Risks and Benefits of Youth Sport Specialization: Perspectives and Recommendations

By Lenny D. Wiersma. 2000

286 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Subfields: Developmental and Educational Psychology, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6b1baa5e795346460395d6370e9f44096af1f37e

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Developmental and Educational Psychology

1. J. Côté
2. J. Fraser-Thomas
3. J. Baker
4. D. Gould
5. J. Deakin
6. David J. Hancock
7. S. Cobley
8. A. Fonseca

In Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

1. J. Côté
2. J. Fraser-Thomas
3. J. Baker
4. S. Cobley
5. J. Deakin
6. Patrícia Coutinho
7. I. Mesquita
8. A. Fonseca

Citations in the corpus

• Annual Age-Grouping and Athlete Development (2009, background): “This position is further substantiated by an expanding literature illustrating concerns for the physiological and psychosocial welfare of athletes involved in intensive training from early ages.([78-80]) Delaying selection might reduce RAEs and indirectly help reduce the risk of compromising health ”
• Characteristics of expert development in rhythmic gymnastics: A retrospective study (2007, background): “This early start of intense specialized practice among our rhythmic gymnasts raises ethical issues and associated risks to this type of youth sport specialization (Wiersma, 2000) .”
• Early Sport Specialization (2010, background): “Benefits and Detriments of Early Sport Specialization A number of authors (e.g., Donnelly, Caspersen, Sergeant, & Steenhof, 1993; Ewing, Laskey, & Munk, 2008; Hill & Simons, 1989; Wiersma, 2000) have discussed the benefits and detriments of sport specialization and intense sport involvement for yout”
• Talent development in sport: A critical review of pathways to expert performance (2016, background): “The early specialisation approach to talent development in sport includes an early start age in one sport and an early investment in focused intensive training such as deliberate practice.(16,17,46) According to the original study of Ericsson et al.”
• Early Specialization in Youth Sport: a requirement for adult expertise? (2003, unknown): “Successful negotiation of these constraints can lead to the highest levels of perform ance while unsuccessful negotiation can lead to burnout and/or dropout from sport (Wiersma, 2000).”
• ISSP position stand: To sample or to specialize? Seven postulates about youth sport activities that lead to continued participation and elite performance (2009, background): “Early specialization sport programs, with their strict emphasis on early selection, skill acquisition, and training during childhood, might reduce their coefficient of efficiency and eliminate someone who, through growth, maturation, and training, would later have developed into an elite level athle”
• What do we know about early sport specialization? Not much! (2009, background): “Wiersma (2000) proposed that early specialization occurs when children limit participation to a single sport on a year-round basis, with a deliberate focus on training and development in that sport.”
• An examination of the importance of performances in youth and junior competition as an indicator of later success in tennis (2012, background): “Additionally, tennis players who specialise early miss out on the development of generic motor skills and expose themselves to the risks associated with early specialisation (Wiersma, 2000).”
• Why do children take part in, and remain involved in sport? A literature review and discussion of implications for sports coaches (2013, background): “This is obviously problematic as these practices might not align with children’s developmental needs (Wiersema, 2000).”
• Expertise in Ultra-Endurance Triathletes Early Sport Involvement, Training Structure, and the Theory of Deliberate Practice (2005, background): “Additional research is needed to determine the importance of early specialization in the acquisition of sport skill, particularly in light of the negative consequences associated with this approach (Wiersma, 2000).”
• Examining Adolescent Sport Dropout and Prolonged Engagement from a Developmental Perspective (2008, background): “, training camps, dry land training) until athletes are physically and psychosocially ready, provide individual attention to all program participants, keep athletes with peers within their own age-group, and facilitate effective communication with parents (Côté & Fraser-Thomas, 2007; MacPhail & Kirk”