coachmccormick
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Early Specialization - 2006/08/08 06:00
A couple examples to counter the current perception that players must specialize in basketball at ten or eleven years old in order to "make it."
Dirk Nowitzki was a top tennis player in his home state of Bavaria at 14 but switched his focus to basketball after another teenager named Tommy Haas kept beating him.
Hall of Famer Lute Olson says:
"I think he [Chase Budinger] has a chance to be an unbelievable defender. He has great lateral movement and quickness because of his volleyball skills."
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coachmccormick
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Re:Early Specialization - 2006/08/09 00:43
from Brian Grasso's newsletter:
What Should Kids Be Playing?
1) Soccer
it is a wonderfully athletic and tactical-based sport. Sudden bursts of explosive power, change of direction, looking two plays ahead, playing a ‘forcing’ based defense in which the defender uses their body/skills to change what the offensive player wanted to do – these are fantastic athletic lessons that can be filed away in the nervous system and used at a later point in any sporting activity.
2) Swimming
Unloaded shoulder and hip mobility adds a great deal of pliability to the frame of a young athlete... Additionally, kinesthetic differentiation is a physical skill lacking in many kids (this refers to the knowledge of how much force is necessary to produce a desired result)...Swimming is the essence of building kinesthetic differentiation – kids simply won’t last long in a pool if they put as much force as possible into every stroke.
3) Martial Arts
Almost every martial art I am familiar with is based on skill acquisition as a primary marker. Not only is that mentally and emotionally good for a child, but it infers the teaching of patience and ‘enjoying the journey’ rather than ‘searching for the destination’...Athletically speaking, dynamic flexibility, end-range systemic strength, mobility, spatial awareness – the physical ability built through martial arts is awe-inspiring and can apply to any sport.
4. Gymnastics
Again, the physical elements that can be built through gymnastics are amazing – spatial awareness, flexibility, relative strength, dynamic and static balance – the list goes on.
If for no other reason, the ability to know where you are in space and take a fall ‘well’ is a required skill for any sport.
www.developingathletics.com
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coachmccormick
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Re:Early Specialization - 2006/08/09 20:23
Kobe Bryany played soccer in Italy:
Bryant often went to parks in Italy to play basketball and would jump in on a game of soccer before hitting the basketball court.
Pick-up games? In multiple sports? And now he is the best player in the game. Maybe there is something to informal play and participating in multiple sports.
Bryant never played high school soccer, but he credits his playing days in Italy for helping his basketball game.
"I'm comfortable [with basketball] footwork because I played soccer," Bryant said, "from changing up rhythms to foot speed, to being comfortable with having my right foot as my pivot foot and my left foot as my pivot foot."
Coaches always argue that skills do not transfer between sports. I always disagree. I think volleyball and soccer are great for basketball players. Apparently, Kobe does as well, as he is still known to jump in a pick-up soccer game in LA every once in a while during the off-season.
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Brianna
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Re:Early Specialization - 2006/08/15 02:24
In watching some workouts with two very solid female high school prospects, both of whom are quick, have excellent feet, solid defensive players, and very smart, well-focused kids; I found that both are black belts in Karate (or some form of Martial Arts) and started it when they were very young.
I would definitely agree that Martial Arts offers many benefits for athletes of any age; flexibility, strength, reaction time, quickness, and focus.
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Hook
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Re:Early Specialization - 2006/08/16 17:29
Brianna wrote:
I would definitely agree that Martial Arts offers many benefits for athletes of any age; flexibility, strength, reaction time, quickness, and focus.
Not to mention, balance and ability to leverage body strength more effectively.
I've been maintaining for some time now that if the officials continue to allow the physical grappling, pushing and holding, that seems to escalate during post-season tournament play, Martial Arts training can offer a distinct advantage for the smart player.
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coachmccormick
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Re:Early Specialization - 2006/10/28 11:29
Mia Hamm from the Sports Performance Journal:
On Playing Other Sports
"I played tennis, baseball, and other sports when I was growing up in Wichita Falls, Texas. I played competitive basketball until I was 14 or 15. Playing other sports keeps you from burning out and it helps you develop overall coordination. I've heard soccer club coaches telling their players that they can't play high school soccer or play other sports. That's a mistake."
On When to Specialize in One Sport
"As soon as I made the national team at 15, I knew that I wanted to concentrate on soccer. It was my decision, not anyone else's. It was also when I began to understand what it took to work on my own. Until then, I didn't understand the game as much as I needed to."
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