Local coaches on multi-sport debate | Cody Futrell

West Ouachita coach Joey Pender said that each sport builds on a different fundamental aspect of being a top football player and he encourages players

to in that. “Track builds toughness and baseball and basketball are good for hand and eye coordination,” Pender said. “I don’t understand the drive to specialize

kids. Playing multiple sports gives them a competiveness and they become well rounded.” READ MORE

Early Specialization/ Nine Reasons Why It Is a Bad Idea | MomsTeam

If parents choose not to allow their child to specialize or play on a select team too early, not only will they be doing that child a huge favor, but, if enough parents “just say no” to select teams and early specialization, we can create the balanced, child-centered youth sports system. READ MORE

Avoiding sport specialization helps kids have fun, discover themselves / WRAL.com

“I’ve heard so-called experts say that your child needs to pick one sport to concentrate on by age 10,” says two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Mia Hamm. “And I think that’s just sad. Skills I learned from the other sports helped me be a better soccer player,” she said. “Basketball improved my balance. Playing softball, I learned to track a ball in flight.” READ MORE

3 Reasons to Encourage Playing Multiple Sports | James Leath

College recruiters don’t want someone with only one set of skills. Skills Can be taught, but athleticism is earned through years of acceleration, deceleration, rotational power, Read and react, and all the other things an athlete learns by participating in multiple sports. READ MORE

‘One of the worst things to happen to the game’/ The toll year-round hockey takes on young athletes | National Post

“I was absolutely ecstatic to see the end of the hockey season,” Gretzky told the National Post in 2000. “One of the worst things to happen to the game, in my opinion, has been year-round hockey and, in particular, summer hockey. All it does for kids, as far as I can tell, is keep them out of sports they should be doing in the warmer weather.” READ MORE