If all one needed to do to excel at anything was practice the sport, then there would be no need for strength and conditioning coaches. One of the big problems with younger athletes is they tend to specialize too soon.
Here is some food for thought
?Harre, from the former East Germany, conducted an experimental longitudinal
study, while Nagorni, from the former USSR, carried out a descriptive longitudinal survey regarding youth developmental programs. Their results yielded similar, significant findings. Over a period of 14 years, Harre sampled a large population of
children, from the ages of 9 to 12 years old, dividing them into two groups. The first group was exposed to the traditional North American, early specialization program.
While the other group followed the general, multilateral approach and developed their sport specific traits simultaneously. The results, found in Table 1, conclude that a multilateral training regimen is superior in the early stages of development and promotes
a strong, stable foundation for athletic success.
EARLY SPECIALIZATION
Performance improvements were
immediate
Best performances between 15-16
because of early adaptation
Performance inconsistencies within
competitions
By 18, many athletes quit or
?burnout?
Forced adaptation accounted for a
high rate of injuries
MULTILATERAL PROGRAM
Performance improvements were
continuous
Best performances over 18 due to
physical and mental maturation
Performance consistencies within
competitions
After 18, many athletes were
starting to ?come into their own?
Gradual adaptation accounted for a
low rate of injuries
The authors Haubenstricker and Seefeldt state that, ??readiness to learn is unique to each individual,? and ?Individuals are always in a state of readiness to learn something at any point during their lifespan. The challenge is to match an individual?s readiness with appropriate learning tasks (17).? In support of this view, Filipowicz and Turowski, determined that among children, physical qualities that determine sport talent are poorly
differentiated, thus all athletic abilities highly correlate. As the maturation process begins, these abilities gradually diverge so there is a lesser correlation among them. This
naturally occurring separation is similar to what occurs in the initial preparation stage. Initially, all abilities improve due to physical training and with gradual adaptation over time, the progress slows down and ultimately limits itself to the specific exercises trained (13). In other words, as the level of trainability increases, the transference of physical traits decreases resulting in specific adaptations (76). Therefore, through the
incorporation of a multi-faceted physical education program, a wide training effect is realized. Prescribed exercises that are general in nature, but specific in function, allow
improvements even though they are different than those of the desired sport type. This eliminates the hazards of repetitive stresses, early specialization, and the potential losses
from focusing on short-term gains at the expense of long-term goals.? (Myslinski, 2003)
