Early Specialization v Multi-Sport Participation

I know that this is a tough topic for tennis parents. Your pre-puberty age child wants to be the next Maria Sharapova or Roger Federer and you want to help them attain that goal. Tennis is a sport that requires a very specific skill set to be perfected and an ability to make decisions very quickly in order to win. This is referred to as an 'open ended' sport. Many coaches believe that it takes hitting 10,000 balls to perfect these skills and countless hours of drilling helps achieve this goal.

The problem with specializing a child before puberty is that while attaining a very high proficiency at sport-specific tennis skills, they do not acquire the skills that are the foundation of all movement and sport. Running, jumping, throwing, kicking, catching, skipping, flexibility and hand eye coordination are all referred to as multi-lateral skills. The acquisition of these skills is essential for proper physiological and psychological development and long-term success in sport.

There is extensive research that supports overall physical development to early specialization. In a nutshell, it states that although there may be immediate success by those who specialize at a very early age, the success and the intensity of training is not carried into their professional careers. Success at the junior level does not guarantee success at the professional level. However, those who have played several different sports such as soccer, basketball, track and field or dance until puberty experienced much greater success and longevity at the professional level.

If your child is unable to participate formally in other sports than at least have them learn those skills in after-school or after-tennis play with siblings or neighbors. PUT DOWN THE RACKET once a day and work on other sport skills for at least 30 minutes. There are valuable psychological and social benefits to playing team sports and I believe this to be a vital step in the development of a grand slam champion.

I have posted a quick questionnaire and would love to hear from tennis or other one-sport parents regarding their experiences.