long and I "Ramble" on, I have the right to remain silent .... Just not the ability.

So here's a question... if a football player also plays baseball when he could be lifting with the football team in the spring, how does that effect his strength and conditioning for football?

 

I am assuming that lifting for football will do more for strength and muscle mass development than any conditioning he does at baseball. So, if a kid is trying to get on the field during football season, will playing baseball in the spring make that more difficult?

 

 

I was waiting for something like this.

 

Lifting for football is great, as long as it is done correctly and heavy weight isn't lifted until the body is ready for it....some kids that is 15 some it is 16.

 

The problem with the football explosion in this state is that we have a lot of coaches who have no clue how a body develops before, during, and after puberty. Lifting weights is part of the equation of a good athlete but it doesn't really come into play until a kids freshmen or sophomore year.

 

I'm also not just throwing football under the bus, baseball parents and coaches have kids throw way to much and basketball is being played at the AAU level way to young.

 

Let them play everything and have fun.

 

The reason we haven't seen a Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson isn't because athletes are worse, it's because parents and coaches have tunnel vision and a lot are idiots......

So here's a question... if a football player also plays baseball when he could be lifting with the football team in the spring, how does that effect his strength and conditioning for football?

 

I am assuming that lifting for football will do more for strength and muscle mass development than any conditioning he does at baseball. So, if a kid is trying to get on the field during football season, will playing baseball in the spring make that more difficult?

 

The coaches I had always recommended football players to play basketball because it helped with foot speed and agility. Baseball on the other hand gets right in the middle of spring ball/winter weights. They never said you can't play baseball but there is always a difference in physical condition come summer between the players that played baseball and the ones that went all through winter weights and spring ball. Which leads to those players that went through winter weights/spring ball all year being in a better position to win a spot on the field over the summer.

I was waiting for something like this.

 

Lifting for football is great, as long as it is done correctly and heavy weight isn't lifted until the body is ready for it....some kids that is 15 some it is 16.

 

The problem with the football explosion in this state is that we have a lot of coaches who have no clue how a body develops before, during, and after puberty. Lifting weights is part of the equation of a good athlete but it doesn't really come into play until a kids freshmen or sophomore year.

 

I'm also not just throwing football under the bus, baseball parents and coaches have kids throw way to much and basketball is being played at the AAU level way to young.

 

Let them play everything and have fun.

 

The reason we haven't seen a Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson isn't because athletes are worse, it's because parents and coaches have tunnel vision and a lot are idiots......

 

Yep. And since you mention AAU and travel ball, they are the number one reason kids aren't playing multiple sports. These leagues have destroyed the local/community leagues. Nowadays, the idea, is if you aren't good enough to play travel/AAU, then you don't play at all. 20+ years ago, kids played in local leagues up through the beginning of high school.

 

And while football doesn't have a travel/AAU circuit, there are more and more people that believe you have to be 100% football first in order to be successful. It drives me crazy to hear kids giving up sports to focus on another. And with the growth and emphasis of spring football at the high school level, we'll continue to see less and less multi sport athletes.