Context Previous research has indicated that throwing sports expose athletes to overuse injuries and that specialization in sport is linked to injury. However, the effect of overexposure to a throwing sport on a dynamic movement task is unknown. Objective To determine if sport specialization in youth throwing athletes affected performance on the single-legged squat (SLS). Design Descriptive laboratory study. Setting University research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants A total of 49 youth baseball and softball athletes (23 baseball, 26 softball; age = 12.96 ± 2.32 years, height = 165.01 ± 13.05 cm, mass = 61.42 ± 13.04 kg) were recruited. Main Outcome Measure(s) Participants were grouped into 3 categories based on specialization definitions: (1) 8 months or longer in season, (2) 8 months or longer in training, or (3) 8 months or longer in season and previously quit another sport. We measured SLS kinematics and used a set of 1-way multivariate analyses of variances to determine if trunk kinematics differed by group. Results Athletes who spent 8 months or more in sport-specific training exhibited significantly more trunk control, revealed by less trunk lateral flexion ( = 0.69, F6,38 = 2.89, P = .020) and less trunk flexion ( = 0.69, F6,38 = 2.88, P = .021) throughout an SLS. Conclusions These results agree with the principle of specific adaptation to imposed demands. Surprisingly, athletes who spent 8 months or more playing a unilateral sport showed no differences in SLS performance. Clinicians should emphasize that neuromuscular adaptations of the lumbopelvic-hip complex for dynamic movement, such as an SLS, may be achieved through training instead of strict sport participation. Future researchers should
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