Benefits of Playing Multiple Sports

Child interested in sport specialization? Why they should reconsider.

Sports can foster physical and mental growth in children — not to mention, seeing your child have fun (and scoring a goal) is an exciting feeling.

But when your young athlete excels in a particular sport, you and your child may be tempted to commit to only that sport year-round. After all, wouldn’t spending more time on the baseball field lead to better results?

While single-sport specialization may sound like a good way to improve your child’s skills, research shows multisport athletes tend to do better — and stay healthier — in the long run.

“Sport specialization has been a trend recently that aligns with the increasing competition in youth sports,” says Mohamed Shitia, DO, a sports medicine physician at Geisinger. “But if your child only plays 1 sport, they’re more likely to overuse certain muscle groups, which increases the risk of injury.”

Encouraging kids to play multiple sports in different seasons — with time built in for rest — helps them physically, mentally and emotionally. Here’s how.

Benefits of playing multiple sports

In college, it’s not uncommon to be a multisport athlete. In fact, some of today’s best athletes grew up playing more than 1 sport.

“Playing multiple sports as a child builds a strong foundation for becoming a well-rounded athlete,” says Dr. Shitia. “Multisport athletes encounter diverse physical challenges, skill sets and strategic thinking — which in turn make kids better in their primary sport.”

Reduce risk of overuse injuries

Sports-related injuries are common, but kids who train in a single sport year-round are more likely to develop overuse injuries as a result of repetitive stress on growing bones, muscles and joints.

“Some examples of overuse injuries include conditions like tennis elbow, jumper’s knee, shin splints and little-league shoulder,” says Dr. Shitia. “These conditions occur when the body doesn’t have enough time to rest and recover.”

Most people think an athlete must practice around the clock to successfully train for a sport. In reality, rest and recovery are just as important as sport-specific training.

Repetitive motions like swinging a tennis racket or throwing a baseball can stress bones, muscles, ligaments or tendons, which can lead to injury or inflammation. The best treatment is often rest, but if the condition is severe, your child might need to see a sports medicine specialist.

“Part of the reason that overuse injuries are common in kids is that they’re still growing,” says Dr. Shitia. “Excessive and repetitive use of muscles and joints during growth spurts can cause serious, sometimes permanent, damage.”

If your child is showing symptoms of an overuse injury, ask them to stop playing and see their physician.

Develop different muscle groups for a well-rounded athlete

For muscles to grow, they need time to recover, and repeated use can cause long-term harm. By playing multiple sports, especially ones that are very different, your child can develop different muscle groups to improve overall strength and conditioning. And that can lead to being a better, well-rounded athlete.

“Focusing on a single sport can lead to repetitive strain injuries due to the consistent use of the same muscles and joints,” says Dr. Shitia. “But playing various sports allows muscles to work in different ways, providing necessary rest and recovery for overworked areas.”

Build versatile skills that transfer between sports

Other than avoiding an injury that can keep kids sidelined, being a multisport athlete lets your child refine and transfer skills between sports. For example, swimming would be a good complementary sport for a basketball player — strengthening their legs will help with their jumping. Or for a soccer player, learning to pivot and change directions quickly is an important skill come baseball season.

Different sports also challenge kids to think in new ways and adapt to various situations, which can be transferred from sport to sport.

“Different sports demand unique movements, from the agility required in soccer to the hand-eye coordination in basketball and the balance needed in gymnastics,” says Dr. Shitia. “When playing multiple sports, kids can master a wide range of skills that improve performance in any chosen sport.”

Explore true interests and reduce burnout

Besides building a broad range of skills, exposure to multiple sports gives kids a chance to discover their true passions and capabilities over time — and they can sport specialize later when they have a clearer understanding of them.

Variety also keeps kids engaged and excited to play. Playing the same sport year-round can get boring and lead to burnout. And the pressure to continually perform can drive kids to quit.

“Exposure to different teammates, coaches and styles of play keeps sports interesting and helps cut down on boredom with the same routines,” Dr. Shitia says.

Tips to encourage a multisport athlete

But what if your teen wants to sport specialize?

Educate your child on the physical and mental benefits of playing multiple sports and then try these tips to encourage a multisport athlete:

Let your child choose the sports they want to play, whether it be a team sport, individual sport or something entirely different, like dance or martial arts.
Focus on fun and exploration of various interests, rather than sport specialization.
Foster a positive environment that emphasizes enjoyment over pressure to excel.
Create a balanced schedule that leaves room for down time.

A helpful rule of thumb: Kids shouldn’t practice more hours than their age — so if they’re 13, they should keep their practice to 13 hours a week or less. And most experts recommend that teens avoid specializing in 1 sport until they’re at least 15 years old — or once growth has slowed.

“Talk with your kids about which sports interest them and encourage them to sign up for different sports teams,” says Dr. Shitia. “It will benefit their overall health and better help them reach their athletic goals in the future, while keeping sports fun and engaging along the way.”