Collegiate coaches’ perceptions of youth sport specialization's impact on athlete sport performance: A qualitative study

Sport specialization is of increasing prevalence and concern in the realm of youth sports. Collegiate coaches are uniquely positioned as gatekeepers to funds and opportunities for young athletes to continue their athletic careers in the collegiate setting. The purpose of this study was to explore collegiate coaches’ perceptions and beliefs of how youth sport specialization impacts an athlete's sport performance. This study included 13 head and assistant coaches currently working in collegiate athletics. Coaches came from a variety of sport and experience backgrounds. This study was conducted using an interpretive phenomenological analysis and a consensual qualitative research framework. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a multi-analyst team. Themes and subthemes were generated using a multi-step data analysis and coding process. Three themes and subsequent subthemes were identified: athlete potential, physical impacts on the athlete, and athlete's relationship to sport. Each theme had corresponding subthemes highlighting positive and negative aspects of early specialization. Overall, coaches recognized the negative effects of youth sport specialization on an athlete's sport performance, but viewed youth sport specialization as a successful path for athletes to find athletic success.