Single Sport Specialization in Youth Sports: A Survey of 3090 High School Collegiate and Professional Athletes

摘要

Objectives:Youth participation in organized sports in the United States is rising, with many athletes focusing on a single sport at an increasingly younger age. There is considerable debate regarding the rationale, optimal timing, injury risk, and the psychosocial health of a young athlete specializing early in a single sport. The purpose of our study was to compare youth single sport specialization in high school (HS), collegiate, and professional athletes with respect to the age of specialization, the number of months per year of single sport training, and injury attributed by the athlete to specialization.