By Alexander Germanis
Jack of all trades. It is a figure of speech that has been in use since the 17th century and, originally, it had a very positive connotation. Only later was the “master of none” phrase added, robbing it of its initial meaning.
A fear of this supposed lack of mastery combined with an increasing competitiveness in the field of youth sports, has led away from being a jack of all sports toward specialization in a single sport. “It seems like it’s happening more and more,” says Nate Henry, director of sports performance at Bloomington’s Orthopedic and Sports Enhancement Center. “A few parents as well as some coaches and trainers feel as though the best option for a child is to specialize in one sport, and it’s just not the case.”
“Numerous studies point out that the risk of injury greatly improves with early specialization,” he continues. “Your bones are still growing and your muscles are slowly elongating and it really puts your muscles and bones at risk doing repetitive activity without anything counterbalancing that. For example, if a person specializes in cross-country running, that forward motion can make the hips and glutes weak.”
Backing up Nate’s words, the American Council of Pediatrics does not recommend specialization before the age of 13, although Nate has found, through his personal experience, that age should really be more in the 15-18 range. Furthermore, athletes of all ages are encouraged to take a one to two day respite from their sport each week and at least two months off for recovery each year.
In an area like Bloomington-Normal, however, “there’s a lot of competition and so even making a lot of the teams in town is really hard,” Nate says. “What youth sports is all about,” he reminds us, “is development first, enjoyment second, and third is winning and that ultra-competitiveness. I feel like that number three takes over at times and that leads to specialization.”
Furthermore, “Kids feel that social pressure to make the team or be the best player,” Nate continues. “That drives what you wear, how you act, everything; so it’s only natural for it to drive the child. But it’s up to the coach and the parent to dissuade against that. It’s collective — the parents, trainers, and the coach need to have the level heads.”
Yet there may still be the argument that a specialized athlete is simply becoming a master at their best sport. “Trying to identify your best sport is unpredictable because you don’t know how the kid is going to develop,” Nate advises. “At 12 and 13, my best sport was, without a doubt, baseball,” he recalls. “And it ended up being my third best sport when I came into my own as a junior and senior in high school.”
Playing that many sports or even a second sport may not appeal to some young athletes, however. But Nate has a way to deal with that. “We can counteract some of that by enhancing and balancing what they are doing.”
“For a shortstop playing year round baseball,” he cites, “there are many more aspects of the game. As a shortstop you need to be agile, so we’re going to focus on agility, on developing leg power. But we’re not going to pick up a bat; we’re not going to pick up a ball. We’re going to focus on acceleration to get to first base faster instead of focusing on the skill of the sport. And we can do that for all sports.”
The key is to open up the body to all three planes of motion: the sagittal, or forward and backward motion; the frontal, side-to-side; and the transverse, or rotational movement. According to Nate, playing only one sport can end up “overdeveloping” a particular plane, whereas working all three planar movements is “necessary to make one less injury-prone, and make a stronger, more balanced, more powerful athlete overall.”
The best route to this multi-planar movement is, of course, through a diversification of sports. “The best athletes are diversified athletes,” Nate says. After all, “so much can translate from one sport to another.”
To be a jack of all sports then has its advantages. Seeking to be a master of one, specifically while a young athlete’s body is still growing, is unwise. “Youth sports are on the rise and that’s good; I just wish it didn’t lead to specialization,” Nate says. “It’s common sense that you’re going to develop into a more holistic athlete the more sports you play.”
For more information on the programs available at the Orthopedic & Sports Enhancement Center, you may call 309-663-9300 or visit them online at www.sportsenhancement.net. They are located at 2406 East Empire in Bloomington.
Photo credit: RBFried/iStock