Expensive sports camps and intensive practices and team competitions for young kids are becoming more and more common. Efforts to corral children into highly focused sports programs often arise from good intentions, yet research suggests that kids who specialize in a single sport when they’re young risk injury and burnout but don’t improve their odds of attaining an elite sports career. In most cases, giving kids more time for unstructured play and a chance to sample a wide array of athletic pursuits provides a better recipe for success.
Read more of my latest Washington Post, column: Too much practice and specialization can hurt instead of help child athletes.
This column has a sidebar: Is 10,000 hours magic or not?
Christie Aschwanden 