what is a multi sport athlete?

My 2017 decided swimming would be a good way to get in baseball shape during middle school, never swam more than just "during their season" and as a sophomore broke four school records (3 in relays, 1 individual) and qualified for States in those events also.  

 

It's increased his speed noticeably for baseball but hurts his conversion of strength to power a bit. He'll be hitting the weights more over his last two years to help that.

 

I consider him a multi-sport athlete and it's only been a small issue at first with his coaches until they realized he was a beast in both.

 

 

First your son should do in HS what HE wants to do NOT mom and dad. Why would a kid play VB if he has no desire to ? 

 

Second a college coach is going to chose a player who fits his needs, he will not care if he played football, or chess. He will be looking for a ball player and the best one he can find that fits his budget. 

 

Third I have seen football players play baseball successfully and not get hurt and I have seen them lose a season because of football injuries. There is some risk, but there is risk playing year round baseball ball.

 

Finally do what Mary Ann Shapi recommended to me when I found this site years ago. "Play both sports until the competition tells you otherwise."

 

 

 

 

I agree they should play what they want to play, but I also agree that there is a legitimate concern with football.  (Head injuries)  That being said, son played football, basketball, wrestled, and played baseball throughout middle school.  In high school, he played football 3 years, and baseball all 4.  I thoroughly believe it helped him learn to compete, and playing multiple sports is the right way to go.  Of course, it is not the only way, just the way I believe in.

       
       
That was my point about volleyball that a kid shouldn't have to play a sport they have no interest in to appease someone's definition of 'multisport'  as for football if a set of parents are absolutely convinced there are LONG TERM health effects from playing football it is absolutely their duty as responsible parents to not sign off on a kid playing football regardless of what they want.

I think two sports is plenty.  My 2017 wanted to play football but was smart enough not to.  He has been on V basketball and V baseball for 2 years. Though he was the only frosh on V basketball his first year, and one of two sophs his second year, I believe that he's topped out as a basketball player, will never be a regular starter, and that his team is going to struggle over the next two years.  I also feel that during basketball season his time would be better spent on academics and adding weight. 

 

That said, I'm keeping it zipped. He needs to make his own choices.

Mine plays football and baseball in high school. Two sports seem like enough and definitely fits the definition of multi-sport. He pretty much plays football to stay in shape for baseball and have fun. I am not really concerned with football injuries, but we all have different tolerance and risk levels. My son races motocross too, so we definitely have a very high tolerance for risk. He loves motocross about as much as baseball. If there was collegiate motocross, I think that's what he would choose to pursue. He has the best helmets we can afford for both sports and all the protective gear we can find. They won't prevent all injuries, but I would never dream of taking away something he loves so much because we are afraid.

 

Truth be told, he has been hurt more playing baseball than any other sport. Right now, he is limping around with two huge gashes in his knee from a run-in with another player's cleats. Probably should have had a couple stitches, but butterfly bandages did the job. Even hurt, he is chomping at the bit to start summer ball tonight.

 

I guess my point is to let him do what he really likes and wants to do. He probably won't get a lot out of playing a sport that he isn't really into and will most likely defeat the purpose of playing multiple sports.

I always thought it was about developing additional physical skills that made coaches "prefer" multi sports athletes.  What you want to avoid is a baseball player who throws/bats right handed and ends up developing his right side only - never does anything other than throw or hit a baseball.  Convesely, not sure a baseball coach is really concerned if a catcher happened to play offensive line and basically sat there and blocked - no real skill development that translates.  The preference for multi sport athletes may be a concept that multi sport athletes have transferable skills in other sports and not that they simply chose to participate.  I think it is more a by-product as opposed to to a goal.

Baseball is just about year round these days.

If my kids wanted to play another sport they would.

They keep going with the other sports on a recreational basis.

Sometimes they need a mental break from the intense competition and organized schedules.

I know mine do.

 

I think it's a mistake for baseball players to play or not play other sports because of career planning or resume building reasons.

 

It's great for a baseball player to play another sport because he thinks it will improve his baseball ability, but to play another sport because some hypothetical coach might be more interested in him several years down the road is overthinking the decision.

       
       
This is exactly what I think.  All the talk here and elsewhere all the time about 'play em all' 'scouts love the three sport star' etc.  He barely has time for two at the levels he is playing.  With the exception of football he is the captain of his ship.  I want to emphasize again that it us not the broken arm or leg etc we worry about with football.  It is the long term brain issues combined with arthritis issues etc.  Things that w Ill affect the quality of his life down the road.  So when I hear things like 'developing toughness' or learning to 'compete' I wonder why that can't be done with baseball and basketball.  I can't help but believe some people - not all - think that football is that key to developing those qualities.

I am not quite sure the perspectives of Coach Steele on playing multiple sports are fully spelled out in the article.  I am also not quite sure his advocating that direction is so much a love of multiple sport athletes as it is a concern about the youth experience in baseball. The article seems to suggest he believes there is far too much "training" rather than "developing" in youth to HS baseball.

He also seems to be suggesting the training rather than developing impacts prospective players in ways which are physical, mechanical and  mental when they get to baseball in HS and especially beyond and in ways which are not just baseball impacted.

For me, this point seems central to his perspectives: "I am a major proponent of kids playing multiple sports. I want kids who have COMPETED, not TRAINED. I want kids who have TRANSFORMED, not CONFORMED." At the core, I wonder if Coach Steele is really saying quit "measuring" baseball players from ages 8-18 by stats, showcase numbers, velocity, exit speeds, 60 times and the like.  While all of those might be nice and can be trained, they leave a portion of  players ill-equipped to "compete" in the ways which baseball...and life require.

Again, from the article, this stands out: "Yes, your player may be talented enough to make it to college or pro-ball in spite of mechanical correction. But I promise you that I have coached enough of those types of players who need to be completely redeveloped because they never learned how to compete and figure things out on their own."

With all due respect this is not true.  OL spend a lot of time doing footwork drills because pushing and pulling (yes you can pull without being called for holding) big people requires great footwork.  The footwork learned in football will translate into baseball skills.  The balance learned from trying to move big bodies that are not wanting to be moved will help translate into baseball skills.  OL are not a bunch of stereotypical big unathletic guys.  They are like any other position in any other sport - the more athletic you are the better you are and more desireable you are.  You take the stereotypical big unathletic kid and put him at catcher and / or OL and he's going to stink at both.  Put the big athletic kid in both positions and they will excel.

 

I'm a true firm believer in multi-sports for kids.  

 

1.  The skills you learn in any other sport will somehow someway translate into other sports.  How could it not?

 

2.  Some sports you're a leader, other sports you're a follower.  Playing other sports helps you learn to adapt to differing roles that sport needs (or should if you're not a arrogant jerk).

 

3.  It allows your brain to get a rest from one sport by moving to another sport.  You need this - why do we take vacations from work?  You need a mental and physical break from doing something continuously.

 

4.  It's fun.  Playing sports are fun and should be fun.  This is why kids should be allowed to do more than one sport - it's their time to enjoy it.  Our time has passed and it shouldn't matter what we want.

 

As for the football issue - please actually educate yourself in the matter of head injuries.  Yes there is a chance of them happening and they can be severe but a chance of a head injury can happen in ANY sport.  Yes the odds are greater in football than baseball (or most any other sport).  The reason why it seems worse than what it really is because of the whole it's in the spotlight now.  If you are using good equipment and use correct techniques when hitting the odds of getting hit go down significantly.  But even if you do everything correctly you can still get hurt.  Just like a pitcher who delivers a pitch and ends up in perfect fielding position can still get hurt on a line drive back up the middle.  A batter can see the pitch coming at him and turn away from it like he's supposed to and still get hit in the head.  When it's your time to get hurt then you're going to get hurt.  

 

Football is not the devil.  If your kid wants to play football then let him.  Don't hold him out of something that could be special just because of your fears.  Now if he plays and doesn't like it then that's a different situation.

And no disrespect meant but I found the article way too vague and a little too preachy for my taste.  And that is the impetus for my query.   What is a multi sport athlete?  What does 'compete' mean?  Heck most of us were competitive even in gym class!  I just think that baseball and travel ball in specific gets a bad rap.  I just don't even know any of 'those parents'.  5th year of 'travel ball' whatever that really even means is subjective I guess.  Have I run in to some excitable people?  Sure.  But.over the top your life has to be dedicated to baseball?  Never.  Not saying they don't exist just saying they are a very very small minority made to seem larger by the incorrect stereotypes that are peroetuated.

Not trying to be combative but what you put is what I'm talking about - how do you know your son WILL get a head injury or arthritis from playing sports?  Getting a concussion does not mean you will have issues later.  Playing football does not guarantee you will have arthritis.  Nobody knows what the future holds for us physically after we are done playing sports.  Almost all of my injuries in sports came from baseball and not playing football.  Playing football helped me to become a better baseball player.  I truly do not believe I would have played college baseball without playing football.  Now that's my story but I'm not the only one either.

 

If you only focus on baseball and play from Feb through Oct you are going to play a ton of games.  The chances of getting a concussion / hurt go up with each game played due to the number of at bats is increased.  The number of double plays you're turning with a guy bearing down on you.  The number of line drives back up the middle.  The number of flyballs taking you into a fence.  You can get a concussion in any of these situations.  A football concussion is no different than a baseball concussion or basketball concussion or hockey concussion or soccer concussion - a concussion is a concussion.  So why be scared to try something on the what if?  So why play scared on the what if?  Any one of us could be hurt or killed in a car wreck at any time but that doesn't stop us from doing it.  You look at how many people drive everyday without getting hurt, look at how many play baseball without getting hurt, play any sport without getting hurt - yet we don't play the what if game with them because we know the odds.  Football is no different - you think about how many people play the sport each year and very few actually get severely injured.  

Coaches want players who play their sport well. Everything else is just talk. A baseball coach cares that a kid can hit, not make three pointers.

 

When my kids were little they were introduced to multiple sports. The oldest, my daughter wasn't interested in team sports until all her friends signed up to play. Until then she did a lot of gymnastics and free play. She didn't like contact. She was timid. She was better at softball since she wasn't battling opposing players for the ball like basketball, soccer and field hockey. But she played them all. I also taught her to play two man volleyball in the park.

 

I thought her potential was to play high school softball. When she grew she got intense. She played high school volleyball, basketball and softball. She played college softball. It was never a plan until she excelled in high school. In 8th grade she played right and batted last on the middle school team. She didn't make the middle school basketball team.

 

My son played soccer starting at four and baseball and basketball at seven. By ten the high school soccer coach said he would be his goalie in five years. It was an absurd statement that turned out to be true. Had I been an ignorant sports parent my son would have been soccer 100% of the time by age ten based on the recruiting that occurred.

 

He played all three red and travel through middle school. He also played middle school football. About age twelve baseball starts to matter a little more than the other sports. I think it was following in dads foot steps. I told he he might have to drop a sport in high school to give extra time to baseball. Soph year he was cut from basketball for missing all the off season optional workouts and not playing for the summer league team. Not playing basketball gave him the winter to gain muscle and weight rather than losing weight. He also took hitting and pitching lessons. He became a dominating baseball player.

 

Until high school there was never a plan for either kid to play college baseball/softball. The plan was to enjoy competing in sports. I never looked at them as baseball and softball players. I looked at them as athletes. My kids are sports fans. Despite going further in baseball/softball they are equally football, basketball and baseball fans. My son is also a European soccer fan.

 

Note: I played football, basketball and baseball in high school and college baseball. I sometimes wonder if my playing in college tipped my kids in that direction. They loved playing basketball as much as baseball/softball. My son's best sport was soccer.

 All the article seems to be, to me at least,  is one to cause parents to think about the way  they are doing things and how this coach sees those results when a player lands on a college doorstep.

On that same site is a question posed to Greg Moore, the HC at UC Northridge who is going to likely be one of the very, very best based on turning that program around in such a short period of time.  While the wording is different, I don't think what Coach Moore and Coach Steele (between them they probably interact with several hundred players per year) are saying is very different:

 

"

What would surprise parents and players most about how you evaluate and recruit players?

 

---

Coach Moore: It would surprise parents if they understood how much we evaluate the response to failure. We want to see how a young man and his parents fail on the field and over a long period of time. This ranges from sitting the bench, to a rough slump. Most of the best players succeed day to day and week to week. Parents of course enjoy that. I want to see if a mom or dad sees the value in 0 for 12 or 2 weeks without playing.

Most players, almost all, struggle for extended periods as they move from high school to college, or college to the pros. Seeing struggle on the field is the beginning. The evaluation that matters comes from the questions and answers after the game. Does he blame the shortstop, the umpire or even mechanics that were “off” that day? Or does the performance or contribution to the team begin and end with the person answering the questions. Is there an instinct to create an action plan to improve, or a reflex to sulk or point fingers. We also evaluate parents ability to encourage that productive response to struggles. The most surprising thing we evaluate is what should be no surprise to a baseball player, response to failure.

 

Coach Steele wants players who have figured it out on their own. Coach Moore wants players who have "an instinct to create an action plan to improve..." For me at least, they are slightly different words but so similar in compelling ways from two who are very successful, with Coach Moore known for taking HS guys who were not highly recruited or rated and "developing" them into 1st rounders ( a number of times.) Parents might also want to note the reference to evaluating how the player...and PARENT manage the players failure on the field.  Really interesting, I think.

One of the biggest baseball benefits we've seen from football is the essentially-mandatory year-round weight training and resulting increased muscle/size.  (Particularly significant for my son as with that work he is still only tipping 177 pounds.) Sure, you can add muscle without football.  And, of course, the weight training is not specifically designed for baseball performance.  But, my sense is for us that the constant focus on weight training in football has resulted in overall more work than would have occurred without football.  Not that this is the motivating factor for the kid though -- from what I can see, there is significantly more camaraderie associated with the football program than the baseball program.  He loves baseball; but, in certain senses, football is more fun.  Can't help but worry about the football injury risks though.

Just as an aside, it is not the single concussions that everyone sees which are the problem in football.  It is the sub-concussive hits -- without a concussion. 

 

http://www.traumaticbraininjur...erious-brain-damage/

 

http://www.momsteam.com/sub-co...cern-in-youth-sports

Love the discussion...  will have to wait to respond til after my game!  See ya in a few hours!

Very good points and very valid.  I will say that the first article lacks a lot of merit but the second article is very good for proving RHI and sub-concussive hits.  I'm not naive enough to say football doesn't have issues but I still don't think it's the devil like some want to think it is.  This is all new and breaking research that will take longitudinal studies to get true verification but you're seeing changes already.  NFHS is probably going to pass a rule where the amount of contact during practice is going to be limited.  I'm not opposed to changes like this if it's going to help kids.  I still stick with my assertions that if you stick with fundamentals then you're going to minimize incidences of major injuries and injuries that accrue.

I agree with most, coaches really only care how good a player is in his sport.

I think what coach Steele is alluding to in his article is.

Not necessarily play multi organized sports, but for kids to figure things out on their own is a better way to learn.

For example, we played "fast pitching" in the day 11-14u in the schoolyard in Chicago.

Squared off the box on the wall with tape.

No radar guns but the pitching was phenomenal. Would boast why people spent money to watch the Cubs when they could see great baseball here.

Nasty curve balls with a rubber ball.

We learned to hit those curve balls. Not through words or instruction, but by seeing them and figuring it out.

 

 

 

^^This!

We are lucky in that our football weight training program is actually geared toward all athletes and is focused not only on getting stronger, but becoming faster and more explosive. Football is where my son really works on his speed and running technique. It's where he is going to get bigger, faster and stronger. He is able to piggy back some of his baseball strength training onto what he is already doing on a daily basis in his power lifting class. Not only do they get to work different muscles, but they get a different type of competition and decision-making. I am really hoping he sticks with football throughout high school just for these benefits.

Doesn't it convey something on it's face to say "he's a multi-sport athlete"?  Something positive?  To me this conjures up all kinds of phrases and impressions, none of them negative that I can think of.  Things like athletic, hard working, competitive, etc.?  You could think deeper and infer some other things - low mileage (in the case of a pitcher), high upside (since he's not a year-round ball player), versatile skill set, etc.  It seems obvious why a multi-sport athlete would be attractive to a coach.

Would probably say that a "Multi-Sport Athlete" is one who letters in 2 or more sports. Son's new college coach recruits multi-sport players (says they are more "competitive") as well as versatile athletes. Son developed different muscles in baseball, soccer & indoor track. (Had a similar fear as you dad 2020 when my son played hoops- he's speedy and worried he get slammed or undercut under the boards). Talked to a scout who was in the stands at recent high school baseball playoff game. Said he would prefer that all his guys played either basketball or soccer --even though "soccer is SO boring to watch."

Lettering in 2 or more sports? This is where I wonder how my son is looked at. At the school he plays baseball and that's it. However he also plays golf and soccer. Neither is carried by the school. Heck I would even say he plays a higher level soccer than baseball. He plays 14U I guess major level baseball but plays 18U equivalent to major level soccer. He also competes in some pretty dang big amature golf tournaments. Is he a multi sport athlete? Peronally I don't care I just wonder how a college coach would label him.

As for football, my son only played one year of youth but I'm much much much more concerned watching him on the mound than I was watching him play football. A couple of weekends ago he took a fastball to the face. Luckily he turned his head just quick enough that it wasn't a solid lick but after watching it I was ready to yank him out of baseball and put him in football where it's safer Hahahha.

       
       
I have done my research.  And I couldn't disagree more.  While I grant you not everyone is going to be affected why would you want to play russian roulette.  There is now overwhelming evidence to show the dangers of football.

Just one perspective, but I wonder how this thread actually correlates with the article which the OP used for a reference point.

That article, frankly, is not very complimentary of the manner in which baseball is being taught from the early ages at least through HS.  The reference to multi-sport is 3 lines and 3 lines only, in the context of development and a player learning to do things on their own, develop on their own, compete and adapt.

This is the quote of Coach Steele:

 

"It just means he needs to develop. How? I am a major proponent of kids playing multiple sports. I want kids who have COMPETED, not TRAINED. I want kids who have TRANSFORMED, not CONFORMED."

 

To me, it is too bad this is becoming a forum to question or trash football. Just today, Marcus Mariotta is on board discussing how soccer made him a better football player.

In my view, if coaches like Steele and Moore are to be dismissed or misquoted, how are those who distance themselves from the perspectives of such solid(and successful) coaches going to put their sons into a position to succeed at levels their son's have never experienced?

       
       


Why play Russian Roulette? I don't know really - why do pitchers go out to the mound with no protection except a glove trying to catch balls coming at them around 120 mph? Why do cheerleaders keep going up in pyramids and spinning as they come down - especially with 3 trying to catch them while avoiding the elbows of the girl spinning? Why do soccer players keep using their head to pass / steal / control the ball? Why do hockey players keep skating full speed with the puck when they know a guy is trying to use his body to slam him in the boards? There are so many opportunities in all sports to get hurt and even get a concussion at any time.

You say there is overwhelming evidence to show the dangers of football. Well my overwhelming evidence are the tens of thousands of kids and young adults who play football - midget / pop warner through college - each year that do not get hurt or a concussion. Way more people play football that don't get hurt that do.

Not trying to insult you but it seems to be pretty obvious you've never been around football. If you had then you would realize there are dangers associated with it but not to the degree you believe it to be.

Here's something I'm curious about: do people generally think that the athletes 30 or 40 or 50 years ago were better than the athletes today? Pick your sport, and I'm certain that the athletes nowadays are better, in high school, college, and the pros. They are certainly bigger (e.g., see: http://www.menshealth.com/fitn...tion-football-player) and stronger, throw harder (e.g., the average MLB fastball velocity in just the last ten years (2005 - 2014) has risen almost 2 miles per hour), etc.

 

Yet years ago many more athletes played multiple sports in high school. It doesn't make sense . . . with fewer athletes playing multiple sports -- which is how kids supposedly learn to "compete" -- shouldn't athletes nowadays be much, much worse than years ago?

 

From Coach Steele's article: "Think about the difference between the way we grew up and the way our kids are growing up. WE PLAYED OUTSIDE! No matter the game or the weather. So our athletic development was based on our ability to compete in many sports or games that were unorganized. Never did we go to someone and learn how to throw. And if we did play organized sports, it was for a short duration."

 

This is 100% true. And the kids now are much better. Weird, isn't it?

       
       
If I could give this a thousand likes I would.  Hit it right on the head.  And I did play football and throughtout many years of teaching and coaching its hard not to be around it.  And to me its just absolutely unbelievable that so many people still close their eyes to the research that has come out.  And just because somebody says something doesn't make it true.  Whether it be a famous athlete or coach.  The soccer thing is the one you hear a lot   but it is anectdotal.   Has the magical benefits from soccer to other sports been proven in any way?  And common sense tells you the more you do something the better you get at it.

P.s. coach, I am concerned about the dangers of my son being on the mound.  I have seen quite a few kids this year hitting the ball between 300 and 380 feet at 13u (7th grade) level.  Its unbelievable how good some of these kids are.  And I think about the exit velocity of those shots which is anywhere between low 80's to 100mph depending on launch angle.  And I wonder what if those were line drives back at the pitcher.  Our best athlete got drilled in the shoulder this year by one of the hardest hit balls I have ever seen of the bat of a youth player.  Very scary.  My son wears his evoshield and has since 10 years old when he got hit once very close to the heart.  The other pitchers on his team went out and got theirs right after the above incident.  I have several time on this site bemoaned the fact these 1.15 bats are allowed.  In my opinion everyone should swing wood just like we dis back in the day.  Not because it helps you hit better but just the opposite its a lot safer.  Still getting killed or permanently injured is an extremely rare occurrence.   Not the day after day pounding that affects so many later in life.  But as I said in the OP I didn't really want to make this about the dangers of football everyone needs to decide that for themselves.  Its about this perception about playing multiple sports.  And how somehow magically you are a better 'competitor' if you do.  And I guess that's where football comes in.  I can't help but think most people are referencing 'the man's game' of football.  You couldn't possibly become a gritty tough competitor just playing the sissy sport of baseball.  And I just completely disagree with that assertion.

This thread seems to have taken on  interesting perspectives in some of the last several posts.

On one side, we have a couple of college coaches (both specialize in pitching even though one is now a HC) who are quite successful. They evaluate literally hundreds of HS age players every year, recruit from that pool and coach 35.  Separately, each has identified a somewhat  common aspect to a number of players they evaluate and coach, as they expressed it in the articles referenced.

On the other side, we appear to have parents of players who would be approaching the ages of those Coach Steele and Coach Moore are evaluating and coaching.  Not only are the perspectives of Coach Moore and Coach Steele, as referenced from the website, apparently not shared, they are not seen as being valid.

I wonder if there truly are fundamentally different perspectives between the evaluators and the parents of those being evaluated or  whether a message board, and the limitations it presents, makes it seem that way?

       
       
Infield I think you are correct about limitations.  There is just a lot of information we would need before being able to make better judgments.  I would want to know the particulars about who these coaches selected in the past and how much improvement they achieved in comparison to the aggregate.   Are we ever going to get this information?   No.  I certainly don't want to dedicate the next six months of my life to researching it thoroughly and I am sure you don't want to either!  We would have to have a case study with controls with specialization and multi sports - never going to happen.  I am on both sides of this fence.  In many ways I am old school being an older father (52) and having done almost all my coaching before having kids.  After my first a few years later I got out for more family time.  Now the last couple years I have come out of coaching retirement.  An interesting thing happened when my son fell in love with baseball.   I was primarily a basketball coach and baseball was a distant second.  But now that my son chose baseball as his first love I became more enthusiastic about it.  So in a way I am kindered spirits with the new generation of baseball people.  And I just think today people demand more evidence.  If you are going to tell me something I want you to have hard evidence.  Before high speed video became common we taught a lot of things we now know are wrong.  Sadly some still stubbornly hold on to these teachings for dear life.  So when I see any article with thoughts from a famous athlete or coach I take it for what it is.  Just an opinion.  If it is backed up with evidence then I am all ears.  Problem with this argument is its a chicken or the egg thing.  Are they better baseball players cause they play multiple sports?  Or do they just play multiple sports because they are good athletes in the first place.  It makes no sense to say such and such percent of mlb players played multiple sports in high school.  Of course they did, they are great athletes!  I want to emphasize this is not about my son, by pretty much everyone's reply lettering in baseball and basketball would make h I m a multi sport athlete.  It is about my firm belief that one person's opinion is as valid as another UNTIL PROOF IS PROVIDED.  So if there is someone on here who's kid plays ONLY baseball I see no issue with that.  And agree wholeheartedly with RJM that in the long run coaches are much more concerned with your ability to hit the ball rather than shoot 3 pointers!   And I think 2019 makes some incredibly good points about the decrease of the 3 sport athlete and the increase in athletic ability.  This is a major point someone would have to debunk to show the benefit of multi sports.  As stated I am an old guy so I do very much understand the urge to wax poetic about the days of yore.  But as Billy Joel said, "the good ole days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems"

2020,

I have clicked the link to 2019's article 3 different times.  The link does not work, for me at least. As 2019 summarized it, the article did not appear to make distinctions in terms of athleticism. It made comparisons for size, etc.

This past Spring I was talking with a college coach about an issue somewhat similar to this discussion. That conversation was in the context of what stats and information was important for a college coach as contrasted with their college players.

To identify this, the players were given a test on what was important in terms of stats and game information.  The results showed the players viewed game stats and information very differently than the coaches in terms of importance of the information in W's and L's.

Thought it was interesting, nothing more.

It sounds like you and I are quite different when it comes to baseball and how players progress or fail over the course of playing the game. I try to be a sponge for information and sort through it in terms of what seems to make sense for success and failure as I observed it over our son's roughly 20 year career, the last 8 of which were baseball only.  Personally, I believe the premise of Coach Steele to be mostly correct, even though the article is not necessarily the best for explanation. I believe the views of Coach Moore are so much on point for many players who succeed or don't when they get above HS. But that is just me being a sponge and being lucky enough to have a son get a very broad exposure to lots of baseball above HS.

I always respect other opinions.  I am just mostly a sponge for statistical data and provable information.  And I suppose it is more clear cut in timed sports like running and swimming where it is incontrovertible that the athletes are simply better now.  However I confess we can't prove or disprove that it is due to specialization or multi sport involvement. I believe baseball players are also far better and that shows up in the measurables, speed, exit velo, pitch velo etc.  Again proving why is too much of a daunting task for me.  I am good with closing the books on this one with a simple live and let live and agree that your opinion is no less valid than mine and vice versa.  We all have to follow the path we believe to be correct.  For my son I think that path will be play basketball for fun and work as hard as possible to achieve his dream of playing D1 baseball.  Kind of a semi specialization if you will.

Kinda been perusing this somewhat the last few days.  Been pretty busy both at work and at home so my time has been a little limited.

 

I would consider my son a true multi-sport athlete, at least up until now.  He plays football, basketball and baseball.  Is a starter on each A team and is one of the better players out there.  His priority sport is the in season sport at that time.  He does specialized training for his off season sports when he has some free time.  He does not spend a lot of time conditioning but is pretty much always in shape as he has been in season for the last 4 (or 5?) years.  This is all his choice and not mine.

 

He is finally facing burnout.  He is giving up football, and most likely basketball this next school year.  Its been a difficult choice and he received some pressure from the coaches of these sports to continue to play.  

 

He has just completed his Soph year and this is the first year he has felt that he fell behind a little due to not being dedicated to one sport.  Mostly in the weight lifting/ physical area.  Its very hard to build a larger frame when you are constantly in season and have games most days.  He does what he can but wants to spend more time on this as its the one area he and others feel would  help in his recruiting.

 

 

I think this is the Men's Health article that 2019Dad was referencing.

 

http://www.menshealth.com/fitn...tion-football-player

 

 

Again, just very different perspectives.  Unless things change considerably, if your son achieves his D1 dream, the first day he arrives on the field I would expect he and you will find the measurables such as  exit speed, 60 speed, velocity, etc to be so close as to be without true meaning to a coaching staff in terms of who plays and who does not.

What separates playing time is, often times, the intangibles coupled with hard work off the field,coupled with a mental toughness and tenacity-along with the ability to adapt to college life. That is truly the point of Coach Moore's comments I referenced above.

 

Yes, thank you.