Should your Daughter or Players participate in multiple Sports?

[hot corner]

To me this isn't a hard at all. I have a son that wrestles and that all he does. He doesn't want play any other sport and it is his choice. I also have 2 dd that play softball but they also like to play volleyball. Thy play volleyball in the fall and play softball the rest of the year again that is their choice. If a kid to decides to specialize or play multiple sports it should be their choice, not a coach or a parent because when it is the latter that when burnout occurs.

 

[mike_dyer]

"If your kid plays softball too much they will burn out."

"Your kid should start playing softball when they are 8."

-- The same people

 

[Hilliarddad3]

Two different things you're saying yourself ....

Start playing softball or the rigors of travel? Heck start playing at five is fine but moderately.... There's still time to be a kid. Many have played without playing full year round and gone onto many a D-1 School....... If you're talented enough, you're talented enough, period....

 

[Coach E.]

I wonder how many Dl players especially the girls who play in the SEC, PAC or the other bigger conferences played multiple sports and if so did they stop to specialize and at what age. I attended a coaches clinic and the college coaches that spoke said they want more multiple sport athletes but when I looked up their team and checked out the bios of most of the girls all they had listed was the softball achievements. I think in the Dll, Dlll and NAIA multiple sport players are a lot more common.

 

[mike_dyer]

Two different things you're saying yourself ....

I think the idea of "burnout" is as goofy as an 8u coach pitch travel select x-treme x-plosion college x-posure team.

What two different things am I saying?

 

[Hilliarddad3]

If you take playing too much as travel ball...... Starting softball at eight is nothing wrong with that. Maybe I read it wrong ... But burnout is very real and not goofy as many who play year round are missing out on other aspects of a childhood/ High School xperiences and burnout indeed sets in.

 

[Heavy Hitter]

At a quick glance UCLA has at least 5 multisport athletes on their roster

 

[mike_dyer]

But burnout is very real and not goofy

Did you ever play sports? Do you still play them? Did you quit playing them because you got "burnt out" on them?

In my experience "burnout" = getting your teeth kicked in, your ### handed to you all the time, and watching the game from the bench a lot because you didn't put the work in when it mattered, usually because your parents were afraid you would "burnout" someday.

 

[Heavy Hitter]

Florida - 8 multisport atheletes

 

[mike_dyer]

But they are only playing softball in college?

Must have "burnt out" on the other sports they played.

 

[Heavy Hitter]

Alabama 6 multisport athletes including pitcher Jaclyn Traina

 

[FastPitch86]

I'm sure we can list players in college that only played one sport. I think colleges are looking for academics first then other activities. If the player can get some academic scholarship then it frees up sports scholarship monies. I think the colleges are looking for the best fit not whether DD played multiple sports.

 

[Heavy Hitter]

I'm sure we can list players in college that only played one sport. I think colleges are looking for academics first then other activities. If the player can get some academic scholarship then it frees up sports scholarship monies. I think the colleges are looking for the best fit not whether DD played multiple sports.

That is true except the title of the thread is "Should your Daughter or Players participate in multiple Sports?". During the discussion it was brought up that college coaches like multisport athletes. Then question was are many multisport athletes In Div I. I took a few minutes and quickly went 3 big time programs and found a number of them on each team.

 

[coachjwb]

I think this is a chicken or the egg thing ... college caoches like good softball players. They don't really care if they played other sports in high school or not. But many good softball players are good athletes and multi-sport players, so yeah, you're going to find some players on college rosters who played them and some who didn't. But every time you can be sure the college coach is going to want the better player. I can tell you this ... if your multi-sport softball player's grades suffer because of spreading herself too thin, then you and her should talk about that, because the college coach does want a softball player who has the grades to stay on the team and/or receive academic moneys as well.

 

[Heavy Hitter]

Let make this simple for those of you in the peanut gallery, I AGREE YOU NEED TO HAVE GOOD GRADES..DUH. No back to the original topic. I don't think we should discourage girls from being multisport athletes. I believe it is their choice if a girl decides to specialize, ok, if a girls decides to play multiple sports, ok. I absolutely don't think a high school or travel ball coach should be telling girls they can only play 1 sport.

 

[Coach32]

Almost my whole team plays 2 sports. Does it make fall, winter and spring a challenge? YES! Is it crazy frustration some times? ABSOLUTELY! But we have great athletes that are fast, competitive and hard working. We sometimes struggle fall and early spring but by time mid summer hits we are playing with all teams in our path.

My daughter is one of the multi-sport players.

7 basketball players
2 so**er players
1 volleyball player
2 gymnastics
2 crossfit and lifting

The biggest thing is support the kids desires to be competitive and embrace the challenge of fitting it in. We talk about sacrificing for softball but as coaches and parents we can sacrifice to fit it in we will be surprised at the all around athletes we will have on our teams.

 

[coachjwb]

Heh, Heavy ... duhhhhh ... from here in the "peanut gallery" ... I posted earlier that we as parents and coaches should be supportive of multi-sports athletes, then you proceeded to point out how many multi-sport athletes were on some of the D1 teams ... then I made what I think were 3 very valid points in my post above that you apparently thought were off topic, but I think both are very relevant to the discussion ... the first being that the college coaches probably don't care much if they played high school sports or not, the second being that of course there are going to be players who did and did not play high school sports, and the third being that if playing multiple sports causes grades to fall, then that's something you should think about.

I guess I should ask for another peanut now?

 

[Heavy Hitter]

That is true except the title of the thread is "Should your Daughter or Players participate in multiple Sports?". During the discussion it was brought up that college coaches like multisport athletes. Then question was are many multisport athletes In Div I. I took a few minutes and quickly went 3 big time programs and found a number of them on each team.

Since you didn't read my post above where I stated I was replying to post made by other people. Her it is.

Heh, Heavy ... duhhhhh ... from here in the "peanut gallery" ... I posted earlier that we as parents and coaches should be supportive of multi-sports athletes, then you proceeded to point out how many multi-sport athletes were on some of the D1 teams ... then I made what I think were 3 very valid points in my post above that you apparently thought were off topic, but I think both are very relevant to the discussion ... the first being that the college coaches probably don't care much if they played high school sports or not, the second being that of course there are going to be players who did and did not play high school sports, and the third being that if playing multiple sports causes grades to fall, then that's something you should think about.

I guess I should ask for another peanut now?

You didn't make three valid points,
1) many college coaches have said they like multisport athletes. Obviously you have to have the talent first. This just isn’t for females but it is also the same for males. Is it a must, no. But coaches like well-rounded athletes.
2) I agree there is going to be both and I also said it should be the athlete’s decision and not a coach.
3) The same argument can be made by athlete that specializes and they work out 4-5 days a week.

You can ask for another peanut, but you haven’t earned it yet.

 

[coachjwb]

I just appreciate you allowing me to join your circus ...

 

[Admin]

I just appreciate you allowing me to join your circus ...

I had to double check, I thought for a moment I was looking at the classless clown thread, when I seen the word circus. LoL!