Are you one of those super aggressive, grinding "little league parents" that pick fights over everything?
Here's part of what you said in your original post: "By the time you're 12, if you aren't training in the offseason for your sport, and doing most/all the things I mentioned, you get left way behind. And there's so much pressure to specialize, just because there isn't enough time to play all the sports you want to play, as we used to."
Here's what you're claiming now: "I did not say you had to specialize or risk being left behind."
So you'll get left behind if you don't train all year around, but even though there's pressure to specialize, you don't need to specialize to keep up with the kids who do? I see.
I’m 55 years old. I played sports year round, every day, from the time I was in 6th grade through high school. I was also in the top 20 out of 450 students academically. It was hard work and a huge time commitment. It took discipline. I would have loved a trainer and a nutritionist and whatever else you’re talking about. All I had was my father and my coach. You seem to think it was easier for me than your kids. Get over yourself. Competition is competition.
Were the top 19 kids illiterate like you, as well? You even underlined your mistakes, and still don't get it. I said quite clearly that, if you're not doing most/all of personal training, private instruction and offseason teams/league/competitive play by the time you're 12, you're going to get left behind. Pretty clear, no?
I also said, there's so much pressure to specialize. Those are different, if somewhat related things. Why? Because of the time commitment. I didn't say kids DO specialize (some do). I said there's pressure to do so. Because you run out of time and energy ... and your body breaks down. And the coaches acting like you need to dedicate all your time and attention to their sport. But there are many kids out there being run ragged trying to keep up.
Psst ... buddy ... I played 3 sports back in the day, as well. I know what that was all about. I'm also watching my kids, and their friends/acquaintances and what they're going through. It's NOT EVEN CLOSE to the same. Back then, you had some local baseball practices and games in the spring, into the summer. And then you moved on to football in the fall. Had your practices and games, and then that was over. Then you moved on to hoops in the winter, did your practices and games, and then you moved on. You'd play whiffle ball, pickup hoops, and backyard tackle football with buddies whenever. The end. Very simple.
Today? I limit what my kids do, compared to 90% of the other parents of better athletes. I'll run you through a sample of what a baseball/football/basketball kid would be in for now ... starting now. Football is still happening. Practices and playoff games. Offseason travel baseball practices just started, so you have to fit those in with the football practices. Fall baseball just ended (like, literally, this weekend), so you've been somehow trying to juggle a bunch of baseball games on the weekend with walkthroughs and football games until this week. Basketball practice starts this week. Depending how good your football team is, you could be doing that for 3 more weeks, after this one, while practicing baseball and hoops. Your hoops games will start around Turkey Day, along with continuing 2-3 practices a week. You'll have conflicts with hoops games and baseball practices. The 2-3 baseball practices a week will be supplemented by baseball-specific workouts, private lessons and private cage time, all while hoops season is in full bloom. Oh, and the elite football kids are playing on the elite travel football squad, with practices and clinics ongoing. They may also be doing 7v7 leagues. While playing hoops, and practicing for baseball. This continues until the spring, when AAU hoops starts, and travel baseball games start, as well. And more 7v7 football ... or you can choose more tackle football. So you're somehow trying to play at least 4 baseball games a weekend, while somehow also travelling all over on the weekend to play in hoops tourneys ... and getting in 7v7 football. Oh, and you play rec baseball in the spring, as well, mostly during the week. Then the summer comes and you finally have a break, right? Nah. More baseball tourneys, and showcases, so need to stay sharp. Lots of football clinics and 7v7. More summer league basketball.
If you do all that, you pretty much have ZERO time for anything else. But little Billy isn't playing baseball, so he has the time to dedicate to hoops and football and do all of that stuff (still running himself ragged with private instruction and training - speed work, lifting, etc.) ... so, suddenly he starts taking off in those sports, and your kid is falling a tick behind, and that kid gets picked to be on the "elite" travelling football squad and is showcasing his skills in front of top prep coaches and even college coaches. But Joey over there gave up football and baseball and is now on 2 AAU hoops teams at once, and just got selected to the premier org in the area because his exposure and extra training has paid off. Pressure to specialize. Or maybe you just play hoops during the main season, and the high school coach wonders why you're not playing on his AAU squad ... thinks you've not dedicated enough and when the next year's travel hoops teams (not AAU, just town-based travel), you're not on the A team any longer, because the kids that played AAU all spring/summer long have gelled and he doesn't want to break up the team.
Basically, you end up "specializing" in multiple sports (it's an oxymoron, but it's happening). That's what happens. You have 3 full-time sports running year round, along with all the extra appointments for training and instruction. It's friggin INSANE.
And when the kids turn 14, holy ****. It gets so much worse. Especially if your kid is smart, and taking higher level courses, and not just opting to take the lower CP route to get by so he can then train/play sports ... because then you add a couple hours of homework onto everything, each night.