Multiple-sports is developing new trend in youth sports where increasingly more children are choosing in which they compete in more than two sports at the same time. With school works are out for a few months, the summer sports season is the period when more children attempt to manage their schedules in order to play multiple sports. Besides, every sport under the sun is relatively easy for families to sign up for if they desire.
Many of the children starts practice compete in sports like baseball, soccer, golf, lacrosse, basketball, swimming, wrestling, and tennis, etc. Even for those used to compete in one sport it is not uncommon for them to start training in a second, different sport.
Man holding sports equiments
Should your child play multiple sports at the same time, or go the traditional way of only playing one sport at a time? Like with most decisions in life, there are pros and cons to take into consideration:
Pros
Provides more chances for children to explore and find their best sport by sampling multiple sports
Allows for more friendships and interactions with many people
Learn about the importance of life skills, including problem solving, organizational skills, multi-tasking, communicating, discipline, responsibilities, and time management
Requires kids to establish a structured schedule, leaving less time for doing that wasting time
Cons
Can be very stressful, both mentally (bburnout) an physically ( risk for injury)
Difficult to meet the demands of both sports, thereby letting other down
Leaves little time for other activities, such as family vacations, gaming, etc.
Places additional stress on parents in terms of expenses, travel, and taking additional time off work in order to meet the schedule of each practice, etc.
Summer sports can be a terrific experience for children, but there are physical and emotional risks integrated with it that should be assessed when deciding on how many sports to play at one time. It is also critical to think about how sport participation might impact with other important things, including academic experiences, clubs and activities, family vacations and other recreational activities.
