Training for kids - benefits of multisport exposure

[leeubok]

On 8/11/2021 at 2:52 PM, rudi-h said:

Basically, early specialization is only beneficial in very select few activities / sports.  Golf and Chess are some of them, tennis etc. are not.

 

 

 

On 8/11/2021 at 3:01 PM, rudi-h said:

Actually not...  Federer might have fooled around with a tennis racket from age 3, but he took part in dozens of other sports and only really got into tennis around age 17.  He's basically the poster-boy for starting late, even for tennis which is regarded as a sport where motor skill development is fundamental.  Agassi on the other hand was "forced" into tennis from age 5, so both approaches can win you slams if you have the right genes.  Letting kids be kids seems more humane and IMO makes for better humans.  Agassi self-confessed that he hates tennis and in his book he refers to his dad with his tennis-ball throwing machine as a monster, he just didn't know what else to do.

Not to flog a dead horse here or argue for the sake of arguing, but tennis is definitely one of the sports where early specialization is beneficial. Yes they may have played other sports as well, but the point is they started playing tennis at a young age and focused mostly on that. Let's look at the big 3 (source wiki)

Federer

Federer also credits his hand-eye coordination to the wide range of sports he played as a child, including badminton and basketball. Federer played his first junior match in 1996 at the age of 14 at a grade 2 tournament in Switzerland.

Djokovic

 

As a young child, Djokovic was given a mini-racket and a soft foam ball, by his parents, which his father claimed, became "the most beloved toy in his life". Djokovic began playing tennis at the age of four,^[19] when his parents sent him to a tennis camp in Novi Sad,^[18] as his parents had not played any tennis in the past.^[20] In the summer of 1993, before attending primary school, the six-year-old was sent to a tennis camp organized by the Teniski Klub Partizan^[20] and overseen by Yugoslav tennis player Jelena Genčić,^[21] at Mount Kopaonik, where Djokovic's parents ran a fast-food parlour^[22] and a sports equipment business.^[18] Upon seeing the child Djokovic playing tennis, she stated: "This is the greatest talent I have seen since Monica Seles.

Nadal

Recognizing in Rafael a natural talent, another uncle, Toni Nadal, a tennis coach, introduced him to the game when he was three years old.^[9] At age 8, Nadal won an under-12 regional tennis championship at a time when he was also a promising football player.^[10] This made Toni Nadal intensify training, and it was at that time that his uncle encouraged Nadal to play left-handed for a natural advantage on the tennis court, after studying Nadal's then two-handed forehand stroke.^[10] At age 12, Nadal won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group, while also playing football.^[10] Nadal's father made him choose between football and tennis so that his schoolwork would not deteriorate entirely. Nadal said: "I chose tennis. Football had to stop straight away."^[10]

 

[Jewbacca]

11 minutes ago, leeubok said:

 

Not to flog a dead horse here or argue for the sake of arguing, but tennis is definitely one of the sports where early specialization is beneficial. Yes they may have played other sports as well, but the point is they started playing tennis at a young age and focused mostly on that. Let's look at the big 3 (source wiki)

Federer

Federer also credits his hand-eye coordination to the wide range of sports he played as a child, including badminton and basketball. Federer played his first junior match in 1996 at the age of 14 at a grade 2 tournament in Switzerland.

Djokovic

 

As a young child, Djokovic was given a mini-racket and a soft foam ball, by his parents, which his father claimed, became "the most beloved toy in his life". Djokovic began playing tennis at the age of four,^[19] when his parents sent him to a tennis camp in Novi Sad,^[18] as his parents had not played any tennis in the past.^[20] In the summer of 1993, before attending primary school, the six-year-old was sent to a tennis camp organized by the Teniski Klub Partizan^[20] and overseen by Yugoslav tennis player Jelena Genčić,^[21] at Mount Kopaonik, where Djokovic's parents ran a fast-food parlour^[22] and a sports equipment business.^[18] Upon seeing the child Djokovic playing tennis, she stated: "This is the greatest talent I have seen since Monica Seles.

Nadal

Recognizing in Rafael a natural talent, another uncle, Toni Nadal, a tennis coach, introduced him to the game when he was three years old.^[9] At age 8, Nadal won an under-12 regional tennis championship at a time when he was also a promising football player.^[10] This made Toni Nadal intensify training, and it was at that time that his uncle encouraged Nadal to play left-handed for a natural advantage on the tennis court, after studying Nadal's then two-handed forehand stroke.^[10] At age 12, Nadal won the Spanish and European tennis titles in his age group, while also playing football.^[10] Nadal's father made him choose between football and tennis so that his schoolwork would not deteriorate entirely. Nadal said: "I chose tennis. Football had to stop straight away."^[10]

 

As a parent, I would feel like such a dick if I forced my child to play, practice, train etc while being that young.

Talent or not, kids deserve to be kids. 

[leeubok]

Just now, Jewbacca said:

As a parent, I would feel like such a dick if I forced my child to play, practice, train etc while being that young.

Talent or not, kids deserve to be kids. 

I fully agree. I was merely pointing out that the 3 best ever tennis players did indeed start at a very young age.. 

[leeubok]

I'm sure they don't mind today though... 20 grand slams each, 3 best players ever, all the cash they could ever want.. All 3 have indicated they love the sport, unlike Agassi

[Jewbacca]

9 minutes ago, leeubok said:

I'm sure they don't mind today though... 20 grand slams each, 3 best players ever, all the cash they could ever want.. All 3 have indicated they love the sport, unlike Agassi

Yeah, but they also don't know any different.

Who knows, one of them may have been a brilliant scientist or something more useful than a good sportser

[leeubok]

Just now, Jewbacca said:

Yeah, but they also don't know any different.

Who knows, one of them may have been a brilliant scientist or something more useful than a good sportser

Not sure I'm following your reasoning now.. As long as they love the sport and what they do, why not? Would you say the same about Greg Minnaar? Should he have rather tried other sports instead of biking and motoX only from a young age? Perhaps he would've been a good teacher (more useful), instead of a good sportstar?