Sports specialization has dramatically increased with youth as free play has decreased. Sports specialization is defined as year-round training in one sport with the exclusion of other sports (Jayanthi, Pinkham, Dugas, Patrick, & LaBella, 2013). In the British Training of Young Athletes Study researchers found that generally parents drove initial interest in a specific sport, however it was coaches who influenced the drive for intense training (Baxter-Jones, Maffulli, & TOYA, 2003). Further, a study of high school athletic directors also suggested that coaches were a strong influence on athlete’s decision to specialize in a sport and engage in intensive training (Hill & Simons, 1989). According to Jayanthi et al, this…
