Kids should specialize in more than one sport, 16 yr-old-athlete Luke Murphy says

Getting a free ride to college on the back of a sporting scholarship is a dream that the majority of young athletes and their parents share. But, with so many kids now specializing in just one sport, who has the better opportunity – those, or the kids who play more than one? Luke Murphy, 16, seems to think that kids who play more than one sport are in with a better chance. An incoming junior at East Robertson High School, Murphy is also a pitcher for the Nashville Knights.

Taking a Break

At just sixteen, Murphy already knows how important it is for those who play sports professionally to take a break. A duel-sports athlete who specializes in baseball, Murphy also plays basketball to take a mental and physical break from what he says many young athletes who stick to only one sport go through regularly. He says that many kids who play a sport today tend to just go non-stop, having little breaks and pushing themselves to the point of being in physical pain. Murphy says that playing another sport allows young athletes to have something that they can go and have fun with to take a break from worrying about their main sport. It can also open up more options when looking for a sports scholarship, such as those on offer from asmscholarships.com.

Physical Recovery

Along with providing kids with a much-needed break from the mental toll that playing just one sport can have, Murphy believes that playing two sports is also good for young athletes physically. Having already received multiple scholarship offers himself, Murphy says that pushing yourself to the limit in one sport all year round can actually do more harm than good when it comes to the physical toll it can take on the body. For many athletes out there such as Murphy who are preparing to play their sport at the collegiate level, there are many who won’t be, due to the sheer fact that they have pushed themselves too hard in one sport all year round, leading to exhaustion and even injury.

Keeping it Fun

At the end of the day, playing sports is meant to be fun. Neil Murphy, Luke’s father and his baseball coach, says that being able to see it from both the parent’s and the player’s side has helped him whilst training Luke over the years. Both Luke and his father believe that the fact Luke plays basketball for fun is one of the main reasons why he has been so successful to date, as sport is not just work for him, as it is for many young athletes who concentrate on just one sport all year round. Playing another sport in addition to the one which you specialize in can help to keep your love for the sport alive and keep things enjoyable even when the going gets tough.

Do you think that young athletes should play other sports for fun in addition to the one which they mainly focus on? Let us know in the comments.