There is an on-going conversation around being a multi-sport athlete versus being singularly focused. Being the parent of a 9-year-old, I see these things becoming more and more of a discussion. Sport specific, playing one sport year round, paying thousands of dollars on private coaches or club teams and more. It’s a hard lane to navigate as a parent and even harder as an athlete.
This is a topic we are extremely passionate about at Y-Option.
Go multi-sport or focus on football, perhaps with a private coach? Guess what — it’s not either/or. It’s all about finding the path that’s best for you, and adjusting it along the way.
One conversation in particular has always stuck with me. I was talking with George Whitfield, the first private quarterback coach in the modern social media era. He went on to appear on ESPN’s College GameDay for years, and trained multiple first-round QBs.
He said, “Equate the potential of a young quarterback to that of a young musician. If your child truly aspires to grow and achieve as a pianist, finding a credible piano teacher makes sense. But it must be predicated on the child’s intention about getting better and growing. The same in the QB space. Your child must have the visible or vocal love for the craft of quarterback play. If not, it will feel like assigned work.”
Whitfield’s wisdom came back for me when I was talking to the parents of an 8-year-old. They told me that they felt their child had ‘It’. Their next step was to focus on football, hire a private coach and go all-in on this opportunity. Now, I love calls like these from parents. It’s clear how much they care about their child, how much they are willing to pour into their child’s dreams, and that their son may indeed have a gift.
But as we spoke, it was also clear that there is no real road map for parents in similar shoes. There is no perfect answer and it’s even hard to empathize unless you too have a gifted athlete as a child.
As a parent, I totally get it. It’s hard to see the long game for our own kids, but easier to see it for others. So, to answer the question about ‘what to do next?’ — we just have to look at the facts.
And here they are.
In 2022, all eight starting NFL quarterbacks in the 2nd round of the playoffs played multiple sports in high school. To be exact, these multi-million dollar, face-of-the-franchise QBs played 24 sports combined.
For example: Matt Stafford (football, baseball), Tom Brady (football, basketball, baseball), Josh Allen (football, basketball, baseball), Patrick Mahomes (football, basketball, baseball), Jimmy Garoppolo (football, basketball, baseball), Aaron Rodgers (football, basketball, baseball), Joe Burrow (football, basketball, track & field) and Ryan Tannehill (football, basketball, baseball, track & field).
In addition, in 2015 there were 128 quarterbacks surveyed in an ESPN article, and at least 122 (95%) of them played at least two sports in high school. Nearly 70% played three or more sports.
While all of these young men played Pop Warner in a different era, the results speak for themselves. The more diverse an athlete you are, the chances to be special seemingly only grow. More importantly, the more diverse an athlete you are, the less likely you are to burn out from one particular sport.
Today’s podcast, thanks to our founding partner in 76, is with Duce Robinson, a two-sport athlete for the USC Trojans.
In my eyes, Duce is on the verge of a breakout season for the Trojans on the football field as a wide receiver and he may also have a big year in the spring on the baseball team. Regardless of his statistics, one thing remains true –playing multiple sports has only allowed Duce to be a better version of himself as an athlete, a student and a product of competitive sport.
We sat down this off-season and discussed the benefits of playing multiple sports, as well as how it has impacted how he views the world. I learned a lot from this conversation, especially on how being a dual-sport athlete impacted his joy around both sports.
Various studies have proven that athlete fatigue is real, and that too much specialization can lead to injuries. In 2019, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association proposed that a child’s age should equal the number of hours he or she should spend in sports training each week.
And regarding single-sport specialization, research and evidence has proven that there is actually more room for athleticism to grow if an athlete exposes their body to different sports and different movements. In addition, athlete burnout is a growing concern. The American Academy of Pediatrics found that 70% of kids are completely done with sports by the age of 13, and a great deal of that is attributed to burnout and sport specialization.
All of that is not to say that there is something wrong with hiring a personal QB coach to improve your son’s mechanics, footwork and football acumen. The private QB coaching business is booming, and in every region of America there is someone who can help make your child better.
Based on the research we did when writing the book 5-Star QB and talking to 50 of the best high school quarterbacks in the history of recruiting there are a few things you should evaluate:
* Is this your child’s dream or your dream?
* Is he enthusiastic about the extra practice?
* Is his arm sore? If so, stop immediately to prevent future injuries. There is no reason a 10, 12 or 15-year-old needs to throw a ball downfield 100 times per day, multiple times per week. In 2012, Tony Romo was a guest coach at the Elite 11 in Dallas and shared with the QBs that he would throw in his basement as a child due to bad weather. In the confines of his Wisconsin home, he would compete to hit certain spots on a pillow on his couch. He believed that those repetitions helped his accuracy and had minimal impact on his arm.
* Is that coach recommended by others in the industry?
* Is your child improving?
* How many competitive teams has your kid been on?
The private QB coach discussion is an ever-evolving topic, and we support the private quarterback industry. Bottom line, if you recognize that your son may have the ‘It Factor’, be sure that he also has the desire to put in extra time, and that the sport still feels like a sport, instead of a job.
Finding focus, and fine-tuning it, is key to success. But the truth remains — the more diverse an athlete your son is, the more diverse a competitor he will be. That will serve him well, and far beyond the field.
If you need an example, look no further than today’s guest on Y-Option, Duce Robinson.
This episode is executive produced by Jim Thornby, edited by Blue Ox Films with cinematography from the folks at Elite 11.
This podcast is a Best Coast Media production.
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