Department of Sports and Health Science, Japan Women's College of Physical Education, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Competitive Sports, School of Physical Education, Tokai University, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan.
PLoS One. 2024 Aug 29;19(8):e0302339. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302339. eCollection 2024.
Although understanding the status of sports participation is essential for preventing injuries in young athletes, the level of specialization and relevant information in Japan is unknown. This study aimed to clarify the status of sports specialization and examine the relationships between specialization and training status in Japanese young soccer players. Four hundred Japanese young male soccer players were included. The players' parents completed a web questionnaire that consisted of three-point questions regarding specialization and training status (year, days of playing soccer, age when starting soccer). The level of specialization and accompanying information were calculated, and data were compared by specialization status. Of the participants, 53.8% demonstrated a high level of specialization. In addition, 74.5% considered soccer more important than other sports, 89.0% trained in soccer for more than 8 months of the year, and 74.0% had quit other sports to focus on soccer or played only soccer. The proportion of participants who played only soccer was significantly higher in the high-specialization group (37.6%) than in the moderate-specialization (22.5%; P < .01) and low-specialization (7.1%; P < .01) groups. By specialization status at grades 4 to 6 (9-12 years), 40.3% of participants demonstrated a high level of specialization. Young Japanese soccer players tend toward early specialization. Factors contributing to the high specialization level are being active throughout the year and rarely playing other sports. Training volume should be controlled, and an environment allowing young soccer players to participate in other sports simultaneously is needed, with early specialization being avoided.
虽然了解青少年运动员参与运动的情况对于预防运动损伤至关重要，但日本的专业化程度和相关信息尚不清楚。本研究旨在阐明日本青少年足球运动员的专业化现状，并探讨专业化与训练状况之间的关系。共纳入 400 名日本年轻男性足球运动员。运动员的父母通过网络问卷完成了有关专业化和训练状况的三点式问题（参与足球运动的年限、每年踢足球的天数、开始踢足球的年龄）。计算了专业化水平和伴随的信息，并按专业化状况比较了数据。在参与者中，53.8%表现出高度专业化。此外，74.5%的人认为足球比其他运动更重要，89.0%的人每年训练足球超过 8 个月，74.0%的人已经退出其他运动而专注于足球或只踢足球。在高度专业化组（37.6%）中，只踢足球的参与者比例明显高于中度专业化组（22.5%；P<.01）和低度专业化组（7.1%；P<.01）。按 4 至 6 年级（9-12 岁）的专业化状况，40.3%的参与者表现出高度专业化。日本年轻足球运动员倾向于早期专业化。导致高度专业化的因素是全年活跃和很少参加其他运动。需要控制训练量，并为年轻足球运动员提供同时参加其他运动的环境，避免过早专业化。
