There's a lot of misinformation about whether kids should specialize in one sport year-round...or play a variety of sports...and if/when specialization should begin.

We believe that youth should play a variety of sports and not specialize in basketball until age 14 or older.

In fact, we encourage athletes to play multiple sports through high school if possible.

USA Basketball shares our philosophy on this. They partnered with the NBA in 2016 and developed these guidelines based on how much time of the year should be devoted to playing basketball - based on what's best for the health and wellness of players...

Maximum Months Per Year in Organized Basketball:

• Ages 7-8:     4 months
  
• Ages 9-11:    5 months
  
• Ages 12-14:   7 months
  
• Grades 9-12:  9-10 months
  

There are a host of benefits from being a multi-sport athlete - here are just a few...

• Becoming a better overall athlete
  
• Having better mental health and less burnout
  
• Getting less injuries
  
• Finding a hidden talent for a sport
  
• Developing into a life-long athlete
  

Delaying single-sport specialization helps you become a better athlete...

Just like these NBA stars - Lebron James played football. Kobe Bryant played soccer. Steve Nash played soccer. Michael Jordan played football and baseball. Sue Bird played soccer and tennis and ran track.

Or Tim Duncan, who started playing basketball at 14 years old and was actually a professional swimmer before finding his path to basketball success!

In almost every sport, post-puberty is when the majority of skill development occurs...

So make sure you don't burn them out before it's time to start rapid improvement. (70% of kids quit sports before age 13.) You'll be amazed at how many of those athletes who dominate from 8 to 13 years old get passed by in high school.

I haven't even put my 7 and 8 year old boys in any basketball activities yet. I've done four 10-minute ball handling workouts with my 8 year old so far. Basketball is a very late developing sport, so I focused on them developing as athletes first. We do have a hoop that we play on once or twice a week depending on the time of the year.

Getting kids involved in a variety of activities is the best thing for their long-term development...

I learned that over a decade ago in a certification course to become a Youth Fitness Specialist.

This year, I put my boys in soccer, gymnastics (tumbling), jiu-jitsu & striking, and swimming. We do this recreationally and seasonally. And we mix in some baseball, kickball, and football in the backyard. We also had a trampoline for a few years that they wore out.

Also, when they're growing up... as soon as they can run around age 2 or 3, play "Chase" or Tag with them every day... just for a few minutes. We broke all of Momma's house rules by doing this. :) Even today, they still like to do races outside.

While my kids aren't as skilled as some of the kids on the soccer field, they can run with any of them even though they are younger than almost all of the kids in their leagues. I think playing Tag almost every day with them was a big reason why.

You never know what an athlete is going to be good at...

So it's best not to pigeon-hole them into one sport - instead, let them blossom from all the benefits of being a multi-sport athlete.

Do you have any questions or suggestions for this article? Let us know by leaving your comments...

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