Is sport
"specialization" a contributing factor to the increased
incidence of overuse injuries in athletes? Some will have
you believe that specliazing in one sport is detrimental to
performance and possibly even dangerous.
Our position
at GoWags is that young athletes who want to participate in
other sports should do so. But not because being a single
sport athlete is inherently dangerous. We recognize that
time is a gift; fleeting for each and every one of us. We
believe in and strive for balanced living ourselves, and so
encourage our "charges" to experience all healthy things
that life has to offer.
That being
said, is sport specialization and off-season training
problematic? What about the young athlete who has tried
other sports and activities, but absolutely loves baseball,
and wants to excel there? What if, in reality, the choice is
off-season training or the Xbox? What about dedicated
athletes who willingly commit their time to one sport, fully
knowing that fulfilling dreams comes with some sacrifice?
Better yet, what about the high level pitcher who may have
to end his career if he doesn't soon get to the root of his
nagging shoulder?
Seasonal rest
and varying sports is still sound advice, but overly
simplistic. Besides, ask any 16-year old to rest, and
they'll be back in a week or two, saying that they've had
all the rest they can take.
Due to the
high-speed, repetitive, and ballistic nature of hitting and
especially pitching, baseball players do need some degree of
variation in skill practice and conditioning. But it is
possible and entirely beneficial for single sport athletes
to train smart and hard during the off-season, with the goal
of returning bigger and better and less prone to injury for
the next competitive period.
The
competitive season is not the time to try tweaks to your
hitting and pitching mechanics. Nor is it the best time to
train with white-hot, record-breaking intensity in the
weight room. The competitive season is not the time to
nit-pick problems in anatomical structure and function, for
by then it's too late. The shoulder or knee is sore, and
it's often an "entire body" problem, not just a bad shoulder
or knee.
Whether a
single- or multi-sport athlete, there's no substitute for
intelligent training, with appropriate seasonal variation.
There's also no substitute for identifying individual
anatomical differences that may lead athletes down the road
of injury. In other words, it's not only what you're doing
in training, but how you do it!
Find the next
generation of what and how in baseball/softball preparation,
specifically for you, at GoWags.