Variety first, specialisation later
Playing several sports builds a broader movement base — different balance demands, different reactions, different muscle groups — and that base is what later specialisation is built on. Narrowing to one sport early tends to produce a narrower athlete and a higher chance of both repetitive injury and burnout.
There is no universal age at which to specialise; it depends on the sport and the child. The useful question is not "when" but "is this child still choosing this?"
How much training is enough
For most children starting out, one or two structured sessions a week alongside school sport and free play is plenty. Add load slowly, and treat sleep and unstructured play as part of the programme rather than as competition for it.
The signal to slow down is not a bad session, it is a pattern: persistent tiredness, recurring niggles, or a child who stops wanting to go.
What progress looks like at this stage
- They want to go back next week.
- They can describe what they are working on, in their own words.
- Skills show up in unstructured play, not just in drills.
- They cope better with losing than they did three months ago.
- Results, eventually — and last on this list on purpose.
When private coaching is worth adding
Private sessions suit a specific need: a technical weakness that group training cannot address, a position change, coming back after a break, or preparing for trials. For a child already in a club, private coaching usually works best alongside that programme rather than replacing it — the coach reinforces what the club is teaching, at a pace matched to one child.