But here is why training for sport should be general. Wide bases = tall buildings.
“Sports are specific, requiring sport specific training, formally known as sport practice.
They created the new term for up-charge convenience.
Modern kids are overspecialized & under generalized.
This is a problem considering the fact that general capacity funds specific potential.”
-Ray Zingler on X
When you study the modern landscape of youth sport from toddlers on up, you quickly see the issues if you’re looking.
Hell, you’ll see them even if you’re not looking.
I’ll go as far as saying you’ll still see them, even if you’re intentionally looking away.
They start internally, environmentally and then progressively get worse, outwardly
The food kids are eating is garbage.
They spend the least amount of time outside than ever before.
They are in front of screens, literally directly in front of them (didn’t our parents in the 80’s & 90’s tell us to sit back further from the screen?) more now, than any other time in human history.
And their PE/recess has been relegated to a few minutes, a few times a week, where during PE/recess, they don’t… PE or recess.
And then we wonder why our kids our unhealthy and ill prepared from a general output perspective.
And then, as these kids grow up, we prematurely advance them.
We quickly buy into the year-round notion and put them on teams called “elite”, “select”, and “all-star”.
Kids, mind you, who just became mildly proficient at tying their shoes, who can’t even skip. (The amount of modern teens who can’t skip or hop well is insane).
So, what we have in the modern era is a bunch of good “sports players” but average athletes.
Admittedly, you spend enough time in sport, you’re bound to develop iq and pick-up on specific skills, but 2 problems quickly arise:
1. Overuse injury. When you focus on repeating the same or similar movement patterns over and over and lack movement diversity you’ll surely develop “skills” but at what expense? The expense of neglecting “supporting cast” tissues that result in overuse injury. It’s why “little league elbow” diagnoses are passed out like hot cakes.
2. Prematurely capped ceiling. A building can only be as tall as the width of its base, right? Kids, again, can lack general physical competence (athleticism), but have sport skill. Most rely on this. But what they don’t realize is their true athletic potential hinges on their general athletic traits.
Make athletes great again.
They become (much) better specialists down the road.
They just don’t tell you because it doesn’t sell as well.
