Multi-sport athletes: YES or NO
I personally love to coach and train multi-sport athletes. I did it at the high school level, at the NCAA DII level, and now I recruit multi-sport athletes as an NCAA DI coach. Athletes that participate in multiple sports like football, basketball, and track & field can have better coordination, skills, and be more durable as opposed to those who have only done one thing since age 5. Of course, being a multi-sport athlete doesn’t guarantee success, just like being a one sport athlete doesn’t guarantee you’re the next Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Competing in a variety of sports at a young age can help athletes stay passionate once they get to one sport in college. Too many athletes specialize as a young child only to be burned out by their sophomore year of high school and never touch that sport again. At age 24 I became a head girls high school basketball coach. As my staff and I built a super star team, many started to step out. Most of them had been playing since 6 years old. They’d played almost their whole lives to get to this high school level but it didn’t matter by their sophomore/junior year. And once a couple athletes stepped away, the dominos started to fall.
“I feel burned out.”
“It’s not fun anymore.”
“I’ve been playing for so long.”
One of the hardest things about young children specializing in one sport, is that by high school the “fun” could be gone. They enjoyed being with friends, traveling, and winning a few trophies. But when high school turns the sport into “business” with recruiting and moving on to new teams some student-athletes are just not interested in that change.
On the flip side, as a high school track coach, I had athletes step away from team sports to try track & field. Sometimes trying something new and finding joy in the process can reignite the athlete’s spark.
Participating and training in multiple sports helps athletes be more well-rounded athletes. Better coordination, better basic skills, and more durable. Overuse injuries are a real problem even at early ages. Some parents force sports on kids, but sometimes kids just want to play more and more. Either way, it’s a parent’s job to regulate the volume. Mixing in sports will increase their physical abilities and hopefully help them find their true passion.
Along a young person’s path to becoming a high-level athlete, most will encounter several coaches and different personalities along the way. Some experiences will be exceptional and life changing. Some will be average. Some might be terrible. But the mix of experiences and dealing with new people will certainly help an athlete know what type of coach they prefer to be around when they are searching for that DI opportunity. Experiences with different people is always valuable.
As an NCAA coach who recruits athletes of all personal and athletic backgrounds I don’t shy away from athletes who’ve only run track & field or the athletes who’ve played multiple sports. I care about the athlete’s work ethic, passion, and long-term goals.
I’ll talk to the “unpolished” athlete who’s been playing volleyball, basketball, soccer that ran one year of T&F with a 400m PR of 57.00. I’ll talk to the guy that ran 10.60 his first year of track as a senior who stepped away from football.
Parents: Help your kids mix it up along their journey. High school coaches: Don’t force your athlete down one path. Track coaches: Take on those multi-sport athletes with open arms, even if they don’t start until their junior or senior year. All athletes have strengths that allow progress to be made.
I love to discuss this topic as someone who coached HS football, basketball, and T&F. Coaching multiple sports throughout my life has given me an open mind, a vision of potential, and helpful insights that I wouldn’t have gotten by being a one sport coach.
Everyone’s sport journey is different—and that doesn’t scare me. It makes me curious to learn more.