In Defense Of One-Sport Athletes

Pappi,

Agree that one sport versus multi-sport is an on going debate, and I guess I should add a disclaimer my son was a multi-sport athlete

I guess my issue is that unless you knew that all the plays you mention were made by multi sport athletes I guess I am disagree with your premise.

I think the one sport athlete is an more recent type of athlete, years ago I believe that there were more multi sport athletes ( in my high school days the multi sport athlete was the norm, the single sport was more rare)

So to link the demise of fundamentals in recent years to the multi sport athlete I think is placing the blame on the wrong cause....

I hear the same comment about basketball players and fundamentals....I wonder if today's athlete is more athletic and players today are more athletic thus they rely on their pure athletic ability versus the fundamentals of their sport? 

I have seen some of the same type of plays you mention at higher levels of baseball where they are just playing one sport

I guess the debate goes on....I still believe it is an individual choice that works for some and does not work for others.

What I have observed is that some parents want their kids to have instant success, which  many people define as having a starting role immediately.If the boy can't start on a team, they change teams. There are threads where people talk about moving their families so that their son can start on a team because he hasn't been able to start at another school.

The emphasis isn't on solid fundamentals, but playing time. And if it doesn't work out, change teams. How about working on getting better instead? Playing time without proper instruction won't necessarily make a player better.

quote from BiggerPapi:

In the past few weeks, I've watched:

 

Catchers who cannot (or will not) block balls in the dirt.

Pitchers who walk four or five consecutive batters.

First basemen who don't know how to pick balls out of the dirt.

Base runners dive head first at second on a double play ball.

Right fielders who lob a ball to the second baseman when a runner is going from first to third.

Base runners who can't read hits and advance an extra base.

Players who cannot bunt.

Shortstops who try to field throws from the catcher while standing on the outfield side of the base.

Etc, etc, etc.

I'm going to warn you....you've touched a nerve.   I agree with you for the most part.  If kids are playing one sport they need to know and practice that one sport a lot.  It infuriates me to see these things done beyond high school too.  NCAA Final Four mens basketball foul shooting is horrendous.   I blame the players AND the coaches.  Yes, I said coaches too.  Coaches don't seem to want to put their foot down when a player makes the same mistake over and over and over.  I'm not talking one time thing, I'm talking about repeat offenders, and the coaches will not call them on it.   Take him out of the game if it is repeatedly hurting the team.   Coaches will not hesitate to take a pitcher out if it is not his day, but for some reason they are reluctant to pull a position player.  Are position players that sensitive...give me a freaking break!  Coaches can't or don't want to use their bench to create competition.   It is just not smart coaching too.  In your examples here is what the outcome and follow through should be IMHO:

1) Catchers who cannot (or will not) block balls in the dirt....next practice if he can't or won't block balls in the dirt, he's going to learn the finer points of becoming an outfielder or corner infielder.

2) Pitchers who walk four or five consecutive batters.....coaches fault for leaving him in past two walks.  Grab some pine with the coach.  Work on control in next practice.

3) First basemen who don't know how to pick balls out of the dirt....next practice we're going practice picking balls in the dirt.   If you can't do it, you're going to learn the finer points of competiting for an outfield position.

4) Base runners dive head first at second on a double play ball....grab some pine.

5) Right fielders who lob a ball to the second baseman when a runner is going from first to third.....the team has a need for competition at pinch runner.   We're going to move you from starting in right field to competiting for our pinch runner role.

6) Base runners who can't read hits and advance an extra base......grab some bench time with the coach

7) Players who cannot bunt.....pinch hit for player who can't bunt or grab some bench time with the coach.

8)Shortstops who try to field throws from the catcher while standing on the outfield side of the base....next practice we're going to learn the finer points of competing for an outfielder, pitcher or corner infielder position.

That was very cathartic.   I feel much better.

That team is going to have a crowded outfield and bench seats will be at a premium

I agree that HS baseball is tough to watch after being around competitive travel ball but keep in mind that not all HS players are looking to move forward. Many simply play for fun or have other sports of focus and the coach only has so many boys to pick from. Time is limited and I'm sure the coach has to pick his battles and focus attention where he believes its most needed. But I get it and I think you are correct...a complete position player, who's called on to pitch, needs most of the year to work on his skills...speed...and lifting. Oh...add school and grades too. It's a grind that some arent interested in and I try not to hold it against them.

BK makes a good point, most HS bb players will NOT go forward to play baseball. 

There is nothing wrong with playing one sport and nothing wrong with playing two and most of all playing for the enjoyment of being on any team with your friends and respresenting your school and town.

I wish that people would just settle back and enjoy HS baseball and sport in general for what it is. You can't expect every player to have the skills necessary to be future college stars or pros.   

As at any level, there are some teams that will excel, and some teams that will not. HS baseball is an extra curricular activity, if one looks at it that way they will find it much more enjoyable. 

JMO

As pointed out it's too simplistic of an answer to say that those who play several sports are the reason why bad plays as described happen.  I truly believe that it IS a problem in that they do not spend enough time with baseball but I've seen all types of players make these types of mistakes.  I think coaches are to blame for the reasons described and I think parents are to blame for the reasons described which goes to show that this is a very complicated issue.

My two cents as the main cause is kids play too many games at the younger levels instead of practicing.  Too much time is spent in forming these super travel teams that have the best players athletically who resort on just being better rather than spend more time in practice teaching those situations to them.  By the time they get to high school age it's almost too late to try and fix this stuff because this is the age when they should play more than practice.....but still need time for practice.

Don't get me wrong the whole point of playing is to play and compete but there has to be time spent teaching the game - especially at a younger age.  Now if a kid can't figure out how to do the things mentioned it's easier to sit them until they figure it out.  But if you know the guy behind the starter won't make the same play either, and the guy who started who didn't make the play initially knows it as well, then benching really isn't a motivating factor anymore.

High school coaches do not have enough time to teach the game as well as it should be.  We only get about three months for a preseason, 25 - 30 games and a post season which is not enough time as compared to all summer and possibly fall.  But high school can be very beneficial to reinforcing what needs to be taught to advance even if the guys don't want to move past high school.

From what I've seen, being a multisport athlete has little to do with lack of fundamentals but rather a combination of bad coaching and or lack of talent in baseball from a multisport athlete. Some athletes may  be multi-sport athletes but are clearly better at one sport over another. Whether they played one sport or multisports probably would make little difference in their abilities. A good athlete who is good at multiple sports will pick up the fundamentals whether they play one or four sports. Then there are others who are just good at baseball and ok at other sports or just plain lousy at other sports. There's really no one size fits all answer other than whether or not a the athlete has baseball skills or not. 

Actually, I see multisport athletes more likely to be fundamentally sound because they spend so much time in practices and train longer so they are conditioned to be fundamentally sound ballplayers.

Whatever the case, no athlete should be talked out of trying to play multiple sports assuming they want to and they can handle the school work with all the extra time put in practices and games for much of the school year

So at what age do you become this exclusive, elite, one sport athlete? 16, 12, 6?  That is just stupid. If I can be a better player than you and play 3 sports why pick one?  It may mean that the kid has to put in more practice time at multiple sports.  Someone on here had a signature line that said.....play them all until the competition proves otherwise.  Good advice.

I have a 6yo son that seems to have the knack for the two sports he does right now, and he loves them both.  So he has to pick one in the hopes that he is good in one. BS!!!!  You can pick and blame whoever you want for the player not knowing what to do, but at some point it comes down to the kid not wanting to get it done.

Even a 6yo knows that to be good in both he has to practice in both.  After his ball game he turned on the lights outside and practiced his other sport. I don't push him at this age. So, I asked him about it. His reply....."If I want to keep being the best I have to practice". If you have to pick one do it based on lack of talent in one sport or more likely due to time constraints as one moves up the ladder.

So, here he is in his baseball uni practicing his roping.  BTW, yesterday he rode his horse, hit off of the tee, and swung his golf clubs.  

Growing up we played football because it was football season, basketball because it was basketball season and baseball because it was baseball season. I kept to the seasons through high school sports. No one expected otherwise. I never touched a baseball in the fall or winter until college ball. We would shoot baskets in the driveway in the summer. We didn't play for fear ofspraining an ankle.

My kids were high school multi sport athletes. But they had to work at baseball and softball almost year round. It was expected from their travel teams. Until high school age they didn't touch baseballs/softballs from when baseball ended in August until mid February.

My middle son was mainly a baseball player. In Middle School he played Basketball and Baseball for the school. He loved both. In 8th grade he was cut form the Basketball team. He was upset.

He did not want to give it up so he played in the local rec league instead and had a blast. Playing in the Rec league he could play with his friends and they only had practice once a week.

He played rec all through High school, even though he was asked to try out for the school team several times. Basketball was fun and he found a way to do that.

This year my youngest gave up playing baseball for his high school.Why, because his first sport is wrestling. He feels he has a real possibility of making it to state. There is a lot of wrestling that goes on even in the spring and after State. So he will play baseball in the summer, but not the spring. He will still be playing travel ball, but we will just be traveling locally with one or two tournaments this year, all inside our state. Will I miss him playing for his high school, you bet.

Would I still consider my son's two sport athletes? Yes, even though those sports are not at the varsity level. This allows them to focus on the sport they love AND are VERY GOOD at and still compete in another sport they love but may not be as Good at.

Agreed bigger. The caliber is hard to watch. Mostly fielding and baserunning. Problem is I believe twofold. One, too much emphasis on hitting, and also not enough field space or time for practices. It would drive me nuts that we would play 4-5 games a week with no time to practice. Agreed as well they could learn from watching on TV. I will sit with my boy and talk about a situation on TV, and not a couple seconds later the analyst will repeat what I just said. Also dads shouldn't leave it up to coaches to do all the teaching. There is only so much time for individual instruction at practices. If you're kid is serious, work with him outside the program.

Son has played 3 varsity sports (Hockey, Baseball, and Soccer) for 3 years along with Tennis and Golf with Dad. It's been said that more muscles are developed by playing many sports. Since he's in NE, he plays Baseball in April-May (non-competative Varsity) and takes on the June-July-August PG Showcase/Tourney curcuit.

College and Pro scouts have told him that quickness, hand-eye, defensive awareness, and athletic instincts are increased when an athlete uses experience and muscle memory crossed-over multiple disiplines. 

He comitted to an SEC University and will report for second summer session. He will not play baseball in lieu of golf an attending MLB games. I may teach him how to use a pencil and scorecard.

I played seasonal sports on the block, but never in school. I was able to coach all sports from 5-7 years and have an appreciation for the WORK our sons take on.

 I would not have been able to maintain their schedules. So let's let our boys enjoy their time in HS sports.

My 2 pennies, first time POSTing.

Amen to that.  Son's coach has frequently said he wishes he could just practice the kids until 15, but that doesn't make a sustainable business model! 

The multi-sport argument I see most frequently is that playing sports other than the primary sport enhances the players athleticism in their primary sport.  The cross-training may well have that effect.

But the training techniques and technologies available to the avid athlete are so advanced now that cross-training or playing multiple sports is no longer the sole pathway to increased athleticism.  To me, the main argument for going multisport should remain whether the athlete's in it for the enjoyment, not the training effects, and should only be limited by the practice/training demands of the primary sport.  And then, that's only for those athlete's that have a chance/have the desire to play "at the next level."