Sport Sampling Is Associated With Improved Landing Technique in Youth Athletes

Abstract

Background:Sport sampling is recommended to promote fundamental movement skill acquisition and physical activity. In contrast, sport specialization is associated with musculoskeletal injury risk, burnout, and attrition from sport. There is limited evidence to support the influence of sport sampling on neuromuscular control, which is associated with injury risk, in youth athletes.Hypothesis:Athletes who participated in only 1 sport during the previous year would demonstrate higher Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) scores than their counterparts.Study Design:Cross-sectional study.Level of Evidence:Level 3.Methods:A total of 355 youth athletes (age range, 8-14 years) completed a test session with a jump-landing task, which was evaluated using the LESS. Participants were categorized as single sport (SS) or multisport (MS) based on their self-reported sport participation in the past year. Their duration of sport sampling (low, moderate, high) was determined based on their sport participation history. Participants were dichotomized into good (LESS <5) or poor (LESS ≥5) categories. Chi-square tests were performed to evaluate for the association between control category (good, poor) and participation (MS, SS), as well as sport-sampling duration (low, moderate, high).Results:The MS group was 2.5 times (95% CI, 1.9-3.1) as likely to be categorized as having good control compared with the SS group (χ2(355) = 10.10, P < 0.01). Recreational participants in the “high” sport-sampling duration group were 5.8 times (95% CI, 3.1-8.5) and 5.4 times (95% CI, 4.0-6.8) as likely to be categorized as having good control compared with the moderate and low groups (χ2(216) = 11.20, P < 0.01).Conclusion:Sport sampling at a young age is associated with improved neuromuscular control, which may reduce injury risk in youth athletes.Clinical Relevance:Youth athletes should be encouraged to try participating in multiple sports to enhance their neuromuscular control and promote long-term physical activity.

Sport Specialization and Fitness and Functional Task Performance Among Youth Competitive Gymnasts

“…28 Previous authors who evaluated landing patterns on the LESS in a youth athlete population showed that an average total LESS score ,5 was associated with a decreased risk of ACL injury 16 and that athletes who had been exposed to a variety of sport experiences had better movement techniques. 20 Gymnasts in this sample had average total LESS scores .5, regardless of specialization group, indicating that increased time in the sport did not improve their neuromuscular control according to the LESS. Gymnasts must be strong and exhibit sound body coordination to perform various techniques, but early sport specialization can lead to overdevelopment or underdevelopment of muscle groups due to repeated movement patterns.…”

The Influence of Sport Specialization on Landing Error Scoring System Scores in High School Athletes

“…Participants were then compared based on sport sampling status (high, moderate, and low) and single-sport and multi-sport specialization, while using the three-tier classification method to validate their specialization definition. 45 Athletes with a high sport sampling were more likely to be classified as having "good" jump-landing mechanics than moderate and low sport sampling athletes. 45 Multi-sport athletes were more likely to demonstrate "good" jump-landing mechanics compared to single-sport athletes in this population, but no differences were demonstrated between singlesport and multi-sport athletes when mean LESS score was evaluated as a continuous variable.…”

“…45 Athletes with a high sport sampling were more likely to be classified as having "good" jump-landing mechanics than moderate and low sport sampling athletes. 45 Multi-sport athletes were more likely to demonstrate "good" jump-landing mechanics compared to single-sport athletes in this population, but no differences were demonstrated between singlesport and multi-sport athletes when mean LESS score was evaluated as a continuous variable. 45 This study suggests that sport sampling has neuromuscular control benefits in the youth population.…”

“…8,22 Ultimately, this leads to poor movement patterns and the increased potential for injuries. 8,22,45 In contrast, low specialization athletes are exposed to a variety of movement patterns resulting in improved movement control. 8,22 However, contrary to our hypothesis, no differences were observed between specialization groups, which suggests that specialization level is not associated with movement control as measured by the LESS.…”

“…Sport specialization and sport sampling relating to neuromuscular control was also evaluated by DiStefano et al 45 in a youth athlete population (ages 8 to 14 years). Sport sampling is participation in a variety of different sports, whereas sport specialization is participation in one sport and exclusion of other sports.…”