Specialization in Youth Athletes and How it Affects Their Development

Abstract

Youth sport specialization has been a growing concern over the last decade. While parents feel the need to specialize their kids at a young age, they may not be fully aware of the potential risk associated with sport specialization. As youth athletes age, they need proper growing and maturation throughout early, mid, and late adolescence to achieve proper development. Prior review of literature from this study proves how sport specialization can cause negative effects through overuse injuries and dysfunctions, psychological issues, and lack of sleep which may disrupt proper development. Preventative measures such as diversity of activity, neuromuscular training interventions, and specializing at the proper age may help lower the severity of risks that sport specialization present. The purpose of this synthesis study is to review literature on youth sport specialization to determine the effect that it has on overall youth athlete development.