As a young athlete, playing multiple sports is extremely beneficial for learning to become more efficient with movement.

The more sports you play, the more you will adapt to different environments. Learning all the attributes you’ll need as an athlete through many sports will help you understand strengths and weaknesses, not only in your sport but your overall physical ability.

Every athlete should strive to not only become better at their sport through the different skill acquisitions involved – like catching and throwing but also become rich in athleticism. 

Understanding technique over anything goes a long way when you are trying to build difficult coordinated moves that seem to be very hard to perform in the gym or on the field.

Training in your particular sport will usually translate those particular patterns in other sports. Throwing a baseball or throwing a javelin, although similar but not the same, has its rotational protocols being met.

Get good at one and you’ll get good at the other, generally speaking. However, there are some things that may need specific attention to detail in your specific sport, like fielding ground balls that require the use of the hands in ways you may not find in other sports.

Catching a football and catching a baseball in a glove, although similar, won’t translate as well. Using the glove to catch is a skill all by itself that takes years of practice. Not only catching but taking it out and throwing it without thought. 

By getting in the gym and working on the body to adapt to the environment in your sport, as well as working on the necessary skill acquisition, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an elite athlete.

Finding a coach that’s knowledgeable with the sport and can navigate through a gym to help prescribe a good action plan for specific sports training will not only be beneficial but will help troubleshoot any areas you may be lacking.

So get started with sports-specific training with a willing attitude and eagerness to “embrace the suck” that comes with a mountain of failure before you reach the peak.