John Smoltz's HOF speech on specialization

I thought it was a good speech and glad he made the point about overuse.

 

You can specialize and not overuse.

 

My son played baseball only since the 8th grade. He hated s*ccer at a early age. Didn't care much for basketball even though he was tall. Football wasn't his thing either.

He did waterski, wakeboard, knee board, skeet shoot, bow shoot, long distance rifle shoot, hunt, fish, trap and various other things that may not be considered a sport. He also played very little Fall Ball after he was 12 or 13 and when he did, he didn't pitch past September or so (it interfered with his hunting). He did play catch periodically October thru January.

 

Moderation is the key, IMO!

joemktgson was baseball-only after 6th grade. He enjoyed basketball, but the constant screaming/yelling from coaches turned him off. Dabbled in other things, but was focused on baseball. That's all he ever wanted to play.

 

The issue we have is to make sure he doesn't over do it. It's especially hard to have him rest the arm in the down months of November/December.

 

Between baseball, girlfriend, school: not much left to do anything else.

Very unpopular speech, because it's all too true. But very few will listen..

What I took from his speech was not to play baseball year round but use the off season for other sports. And not to let the college coaches make you feel that you have to play year round to get a scholarship.

 

Good stuff, something we have advocated here for many many years.

 

Diamond Dogs,

To answer your question, pitchers are going to get hurt, its almost inevitable they will always remain healthy.

Our son didnt play year round baseball (even living in the sunshine state) until his junior HS season began, we always limited what he did and one reason was that he threw very hard. Even with being careful he suffered injuries (not serious but chronic in nature), which prevented  him from reaching the highest level.  

I have to admit, these days, I sometimes cringe when I hear about how much young players are playing baseball on a year round basis, HS ball, summer ball, fall ball, in between showcases, tourneys for weeks at a time, etc. etc. Some of these kids throw more innings than son did in college.

JMO

Let the kids do what the kids want to do.  Last time I checked you only get one shot at going through life (unless you believe in reincarnation and even then you won't remember it so it's like going through it for the first time anyway) so let people enjoy what they want to do.  I believe in overuse injuries in that they do happen but I also realize not to everyone.  When it comes to injuries I agree with TPM - they are going to happen and sometimes it's because play too much and sometimes it's because you specialize too much.  It is what it is - go have fun.  If someone is trying to make you specialize they are not the right fit for you.  Go have fun.

 

Now if a kid wants to specialize because that's what's fun to them then let them specialize.

Here are Smoltz's remarks on the subject Sunday at Cooperstown in their entirety:

Before I hand it over to the next inductee, I'd be remiss if I did not talk about Tommy John. I've been given an opportunity as one of the only players, the only one right now, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame with Tommy John surgery. It's an epidemic. It's something that is affecting our game. It's something that I thought would cost me my career, but thanks to Dr. James Andrews and all those before him, performing the surgery with such precision has caused it to be almost a false read, like a Band‑Aid you put on your arm.

I want to encourage the families and parents that are out there to understand that this is not normal to have a surgery at 14 and 15 years old, that you have time, that baseball's not a year‑round sport, that you have an opportunity to be athletic and play other sports.

Don't let the institutions that are out there running before you guaranteeing scholarship dollars and signing bonuses (tell you) that this is the way. We have such great, dynamic arms in our game that it's a shame that we're having one and two and three Tommy John recipients. So I want to encourage you if nothing else, know that your children's passion and desire to play baseball is something that they can do without a competitive pitch. Every throw a kid makes today is a competitive pitch. They don't go outside; they don't have fun; they don't throw enough. But they're competing and maxing out too hard, too early, and that's why we're having these problems. So please, take care of those great future arms.

Do you mean the part where he said kids nowadays "don’t throw enough"?  Which I happen to agree with . . .

 

Seriously, to answer the OP, 2019Son will begin to focus on baseball this year (9th grade). Up until now, he has played lots of sports other than baseball -- though on school teams, not travel teams.

Specialization...   again...  oh well my viewpoint hasn't changed.  Play what you want.  If its three sports so be it.  If its one that's fine too.  As for 2020 he plays basketball and baseball.  But by far more time spent on baseball.  His choice.  He will probably stick with basketball through high school but again that will be his choice.  But baseball for him is 12 months a year.  Part of that is baseball specific strength and fitness part is winter practice and part fall ball and of course the regular season.  No apologies.  And no burn out.  He would play 365 days a year if he could.

Welcome to the site, Diamond Dogs.  You will find countless threads on this topic.  I'll give you some of my perspective...

 

I have three kids, my youngest is still playing as a rising college junior.  I have coached HS ball for several years and have coached travel ball across ages from 12 - 18.  I have also coached summer college ball and am asked on occasion to guest coach showcase teams.  I do occasional contract work as site director for one of the big youth tournament organizations and have done so for about ten years.  I just worked one this past weekend.  I had ages 9-13 at my facilities so this should resonate with you and your kids.  I really enjoy being around the kids and trying to provide a great playing environment for them.  But FAR too many of the parents and coaches have gone so far overboard it is unbelievable.  I could tell you crazy stories for days from these events.  They are clearly pushing their kids to be all about baseball and putting way too much pressure on the kids to perform at a high level right now - yes, even at 8 and 9 years old.  I have seen it only get worse over the years and the younger the players, the worse the coaches and parents' behavior is.  Of course this is a generalization.  But it used to be I would enjoy the many great parents and coaches and tolerate the difficult ones.  This has shifted to the point where I have to seek out those parents and coaches who have a reasonable sense of balance in mind for their kids.  I left this weekend wishing I had a clear path to trying to influence this trend.  At least I can talk to you here.

 

Always remember that, as much as your kids may love baseball, in the end, it will not define them.  Focus on what kind of person each is off the field.  What other interests do they have or can you introduce them to?  They will grow and change.  They may continue playing baseball or they may take up different interests.  They may get hurt, get a girlfriend or get beat out at some level, no matter how hard they work at the game.  Be prepared to support their interests, whatever they may be.  In some cases, I think balance is something that even may need to be forced to an extent.  We told our kids they had to be involved in one or two outside activities, no more and no less, at a time, their choice.  Told them to pick a sport or music or community participation or some other hobby.  Help them be well-rounded.  Help them see how much the world has to offer.  Make sure part of the balance is to fulfill their share of responsibilities around the house as a member of the family.  And sports is no excuse not to do so.  If they are gifted enough and have the desire to excel at one in particular, gradually increase time toward that activity as part of the big picture but continue to insist on balance and new experiences. 

 

Yes, at some point, a young player may need to spend more time outside of the regular season (whatever that is anymore) in order to continue to compete.  The equation is different for everyone.  What is the individual's talent level?  What is the competitive environment - how good is the HS program, etc.?  But it sure as heck doesn't have to happen before they are twelve or thirteen.  And, even then, there still should be balance.  If the kids are in a school environment that allows them to participate in multiple sports and they want to do so, let them.  If they are talented enough to continue playing their favorite sport, there will still be enough time to hone their skills in that particular sport.  Meanwhile, there is usually plenty of benefit from playing the second or third sport or from taking a break from team sports and doing something else.

 

I've had dozens of kids tell me they love baseball and want to play it all the time.  I've become pretty good at reading a kid's voice and asking a few exploratory questions to determine sincerity vs. influence.  There are instances where it is 100% sincere.  There are far more instances where there is a significant amount of influence by parents and coaches who have the kids thinking they have to play all the time to "make it".  And in many of those instances, the parents have brainwashed themselves to believe it all comes from the kid.  Thus the need for appeals from folks such as Smoltz.

 

 

 

 

Smoltz' argument makes no sense. He was a multi-sport star and he had TJ surgery.

Smoltz had already reached the majors when he had TJ.  His reference is that now it is becoming common for 14, 15 year olds to need the procedure.

       
       


My understanding is Smoltz is against year round competitive Baseball. I also believe he is encouraging kids to play other sports and spend more time throwing. Makes sense to me; getting out in the yard & throwing is different than playing competitive Baseball. And yes; he'd played a number of years professional ball before TJ. He does not come across as a know it all & I respect his opinion.

Smoltz had TJ surgery while a professional athlete. Not at 14-15 years old.

The quote that interests me, especially coming from a Hall of Fame pitcher is: "that baseball's not a year‑round sport, that you have an opportunity to be athletic and play other sports." Is this true?  Do you really have that opportunity? How many coaches today would agree that baseball should not be a year-round sport,in practice not theory, or do most travel coaches and then HS coaches demand full participation (spring season, summer ball, camps, showcases, fall team, winter workouts, pitching coaches, hitting coaches, etc)? Does anyone here actually have a kid who was a multi-sport athlete in HS, or is that a thing of the past?

I played baseball through college. I played three sports in high school. I never tried to influence my kids towards baseball/softball. But it's what they play(ed) in college. They also played four sports into middle school and three in high school. My son was cut from basketball soph year for missing all the off season workouts and summer basketball. He played rec basketball the rest of high school.

 

My my kids never played baseball/softball out of season until high school. After 8th grade each played fall ball in addition to their fall sport. Winters were for physical training ing in addition to their wimter sport. In high school baseball/softball became year round.

 

Senior year my son fell and separated his shoulder doing an agility drill. It required surgery. The ortho (also has pro clients) said my son's shoulder had a lot of wear and tear. It wasn't from pitching. It was from all the contact playing sports. He's a very physical athlete. He's a very athletic kid who plays like a grinder. Putting his shoulder back together had him throwing harder.

 

So it's not necessarily pitching too much, too little, playing one sport or playing multiple sports. All an athlete can do is take care of his body the best he can and hope for the best. As far as throwing and pitching I do believe kids pitch too much and throw too little. My son threw almost every day during the season starting with LL.

 

i also believe just because a person is/was a pro athlete doesn't mean he knows anything about youth sports and youth's bodies.

All three of my kids were multi-sport thru HS.  The majority of the student/athletes at our medium size HS are multi-sport thru all or most of their HS years.  Granted, a fair amount of those are football players who run track. 

My kids attended a large classification high school. My daughter played volleyball, basketball and softball. Since there are less athletic girls they are encouraged to play two or three sports. 

 

My son's soccer coach went nuts every year my son told him he would be playing baseball all summer. He did attend two weeks of goalie camp each summer. After being the starting point guard on the freshman team he was cut soph year for missing all the off season workouts and not playing in a summer league. The only two sport basketball player was 6'7", 220. The basketball coach told me since my son was already a varsity soccer player and expected to start varsity baseball as a soph he obviously didn't have time for basketball. A former UNC captain thought the coach was nuts for cutting my son. Having the winter to workout helped him put on bulk and muscle instead of running off weight playing basketball every day.

In a conversation this past winter with an AD of a nearby private school known for its athletics, he told me that they have a specific award for three-sport athletes, and that they haven't given the award in a number of years because they don't have any three-sport athletes. He said that they still see a lot of fall-spring two-sport athletes (e.g., football-baseball, or football-track), but it's difficult to do back-to-back seasons (e.g., fall-winter, or winter-spring) because the seasons overlap so much.

 

To be clear, I'm talking about the big-school level (Division 1 in California; there are seven divisions). I know that it's different at smaller schools -- e.g., lots and lots of kids in Division 5 schools play multiple sports.