The Effects That Sport Specialization has on Youth Athletes

Youth sport specialization is becoming more popular than ever. Many athletes, parents and coaches think that sport specialization is the best way to reach elite level status in a sport. However, athletes, parents and coaches don’t know all of the positive and negative effects of specialization in a sport. Whereas, sport specialization may help you gain skill development, it is also correlated with higher chances of overuse injuries, psychological stress, and burnout. The purpose of this study is to review the literature and investigate the effects of sport specialization on youth athletes. It was determined that specializing in a sport can allow an athlete to attain a higher level of performance. It was also determined that overuse injuries are the biggest disadvantage when specializing in a sport. Finally, it was determined that younger athletes are at more psychological and physical risk than older athletes.

Grantor dc:publisher

SUNY Brockport Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies, and Physical Education

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Spulnick, Michael S

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12648/14097

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:soar.suny.edu:20.500.12648/14097