I have often been asked   whether it is better to begin specializing in one sport from an early age, such as ten years old, or whether it is better to play several sports and wait until high school or later to specialize.  I feel,  in most cases, it is best to learn to play several sports.   An exception may be gymnastics, which generally attracts small children, and where the skills are very specific and not as transferable as other sports are to each other. 

I feel that sports for youngsters should, first of all, be fun.  The best way to learn sports is to try playing several and see which ones are the most interesting and the most fun.  Generally the sports one is most successful in learning are the ones that become his/her favorite.  There is no doubt that parental influence will have an effect on what the child likes, but parents should let the child decide.  Of course, if the parents are very tall and the child is tall or predicted to be, there may be a good reason to develop an interest in basketball.

However, this does not mean that basketball be the only sport he or she plays.  Playing other sports will only help develop one’s  athletic skills.  Skills are transferable among sports.  For example, playing soccer will help with footwork and stamina and playing  baseball will help accuracy and concentration.  If this young athlete finds he likes baseball better and is more skilled here he might play both if qualified, even through high school.  He or she can even play three sports in high school.

Some sports, such as tennis, might require a younger starting age because of its specific skills and the need for more individual coaching.  This generally means they are more expensive.  I recently read in the New York Times that Jannik Sinner, now ranked #2 in the world, was a skier until the age of 13 before devoting full time to play tennis.  Skiing definitely helped his balance and footwork as well as playing soccer.

Another major reason to play several sports while young is to not get burned out by playing one sport.  The pressure of being ranked and playing for that ranking is too much for many.  Some parents hold their children back in school in order to be the oldest in their grade.  Sports are so organized today that there are national rankings in some sports as early as the 4th grade.

I feel it is best for athletes who specialize in individual sports through high school to also play team sports.

In this way they learn how to sacrifice for the team, and feel the teamwork and motivation that leads to group effort.  Individual sports  have teams as well, but not to the same extent as playing a team game.