Should Young Athletes Specialize?

Is it better a young athlete to specialize in one sport or participate in many different sports and specialize later? Science points to the latter. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended in 2000 that children should not specialize until puberty or when a child is physically and psychologically prepared for the increase in intensity.
Perfecting the golf swing of a 6-year-old or the delivery of a 9-year-old is not as beneficial as developing overall coordination and athleticism at a young age. Diversity of sports will serve to improve their overall athleticism giving them a base to later specialize on. As well known as these concepts are, and as well documented the research, they are still not embraced in North American youth sports. 
 The science behind diversity is based on 2 concepts; one physical the other mental. The physical concept is based on the plasticity of the central nervous system, which is directly responsible for motor control and coordination. Plasticity is the ability of an organism to change or adapt to stimulus. By around the age of 6 years muscle enervation, or wiring from the brain to the muscle, has completed. This allows children to begin learning gross motor skills and movement patterns. Movement patterns occur in a chronological order gross motor skills are learned first. As the child progresses more fine motor skills are learned. This plasticity does have a critical period. If the child is not exposed to a particular athletic stimulus it becomes more difficult for them to pick it up later. This is why early specialization becomes counterproductive; trying to teach fine motor skills actually inhibits the overall athletic ability of the athlete (pre-pubescent). This in turn affects the athlete's progression as they mature. A young athlete should not be expected to excel in every sport he/she participates in. Actively participating in multiple sports will help the child advance more quickly as he/she matures and specializes in one sport. Diversity does not only help physically but psychologically as well. Look at the attention span of a 9-year-old. Now let's put him in a sport that he play 12 months out of the year. At what point does that child begin to loose interest? What about those days when he is tired, inevitably these down times will occur. This is when bad and lazy habits can be developed. Diversity keeps the young athlete energized and continuously learning new skills, while avoiding mental and physical burnout. The key is to allow for development of the child. Exposing them to a variety of sports and activities at an early age will assist in improved development of overall movement patterns, motor skills and athleticism. However, additional focus can certainly be given to one sport more than others for the purpose of increased skill acquisition, especially if the child is showing focus and interest.