‘Hey kid, you’re 10 years old, want to play in college? Stop playing other sports.” An exaggeration, maybe? But in today’s youth Sports World it’s sadly not far from the truth. Where working hard in season use to be the norm, now we have added summer tournament travel, off season leagues and year round instruction. And the result is, Specialization. Driven by the mantra “More is Better.” And more significantly the “Scholarship” train.
Here is the reality, “More” most often is simply working more, not necessarily harder and certainly not smarter. And less than 2% of high school athletes receive athletic scholarships. So what’s the answer? How do parents and young athletes make smart
choices concerning athletic development?
College coaches preach the value in playing multiple sports (speaks to athleticism and the ability and desire to compete) which juxtaposes the prevailing message delivered to parents and youth players by program directors and coaches, “You want to excel, you need to play year round.”
The benefits of being a multiple sport athlete are numerous:
For all athletes here is why it’s not only about games when it comes to Athletic Development
– Team Practice/Individual Lessons is an athlete’s Classroom Instruction
– Individual Practice is the athlete’s Homework
– The Game is the athlete’s Test.
The above three components are equally vital to the athletic learning and developmental Process. Any off season plan must incorporate all three, to ensure the athlete is working not only hard but smart. No student will learn just taking tests. No athlete will improve just playing games.
Working Smart
The Athletic Process: Leaning How to Compete
To view the Athletic Process segment visit Tap Corner at athleticpitcherseries.com
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