Should your Daughter or Players participate in multiple Sports?

[Admin]

Should your Daughter or Players participate in multiple Sports?

Coaches and Parents do you believe that your Daughters or Players who play Girls Fastpitch Softball would benefit by concentration on Softball Only?

Now a days, you can play softball year round! Softball is no longer just a seasonal sport.


You have Rec-Ball, Travel Ball, High School Softball, Fall Leagues,showcases, camps and Indoor Girl Softball, a modified game of softball, usually played with less then 9 players.


Thru out history we have example of 2 sports athletes, many are household names Dion Sanders, Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson just to mention a few more recent ones you have heard of. Two decades ago, Deion Sanders did something that no other athlete has ever done before and that is play in a professional baseball and football game all in a matter of 24 hours.

Hands down the greatest male multiple sport athlete of all time is.

1.) Jim Thorpe
Sports: Baseball & Football
Career Years: Football (1915-1917, 1919-1926, 1928) Baseball (1913-1915, 1917-1919)

Simply put, Jim Thorpe is the greatest athlete of all time that you may never have heard of.

Bo Jackson recently try to Encourages Russell Wilson to Stop Play Baseball. Russell should stick to doing what he does best rather than trying to excel in two sports.

Maybe Bo right, take Michael Jordan who decided he wanted to play baseball. No way anybody could argue, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball players of all time.

But baseball?? Sorry Mike!

There is a point in your softball career that you will have to make a decision and commitment to one sport.

Your decision may be made when your under sixteen, maybe you will lead your Girls High School Basketball Team to State Championships.

The point is, play more than one sport or multiple sports is OK, it's not only healthy for you, it's also good for your mental health as well.

Question to the Coaches, Parents and Players.

1.) At what age are decisions being made to concentrate on one sport?

2.) At what age was the decision factor coming into play?

3.) What two sports female athletes have you heard of that play softball?

4.) Do you think playing more the one sports can hurt girls softball playing opportunity to play at the collegiate level?

5.) Is there a level that its OK for your Coaches to ask you to only play one sport.?

 

[TClarkson]

IMHO, there is a thing called burnout. As a coach, I like an athlete that plays another sport because it gives them some time away from softball which I believe allows them to appreciate the sport more. It also keeps them in shape and gives me what I feel is a more rounded athlete. I believe I have seen threads where college coaches like it when their players have played multiple sports in high school.

 

[maddball44]

For my daughter she decided at 14U to do one sport. It's really a time issue. She loves softball likes other sports. She practices year round for TB. Works out Oct. - May for school softball. Has nightly homework. Loves to hang with friends. If she played something else I would be afraid of burn out from sports all together. That's just us though.

 

[spartansd]

Yes

It is just that simple.

Since my DDS only want to do softball (in HS) they have decided that cross fit or overall fitness training is their "second" sport.

Great Idea I told them.

 

[Irish196]

I am just a parent now so I can only speak from that angle. My daughter has done several sports since she has played sports (age 5). She is concentrating on softball now but that does not mean she isn't doing any other sports. It just means that softball comes first and she does the others (tae kwon do, swimming and skiing/snowboarding) only when she does not have a softball commitment. She is a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and we didn't let her "give up" regular classes until she got that second belt. I think - at least for her- it has made her a very strong athlete. She has extremely strong legs and a great core. I think those may be why she is a good hitter. She also has no fear. She throws her body around like it's nothing. I think that also comes from TKD and skiing/boarding. I think if we concentrated on softball earlier she might have better softball IQ now but would not be the overall athlete she is.

 

[wow]

Of course kids should play multiple sports! they should just decide what is "their" sport and try to be the best they can be, without becoming "burned out".

Below is my take on each section.


1.) At what age are decisions being made to concentrate on one sport?

The older they get the more focus should be on the sport they want to play in college. However still important to do something out of season. Basketball is great off season stuff, as it is opposite fastpitch. Not sure there is a specific age but I would assume when you are not as competitive in the others you just gravitate towards what you are good at. This happens around 9th grade.

2.) At what age was the decision factor coming into play?
same as above.

3.) What two sports female athletes have you heard of that play softball?
Volleyball and basketball.

4.) Do you think playing more the one sports can hurt girls softball playing opportunity to play at the collegiate level?
Nope. matter a fact college coaches look for well rounded athletes.

5.) Is there a level that its OK for your Coaches to ask you to only play one sport.?
The only way that's possible if it interferes with fastpitch. If it does not or you make every commitment and are growing as a player, I am not sure a coach can ask you to play one. This is probably more prevent with high school than travel.

 

[FastBat]

Practical advice I have observed: a fall sport is better to play, as a second sport to softball, d/t basketball playoffs can sometimes go into softball season and there is no real "down time" for the student athlete in HS sports. So, if you have a younger athlete that loves softball, steer towards fall sports. Good luck with that!

 

[Blue Ice]

DD...played every sport (girls) in High School. Lettered in s o c c e r, cross country, basketball, track & field and softball.
Varsity lettered in all as a freshman except basketball ( dressed for varsity).

Why limit your child?

 

[mike_dyer]

I've been told for years that I need to "let" her play other sports, funny thing though, my kid only ever wanted to play softball. I've had people start arguments with me about it, it usually ends when I say "Am I supposed to force her to play volleyball or whatever? Should I carry her around the gym if she won't move on her own?"

Here's a good one. The person who will be coaching her in high school this spring told me that I should have her play a fall and a winter sport, "It's good for them" she told me. I explained to her that the only fall or winter sport she wants to play is softball in the fall and softball in the winter. A few weeks go by, I asked her about catching because my kid would like to give it a whirl. She told me "At this point she should really be locked into one or two positions and she should stick with those. The should be positions she has played in the past."

So by her logic she should pick up two entirely different sports, but she shouldn't learn how to play another position in the only sport she wants to play. It might be a llllooooonnnnnnggggggg spring....

 

[coachjwb]

Lol funny ... you have some coaches who want you to only play their sport, while others (far less I am sure) almost insist they do play others. I know when I played basketball in high school, the varsity coach wanted us to do cross country in the fall, but that was obviously for conditioning purposes.

I definitely think we as parents and coaches should be supportive if they want to play other sports all the way through high school, but of course if they don't want to and just want to focus on their favorite sport all year, that's great too.

The issue these days with the year-round opportunites available in most sports is that it can become increasingly difficult for those playing multiple sports to "keep up" with those focusing, especially at the larger schools. Of course super-committed and athletic players are usually going to compete just fine in whatever they do.

 

[Maxx]

#1 thing college coaches tell parents/athletes during Q & A sessions at camps is that the kids should take time off to recover and they should participate in other sports/activities. Not enough parents are getting the message. Every college coach I speak to wants to recruit kids that play multiple sports. In my opinion, the athlete should not begin specializing in one sport until their junior year in high school. But if there are other sports they enjoy and are successful at, I say keep it going till they graduate. Overuse injuries are becoming way too common once athletes reach the college level.

Coaches and parents should read these articles:

Noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews wants your young athlete to stay healthy by playing less

Specialization, or play more sports?

Sports realities-information EVERY sports parent needs to know

 

[Balldiddly]

DD attends a small high school where most students are multiple sport athletes. Many of these kids are playing at the college level in their chosen sport. This year as a freshman she is running cross country (to stay in shape for softball) and will play HS ball. She has her travel team, defensive training a few times a month, youth group, and 4-H-as well as an active social circle of friends who are also multiple sport oriented. She loves the individuality and quiet of cross-country just as much as she loves the intensity and team of softball. I would think a college coach would be interested in the diversity, dedication, and work ethic of multiple sport athletes- especially considering the grades and course load have to be there. As to when you specialize: too many variables for a good answer, such as time involvement, season, level of play, effects on grades, and stress level.

 

[Converse Kid]

My DD has played one sport since she was 8, Softball! I have tried to get her into other sports to no avail. She just doesn't like them. She plays softball year round and trains specifically for her softball position. Every year after Travel, Fall, then Winter Ball, she is clicking on all cylinders. When school ball rolls around, most of the other girls who play other sports look rusty and need quite some time to get adjusted to not only the motions but also the game speed. If your DD is good at something and they love what they are doing, I say forget what others say. There is no such thing as burnout when a child has passion for what they are doing.

 

[wvdusters]

Tough topic. My dd is a 2018 who will probably get her first offer next week, we have three unofficial visits scheduled. (I know another subject). We play with an established org that travels the entire east coast exposing our kids. With the trend of schools starting earlier or even year round a possibility, it makes it hard to cram in all the summer events many would like to do. The fall events are becoming highly important for 16u and even 14u. My dd choose to play soccer this fall and give up bb to get ready for our spring sb season. Now, I wish she hadn't played soccer. We play 4 events this fall with three of the being recruiting events, Stingrays, Scenic City and Sun City in Fl. Its extremely difficult to find workout time or for her to make practices even once a week. The when she does she is tired from all the running in soccer. I talked with her and going forward softball is going to be her focus from March when HS starts until the fall circuit ends. Is she chooses to play bb I am going to leave it up to her . She can lift and work on her core a cpl days a week on her own during HS season. The Fall is as important as summer to prospects now. We are modifying our schedule to allow equal emphasis and play maybe 9 events from June thru November with no more than 2 back to back. It will allow some down time in the summer as well!

 

[flygirlsdad]

Once you get to HS, it may be easier to play multiple sports at a smaller school. In some of the larger schools, I imagine some talented SB players may not make teams in other sports due to the athletes in those other sports playing year round. Same could be said for a good basketball player trying out for the SB team. It would probably be most likely in volleyball and basketball. But I say play what you want as long as you can.

 

[FastPitch86]

This question is unique to each DD. There's no wrong answer. All previous posts made good points. Every DD / family has to access their situation and try to figure out what is best without sacrificing academics and burnout / injury. I have 3 DD's and the older two each chose different route. One players fall sports with SB as priority while the other only plays SB and considers conditioning classes as her other sport. My youngest DD is is playing the seasonal sports but might change once she goes to middle school. The body needs rest both mentally and physically and it's up to the family to try and find the best solution. I do see many kids that go non stop with academics, multiple sports, travel ball, etc along with other school functions/groups, music lessons, etc....this is where I see burnout.

 

[dawgpound19]

I leave it up to my daughter, she plays volleyball, basketball, and has played travel softball for the past 5+ years (8th grade). She also sees a pitching coach once during the week and does her Finch windmill 4 or 5 days a week along with getting on the honor roll at school. Every year when she starts either volleyball or basketball she says something is sore and I truly believe it is because she is using different muscles than what she uses in softball. I am a true believer in that athletes should participate in as many sports as they can to develop as an athlete and that it only helps them in all sports. As long as my daughter can keep her grades up and she loves playing all 3 sports then why would I deprive her of that? She wants to play two sports in college (DIV III) so I support her anyway that I can. Yes we all want our DD to play D1 softball but even if they do it won't be their career so let them play whatever they want while they are young. I don't want my DD to come to me when she is 25 or 30 and say dad I really wish I would have played _____ in junior high and high school. These young ladies are only young once and they grow up way too fast to tell them you can only play softball.

 

[Hilliarddad3]

Left it up to them and was so pleased when the one gave up soccer because as a catcher her knees would be bad enough and know of at least 3/4 acls and other knee injuries in that game every year. But their hS softball coach encouraged them to play other sports as well. College coaches encouraged it as well and even stated they do team building events with their girls and some never touched a B-Ball their entire life.

There's more to life than softball gang, let them have a childhood first, everything falls into place after....

 

[Wubbamom]

My DD has been playing TB and BB since she was 9, and started VB in Middle School. SB is her favorite sport and her TB team is her first priority. She makes good grades and I have found that she needs to be busy to keep herself organized. So this year she will play year round TB, Varsity VB (lettered as a freshman) maybe BB depending when practices are and School Ball. She once asked if she could tryout for JO Volleyball but that was too much for me.

I think it has to be a personal choice and based on a lot of things, such as the family, finances and fun.
DD's social time is her school sports and TB. When she is out it is with these girls and I know them.
Her coaches are all supportive of her choices and encourage her to play other sports and the college SB coaches that we have spoken with say that they love multiple sport athletes and may even show up at a VB or BB game to see her even though she wants to play SB in college.

 

[Ratchet]

I say let them the play or do what makes them happy ( within reason) As far as high school goes - you only get those four years once so don’t have any regrets. Someone posted earlier that there’s no wrong answer - I agree.