Should my child specialise in one sport?
Parents ask us this constantly, usually because a club or coach has suggested dropping other sports to focus on one. The research on this is reasonably clear, and it points the other way for most children.
What early specialisation does
Children who specialise in a single sport before their mid-teens show higher rates of overuse injury than those playing multiple sports. The mechanism is straightforward: the same tissues take the same load, year-round, without the variation that other sports provide.
It does not reliably produce better athletes
A large share of elite adult athletes played multiple sports into their teens. Diverse movement experience appears to build better general athleticism, and there is little evidence that specialising at nine produces a better sixteen-year-old.
The year-round problem
The bigger issue is often the absence of an off-season rather than the number of sports. A child playing one sport across summer and winter competitions never gets a period of reduced load, and that is when growth-related injuries accumulate.
Growth spurts need respect
During rapid growth, tendon attachments at the knee and heel become the weakest link. Knee or heel pain in a 10 to 15 year old during a growth spurt is common and load-related, and it needs management rather than dismissal. See knee and ankle pain.
Practical guidance
Play more than one sport where possible, take at least one genuine off-season block per year, and limit organised sport hours per week to roughly the child's age as a rough guide. If a child is reporting persistent pain, that is a load signal rather than a toughness issue.
What a first appointment looks like
We start with what actually happened and what the demands of your sport are, then assess the injured area alongside the joints and muscles above and below it — because the painful structure is often not the limiting one. You get a diagnosis, a realistic timeframe, and a plan that accounts for your training and match schedule rather than assuming you can stop. If we think you need imaging or another practitioner, we will say so at that first visit rather than after six sessions.
Booking in
We are at 5/6-8 Langmore Lane, Berwick, with street parking directly outside and same-week appointments most weeks. Initial consultations are 60 minutes and $149, with private health rebates processed on the spot via HICAPS. No referral is required, and we also work with WorkCover, DVA and Medicare care plans where they apply.
Book an initial consultation at RISE Sports & Spinal in Berwick. Clear diagnosis, hands-on treatment, and a plan that actually gets you better.
