Zion Williamson Back - 1 sport specializing is dangerous

[oh canada]

Great debut back for Zion and fantastic to see him on the court. If you haven't seen the highlights on Youtube from yesterday's game, check them out. 6'7", 285lbs beast. Just wish he played for the Raptors.

Let's hope he stays healthy, otherwise he will be another PRIME example of how specializing in one youth sport can cause major injuries in the late teenage years. His parents acknowledge that they wish they didn't let him play in so many tournaments, games, etc. year round from the age of 7-8yrs. Sound familiar?

Just like kids now get max pitch counts in baseball/softball, I'd like to see CalSouth mandate that a club team can only play in two tournaments each year outside of State Cup and league season. As it stands now, club teams often play 4-6 tournaments throughout the year + State Cup and league season (and futsal etc.). Our kids will be walking like 70yr old former NFL players when they reach their 30's. Invest in companies that make artificial knees and hips.

 

[dk_b]

Great debut back for Zion and fantastic to see him on the court. If you haven't seen the highlights on Youtube from yesterday's game, check them out. 6'7", 285lbs beast. Just wish he played for the Raptors.

Let's hope he stays healthy, otherwise he will be another PRIME example of how specializing in one youth sport can cause major injuries in the late teenage years. His parents acknowledge that they wish they didn't let him play in so many tournaments, games, etc. year round from the age of 7-8yrs. Sound familiar?

Just like kids now get max pitch counts in baseball/softball, I'd like to see CalSouth mandate that a club team can only play in two tournaments each year outside of State Cup and league season. As it stands now, club teams often play 4-6 tournaments throughout the year + State Cup and league season (and futsal etc.). Our kids will be walking like 70yr old former NFL players when they reach their 30's. Invest in companies that make artificial knees and hips.

I agree with much of what you write but I do think it is a challenge to use one player as a "prime example" because if he is injured again, we don't really know that specializing in one sport was the cause of the injury or series of injuries. There are athletes "back in the day" who had a series of injuries but who had played multiple sports.

To me, the main takeaway - and the part w/which I strongly agree - is the overuse point. I think limiting the # of tournaments, limiting how tournaments are structured, mandating breaks from structured training . . . all of that would go a long way to protect against injury and burnout.

 

[timbuck]

Great debut back for Zion and fantastic to see him on the court. If you haven't seen the highlights on Youtube from yesterday's game, check them out. 6'7", 285lbs beast. Just wish he played for the Raptors.

Let's hope he stays healthy, otherwise he will be another PRIME example of how specializing in one youth sport can cause major injuries in the late teenage years. His parents acknowledge that they wish they didn't let him play in so many tournaments, games, etc. year round from the age of 7-8yrs. Sound familiar?

Just like kids now get max pitch counts in baseball/softball, I'd like to see CalSouth mandate that a club team can only play in two tournaments each year outside of State Cup and league season. As it stands now,

Sometimes being an athlete is bad for your health.
Most people over 6’8” have a hard time with their bodies as they get older. Heck, I’m 5’10” and starting to break down in my mid 40s.

 

[nobeastmode]

'These kids are ticking time bombs': The threat of youth basketball

In part one of a two-part series, ESPN explores the dangers of youth basketball -- and how the culture of perpetual competition is jeopardizing the futures of the very stars it hopes to create.

www.espn.com

 

[dk_b]

Sometimes being an athlete is bad for your health.
Most people over 6’8” have a hard time with their bodies as they get older. Heck, I’m 5’10” and starting to break down in my mid 40s.

You sound pretty good. I like to think I was 6'3" in my prime and that my sub-5'9" height at 52 is evidence of my personal break down.

 

[espola]

Sometimes being an athlete is bad for your health.
Most people over 6’8” have a hard time with their bodies as they get older. Heck, I’m 5’10” and starting to break down in my mid 40s.

I seem to have solved that problem by becoming 5'8".

 

[myself]

Great debut back for Zion and fantastic to see him on the court. If you haven't seen the highlights on Youtube from yesterday's game, check them out. 6'7", 285lbs beast. Just wish he played for the Raptors.

Let's hope he stays healthy, otherwise he will be another PRIME example of how specializing in one youth sport can cause major injuries in the late teenage years. His parents acknowledge that they wish they didn't let him play in so many tournaments, games, etc. year round from the age of 7-8yrs. Sound familiar?

Just like kids now get max pitch counts in baseball/softball, I'd like to see CalSouth mandate that a club team can only play in two tournaments each year outside of State Cup and league season. As it stands now, club teams often play 4-6 tournaments throughout the year + State Cup and league season (and futsal etc.). Our kids will be walking like 70yr old former NFL players when they reach their 30's. Invest in companies that make artificial knees and hips.

Not sure how you got from his parents being concerned that he played too much to it being a prime example of the dangers of early specialization.

An alternative explanation could be that a 6'7" 285lb. human isn't supposed to be as explosive as he is. Like putting a Corvette engine in a Geo Metro.

 

[oh canada]

From the linked article above, thanks @nobeastmode :

A separate 2016 study from Bell and his team (Univ. of Wisconsin) found that 36% of high school athletes classified as highly specialized, training in one sport for more than eight months a year -- and that those athletes were two to three times more likely to suffer a hip or knee injury.

Note that "highly specialized" = more than 8 months/year. I think that puts all of our kids in that category. Yikes.

 

[oh canada]

Not sure how you got from his parents being concerned that he played too much to it being a prime example of the dangers of early specialization.

An alternative explanation could be that a 6'7" 285lb. human isn't supposed to be as explosive as he is. Like putting a Corvette engine in a Geo Metro.

Could be...but multiple articles written about him suggesting that overuse is a likely contributor if not primary reason. Plus, as listed above, more and more data coming out showing that one-sport specialization is dangerous.

 

[jellybelly71]

Using Zion's injury as a 'PRIME example of the risks of single sport specialization' is a PRIME example of confirmation bias . . . the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories (as they pertain to soccer.) Zion is a once-in-a-generation athlete. I read a recent article detailing his rehab process in which they describe him as "not just quick for a big guy, but quick for a quick guy." Because of his size and quickness, his ligaments, menisci, tendons etc are all subject to ridiculous forces that the vast majority of us mortals can't relate to. His rehab focused on re-training his mechanics to mitigate future injury.

The article referenced above is outstanding but you have to be careful comparing basketball, tennis, volleyball (and other hard court sports) to soccer. The wear and tear from these sports can be far more serious than soccer and related sports. Specialization in basketball (and tennis) probably is a much more serious issue than in soccer. Regardless, the notion that "being an athlete is bad for your health" is at the root of the issue . . . the more you play, the more opportunities for injury.

 

[Grace T.]

I agree with much of what you write but I do think it is a challenge to use one player as a "prime example" because if he is injured again, we don't really know that specializing in one sport was the cause of the injury or series of injuries. There are athletes "back in the day" who had a series of injuries but who had played multiple sports.

To me, the main takeaway - and the part w/which I strongly agree - is the overuse point. I think limiting the # of tournaments, limiting how tournaments are structured, mandating breaks from structured training . . . all of that would go a long way to protect against injury and burnout.

I don't think it would effectively do very much. And we've seen the prime example as to why: there are people like our dear friend Luis out there who believe at age 8 girls should not only be specializing in soccer (to the expense of even school work), but also that in addition to club training (which is limited at the early ages precisely for burnout/injury reasons) the girls need additional outside training practically every day of the week. Now we can just dismiss it as one over the top parent, but the reality is (in both soccer and other sports...Minnesota United just signed a 15 year old keeper to a homegrown deal and this for a position which usually doesn't hit its peak until late 20s) the recruitment for unicorns is getting pushed earlier and is getting more outlandish, and that specializing for these individuals has produced results (at least for the ones that survive the injury and burnout). And it's not just the U.S....the European Academy system is the same way (or worse) and also produces physical and burnout wrecks (not to mention that those that don't make it find themselves off the academic university track).

Now we can even say that this is a problem which is at least limited to the unicorns (and potential unicorns or parents who think their babies are unicorns), but as we saw from Luis' criticism of the other players on his team, because soccer is a team sport it tends to trickle down to other teammates, other teams competitors, and down the ladder. The best way to really limit the damage therefore is the same way they've done in Europe: separate out the pro academy track from the remainder of the college-bound track.

 

[oh canada]

Using Zion's injury as a 'PRIME example of the risks of single sport specialization' is a PRIME example of confirmation bias . . . the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories (as they pertain to soccer.) Zion is a once-in-a-generation athlete. I read a recent article detailing his rehab process in which they describe him as "not just quick for a big guy, but quick for a quick guy." Because of his size and quickness, his ligaments, menisci, tendons etc are all subject to ridiculous forces that the vast majority of us mortals can't relate to. His rehab focused on re-training his mechanics to mitigate future injury.

The article referenced above is outstanding but you have to be careful comparing basketball, tennis, volleyball (and other hard court sports) to soccer. The wear and tear from these sports can be far more serious than soccer and related sports. Specialization in basketball (and tennis) probably is a much more serious issue than in soccer. Regardless, the notion that "being an athlete is bad for your health" is at the root of the issue . . . the more you play, the more opportunities for injury.

Except that there have been specific studies for soccer too that have yielded the same result. For example:

Sport Specialization Is Associated With Injury History in Youth Soccer Athletes

Athletic Training and Sports Health Care | Purpose:To determine the association between sport specialization and self-reported knee injury history in soccer athletes.Methods:A total of 761 soccer athletes (431 females; mean age: 14.7 ± 1.8 years) between 12 and 18 years of age completed an...

www.healio.com

 

[dk_b]

I don't think it would effectively do very much. And we've seen the prime example as to why: there are people like our dear friend Luis out there who believe at age 8 girls should not only be specializing in soccer (to the expense of even school work), but also that in addition to club training (which is limited at the early ages precisely for burnout/injury reasons) the girls need additional outside training practically every day of the week. Now we can just dismiss it as one over the top parent, but the reality is (in both soccer and other sports...Minnesota United just signed a 15 year old keeper to a homegrown deal and this for a position which usually doesn't hit its peak until late 20s) the recruitment for unicorns is getting pushed earlier and is getting more outlandish, and that specializing for these individuals has produced results (at least for the ones that survive the injury and burnout). And it's not just the U.S....the European Academy system is the same way (or worse) and also produces physical and burnout wrecks (not to mention that those that don't make it find themselves off the academic university track).

Now we can even say that this is a problem which is at least limited to the unicorns (and potential unicorns or parents who think their babies are unicorns), but as we saw from Luis' criticism of the other players on his team, because soccer is a team sport it tends to trickle down to other teammates, other teams competitors, and down the ladder. The best way to really limit the damage therefore is the same way they've done in Europe: separate out the pro academy track from the remainder of the college-bound track.

For sure. You can see this in all sports, too. The "fear" that keeping a kid out for a stretch will put him/her behind. At age 8. The rules often are necessary to protect everyone against themselves - whether coaches from themselves or parents from themselves. But it is theoretical, at best, because you are right that it won't do much for the bulk of the parents, coaches, clubs, leagues, all the way to federations.

 

[jellybelly71]

Except that there have been specific studies for soccer too that have yielded the same result. For example:

Sport Specialization Is Associated With Injury History in Youth Soccer Athletes

Athletic Training and Sports Health Care | Purpose:To determine the association between sport specialization and self-reported knee injury history in soccer athletes.Methods:A total of 761 soccer athletes (431 females; mean age: 14.7 ± 1.8 years) between 12 and 18 years of age completed an...

www.healio.com

This study was based on questionnaires to athletes. Therefore, the data are not reliable and the article did not account for the average hours a highly specialized athlete trains vs the number of hours trained by an low specialization athlete. So, basically, you can't extrapolate anything from this source except that the more you train the more you get injured.

 

[jpeter]

Just talking with some friends about this topic earlier in the week

Patrick Mahomes didn't stick to one sport, making him a prime example for multisport youths

Patrick Mahomes didn't stick to one sport, making him a prime example for multisport youths

More kids are specializing in a singular sport. For Mahomes, playing three sports wasn’t a detriment to his development, it was an integral part of it.

sports.yahoo.com

All of our kids have benefited for playing multi-sports even through high School.

Our 3x sport daughter did and think that was actually one of reasons she some how manged to avoid injury and still play club sports also for 4 yrs. Son was recuited heavily in 3 different sports for HS and already Letter'ed in 2. You can see the crossover in most sports, especially the foot work, agility and speed

 

[Grace T.]

You can see the crossover in most sports, especially the foot work, agility and speed

The crossover part though still presents a danger of repetitive use injuries from multisport players. For example: soccer + cross country not a good idea for knee and tendon injuries. Soccer + swimming better, but the cross over appeal is more limited. Soccer + equestrian best but the cross over is very limited (other than building the thigh muscles) and if course the horse can always throw you and there goes the soccer season.

 

[oh canada]

Just talking with some friends about this topic earlier in the week

Patrick Mahomes didn't stick to one sport, making him a prime example for multisport youths

Patrick Mahomes didn't stick to one sport, making him a prime example for multisport youths

More kids are specializing in a singular sport. For Mahomes, playing three sports wasn’t a detriment to his development, it was an integral part of it.

sports.yahoo.com

All of our kids have benefited for playing multi-sports even through high School.

Our 3x sport daughter did and think that was actually one of reasons she some how manged to avoid injury and still play club sports also for 4 yrs. Son was recuited heavily in 3 different sports for HS and already Letter'ed in 2. You can see the crossover in most sports, especially the foot work, agility and speed

And Steve Nash, Roger Federer, Kobe, Jordan Spieth, Gretzky, etc....

Another possibility could be for clubs to have a rolling mandatory break for every player so, for example, if 14 players on a team, a different kid would be completely off for 2-3 weeks, and that kid's off-time would come around every 14 weeks. That would ensure a few, 2-3 week breaks each year for each one of the players, though you would get crazy parents still doing training on the side of course I think most sane parents would understand the reason for it and go along since every player has to do it at their time. Start it after the first two months of the season. That would be implemented at the club level, nothing to do with CalSouth.

 

[timbuck]

Yeah- but when a kid is on his mandatory break, his parents will sign him up for private training.

 

[Mic Nificent]

we as the parents hold the power when it comes to how many tournaments our kid does. If a team register for 6 tournaments and u feel that is too many why not tell the coach u Will only be able to make it to whatever # you feel is appropriate?

 

[blam]

Recommend soccer for 9 months and pro evolution soccer for 3 months to build up finger strength and soccer iq