Young Athletes

By: Janet Borchardt

There are many guidelines and recommendations made by experts as to how young athletes should be participating in athletics. The one that pertains most to this paper is that most say that specializing isn’t bad, as long as it isn’t started until the athlete has finished puberty, which is typically around 16 and during their high school career. It’s recommended that youth shouldn’t participate “In a single sport for more than eight months per year, in more hours of organized sports per week than their age, or in multiple leagues of the same sport at the same time” (McGuine, et al). These guidelines have been studied and proven by many to provide youth with a more positive athletic experience if followed.

Additionally, each age group of athletes has their own tweaks to these rules that they should be following. For those twelve and under, they should spend 80% of their active time playing rather than intensively focusing on a sport. From ages 13-15, there should be a 50/50 split between the athlete’s chosen sport and other sports. Once the athlete is 16, they are typically developed enough so that specialization won’t take the toll that it does on younger kids. However, they should still spend 20% of their training time on a different sport or casually playing. This information is vital for parents and coaches to know, however, it’s been found that only about 20% are aware of these guidelines.