I received an e-mail this morning from an area high school volleyball coach asking me for any scientific literature I could provide regarding the benefit of private coaching for athletes. My area of expertise (if there is such a thing) is exercise physiology, not motor learning, per se, so I don’t have a file of articles from which to share. It is requiring some digging on my part and my calling upon colleagues with more experience in this area. Nonetheless, I am inspired to share some thoughts on sport specialization and, more specifically, where parents spend their money in support of their child’s sports dreams.
There is a trend in youth sports to pressure kids to specialize at younger ages—despite the evidence that early sports specialization (prior to the age of 12) may actually be detrimental. While parents and coaches may accepted recommendations against early specialization, there seems to be a rush to specialization once the child hits 8th or 9th grade. Much of this, in my opinion is driven by the club sport industry, coaches (particularly club team coaches), and parental competition. Sadly, this pursuit of the rare college scholarship is likely costing the parent the price of a college education!
A secondary symptom of the early rush to sports specialization is the parental demand for “sport-specific” training. This includes the off-season (if the athlete truly has an off-season) general preparatory training, as well as private skill coaching. Again, the demand for this is driven by the club sport industry, coaches (particularly club team coaches), and parental competition. Other than team practice and drills, however, there is no such thing as “sport-specific training”! It is true that specific sports may have different emphases, but when it comes down to sports training, all athletes are faced with the same health-related components of physical fitness (i.e., cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and body composition) and motor skill-related components of physical fitness (i.e., speed, power, agility, balance, coordination, and reaction time). These contribute to overall “athleticism”, but there is not sport-specific requirement in training. Muscle does not know for what sport it is contracting! One’s ability to change direction and move explosively is the same whether the athlete is a volleyball player, football player, basketball player, or wrestler. I hear quite often from collegiate coaches that they recruit athletes not position players.
But what about specific sport skills? Surely, it is a good investment to pay professional coaches to teach them? Perhaps, but to what extent? It is increasingly common for parents to invest thousands of dollars in position coaching for their child. While this may be useful for some athletes, there is the question of the return on the investment. If there were such a thing as a Sports Economist (and perhaps there is), I would suspect that he/she would present significant evidence that the benefit is next to zero. Even for that quarterback prodigy who is being recruited in the seventh grade by D-I colleges. First, if the kid is good enough, he/she is good enough. The fundamental hardware is there (as David Epstein, Sports Gene, might say). The software will develop with time and practice. All the attention too early might lead to burn out or self-destruction (e.g., Todd Marinovich) or the late realization that the athlete’s success lay elsewhere (e.g., David Sills V). A much more practical approach is for the athlete to attend quality sports camps and spending time playing (a variety of sports activities).
Opportunity costs. One of the most important lessons I try to drive home for my students is that everything we do comes at the expense of something more or less important. This is especially true of sports training. For parents, it is not only time but money. If you want your athlete to get a college education, first, prioritize academics, and second, save money! A good athlete will find his or her place on a team. The better the athlete the better the opportunity. Invest in general athletic ability before sport-specific skill. What is going to make a kid a better athlete is:
1. physical activity—let the kid play and have fun.
2. general preparatory training—allow an off-season for physical conditioning; dollars a much better invested with a competent strength and conditioning coach than a positions coach.
3. don’t buy into the club sport mentality—your athlete doesn’t get better by association. Just because you mortgage your house to pay for your athlete to be on a travel squad does not guarantee success. Encourage the athlete to participate in multiple sports.
4. failure—the best athletes become the best athletes by learning what not to do as much as by learning what to do. Having a positions coach teaching the athlete how to properly execute a movement is great, but failure will teach the athlete what to do when circumstances change. Athletic movement patterns must become instinctive. Elite performance comes with diligent practice.
5. Allowing the sport to be enjoyable.
6. Let coaches coach.
Your athlete has the genes you gave them. This can’t be changed. No amount of private coaching can overcome poor genes. If the genetic potential is there, it is just a matter of practice. The best practice is what will make the athlete a better athlete—which has less to do with playing the specific sport more.
If other parents are telling you that you need to specialize in order to make the varsity squad, it is probably because they are afraid their kid doesn’t have the skills to make the varsity squad. Rest assured, if your athlete is truly athletic, he or she will be desired by the coaches—even the coach who threatens that the athlete won’t see playing time if he/she doesn’t participate in year-around training. For one, that coach doesn’t see the harm that he or she is causing the athletes. Secondly, that coach probably has a financial interest in your athlete’s participation.
Before you consider your investment in club sports and private coaching read this:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/8-things-you-should-know-about-sports-scholarships/
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!