Is Development Academy 4x a Week Practice a Real Requirement?
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Anonymous
| Does anyone know of the 4x a week practice is a strict requirement for Development Academy? WS Maryland has not been practicing 4x a week since December. I think it was a field availability issue last Spring. It seems like the initial plan was 4x week this fall but the latest email from the technical director is that we are only practicing 3x week. I know several parents complained about only practicing 3x a week all last Spring. Everyone that I know complained about being shorted a practice day left the club. This also coincided with a change in TD from Denise Reddy to Santino Quaranta. Are we being shortchanged? Can Spirit be held accountable? |
Anonymous
| FYI Usually the 4th day is a recovery day, technical work, or light fitness. After 3 days of focused training per week, there is diminishing returns on a 4th day of training each week. |
Anonymous
| You were warned that the WS Spirit is a joke. The only good thing about their DA is Santino who is also a major player at Pipeline. |
Anonymous
Yes, ok, but is it expected to be at a field with coaches and a trainer? Are the coaches, who are all we ever see now (no Gabarra, no trainer and usually only one coach), now giving themselves a day off? The training is excellent and I want what I pay for. Spirit is not a joke. |
Anonymous
The quality of the coaching at Spirit Maryland all around is excellent. The quality of the players is excellent. The training is serious and produces results. What seems to have gone haywire at Spirit Maryland is total lack of following through on commitment and promises. Admosjitration has become a joke. Denise Reddy did an OK job. With Santino, it seems, he leaves it more up to his coaches and their is no oversight. Of course who would not want to get paid for 4 days and only work 3? |
Anonymous
| Parent of Boys DA player in Virginia. Yes - we have practice on a field with coaches 4x a weeek. The logicistics of what they do during the practices is unknown to me. I worry more about getting him to all the practices. |
Anonymous
| Spirit is a joke |
Anonymous
this butthurt person whose DD didn't make Spirit really needs to get a life |
Anonymous
The DA rules (available on their website are pretty clear) - U12 are expected to train 3x/week, everybody else 4x/week. It's an important part of their stated philosophy and attempt to shift the focus of youth soccer from too many games to more training. But DC only goes 3x/week up through U14, and then U15 and up are 4x week. All the other boys DAs in this area do go 4x/week according to the rules. I think Loudoun has 3x/week outdoor + 1 futsal session per week. For non-pro clubs I think the rules do matter because they are worried about losing their DA status. I think DCU and Spirit could care less about the rules because they know US Soccer's not going to do anything about it anyway. |
Anonymous
Interesting insight. I expect you may be right. |
Anonymous
I don’t feel like Spirit is holding itself accountable. If I had known we’d be cheated games, I’d have taken my DD elsewhere but now we are stuck. And then since evidently we are behind other clubs, clearly we need the 4 days a week training. Soooo frustrating |
Anonymous
| How about Spirit Virginia? What is happening down there in regards to practices? 3x a week or 4x week? I remember hearing the girls were given recovery stretches at home and that counted as the 4th practice. Is that right? How about this Fall? |
Anonymous
US soccer is a joke |
Anonymous
It's better than the ECNL, but yeah, a weak flicker compared to the rest of the world. |
Anonymous
Lol you people crack me up! Yes, on the men's side there is much work to do, but on the women's side (since we were talking Spirit, not DC United) the US reigns supreme and has for quite some time. Go back to your refined European club de jour thread so you can discuss your rec level daughter's deep understanding of the nuances of the game. |