Table 1 All empirical studies (n = 58) and their results regarding terminology, operationalisation, and definition regarding the multisport pathway
Study | Term | Definition of Term | Methodology | How was multisport questioned? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Gallant et al. [8] | Sampling | "Participating in a variety of sports at a young age" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main and other sports |
Güllich [21] | Various sports | "Three stage progression of sampling, specializing and investing" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main and other sports |
Bridge and Toms [44] | Sampling | "Individuals engage in a wide range of activities, the majority of which are deliberate play" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Leite et al. [45] | Diversification | "Multiple sport involvement before specializing at later stages of development" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Coutinho et al. [46] | Diversification | – | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Cupples et al. [47] | Sampling | "Multiple activity and sport involvement in the early years, with low and high engagement in deliberate practice and play respectively" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main sport only, and number of other sports |
Ford et al. [48] | Diversification | "Participate in a large number of hours of deliberate play across a number of sports, but a low number of hours in deliberate practice" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main sport only, and number of other sports |
Ford et al. [49] | Diversification | "Engage in a number of different sport activities during childhood" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main sport only, and number of other sports |
Ginsburg et al. [50] | Sampling | "Serving the developmental needs of children through enjoyment and participation in various activities" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Güllich and Emrich [51] | Diversification | "Participate in multiple sports during childhood and youth ages" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Güllich [20] | Diversification | "Reduced early sport-specific practice/training" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Ford and Williams [26] | Diversification | "Accumulate a large number of hours in a number of sports coupled with a low number of hours in the sport in which they eventually achieve expert performance" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Haugaasen et al. [52] | Diversification | "Participating in diverse or play activities" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Güllich [22] | Sampling | – | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main and other sports |
Hendricks et al. [14] | Late specialization | – | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Huxley et al. [40] | Diversification | "A greater involvement in a variety of sports before specializing in later stages of development" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Mendes et al. [53] | Diversification | "Intensification of practice/training in one sport later in adolescence" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Moesch et al. [54] | Diversification | "Involvement in different sports as well as a high amount of play-like practice that focuses little on deliberate practice activities" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Santos et al. [55] | Diversification | – | Questionnaire | – |
Sieghartsleitner et al. [56] | Diversification | "Build a foundation with broad and different experiences from several kinds of sports" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main sport only, and number of other sports |
Thomas and Güllich [27] | Diversification | "Little sport-specific coach-led practice and extensive self-led play in various sports through childhood and subsequent specialization at 13–15 yrs of age" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main and other sports |
Nagano and Oyama [57] | Sampling | "Participating in more than one (multi) sport" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Bloom et al., 2021 [58] | Sampling | "Young athletes participate in a wide variety of sports at a young age" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Güllich et al. [59] | Both sampling and diversification | – | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main and other sports |
Andrew et al. [16] | Diversification | "Sample multiple sports through extensive peer-led play in childhood with little coach-led practice and specialization in a sport occurring later" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main sport only, and number of other sports |
Coelho et al. [60] | Diversification | "Involvement in several sports during the early years of development in which activities are less structured (i.e. deliberate play)" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main and other sports |
Cowan et al. [61] | Diversification | "Continue to participate in other sports to varying degrees alongside the target sport" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main sport only, and number of other sports |
Barth and Güllich [62] | Diversification | "Extensive childhood/adolescence multisport deliberate play that is regulated by the participants not the coach" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main and other sports |
Larson et al. [63] | Sampling | "Playful participation in multiple sports" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Ryder et al. [64] | Diversification | "Sampling a variety of sports then focusing on a singular sport" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Stegmann et al. [65] | Sampling | – | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main sport only, and number of other sports |
Ford et al. [66] | Sampling | "Specialisation into a single sport delayed until adolescence" | Questionnaire | Play and practice in main sport only, and number of other sports |
Hayman et al. [67] | Late specialization | "High quantities of deliberate play activities during the sample years" | Interviews | Number sports played |
Countinho et al. [68] | Diversification | "Children sample a wide range of sport activities during childhood and experience high levels of deliberate play" | Interviews | Number sports played |
Mascarin et al. [69] | Diversification | "Practiced other sports without competitive focus" | Interviews | Number sports played |
Coutinho et al. [70] | Diversification | "Sample a wide range of sporting activities…primarily for enjoyment" | Interviews | Play and practice in main and other sports |
Steinl et al. [71] | Multi-sport | – | Websites | Number sports played |
Macphail et al. [43] | Sampling | "Involvement in a range of sports and other activities, experiencing enjoyment and fun, competition, fitness and health benefits, deliberate play and friendships and peer relations." | Observations, interviews, & questionnaires | Number sports played |
Storm et al. [42] | Sampling | "Sampling a range of sports to then focusing on one” | Interviews | Number sports played |
Thomas and Wilson [39] | Sampling | "Deliberate play activities and sampling a variety of sports" | Interviews | – |
Voigt and Hohmann [23] | Diversification | "Diversified involvement in a range of other sports with later specialization" | Interviews | – |
Huxley et al. [40] | Sampling | "Participation in a variety of sports with the emphasis on deliberate play" | Interviews | Number sports played |
Rothwell et al. [41] | Diversification | – | Interviews | – |
Santos and Tavares [38] | Diversification | "Sample a range of sports and develop a foundation of fundamental movement skills" | Interviews | – |
Fransen et al. [72] | Sampling | "Young athletes participate in various sports" | Fitness tests plus questionnaire | Number sports played |
Beese et al. [73] | Multi-sport | "Changing sports throughout the year" | LESS | Number sports played |
Tripp et al. [74] | Multi-sport | – | 3D motion analyses | Number sports played |
Fahimi et al. [75] | Diversification | – | AAHPERD soccer, volleyball and basketball tests | – |
Mateus et al. [76] | Diversification | – | Batak-Pro Reaction time tests | Number sports played |
Santos et al. [24] | Late specialization | "Practiced more types of sports during their sporting career" | Questionnaire & coached practice sessions | Number sports played |
Miller et al. [77] | Multisport | – | Bone mineral density | Number sports played |
DiStefano et al. [3] | Sampling | – | LESS | Number sports played |
DiCesare et al. [2] | Multisport | – | Vertical jump- knee angles | Number sports played |
Herman et al. [78] | Multisport | – | LESS | Number sports played |
Salin et al. [79] | Multisport | "Engaging in multiple sport activities" | Questionnaire & fitness test | Number sports played |
McFadden et al. [6] | Late specialization | "Wait until after the age of 12 to focus on a single sport" | questionnaire | Number sports played |
Buhrow et al. [80] | Diversification | "Participation in practicing, training, or playing in a variety of sports" | Questionnaire | Number sports played |
Kearney et al.s [81] | Multisport | – | Questionnaire | Number sports played |