The era of misinformation is over. Let’s talk real soccer

[FCV-Dad]

Let’s see if the admins new policy will discourage the biggest source of misinformation. Time for positive and constructive threads on soccer.

[DMVParent]

I think this will be a change for the better.

[KevintheBrownOne]

I agree. Looking forward to every thread not devolving into insults.

[Size5Balls]

KevintheBrownOne wrote:I agree. Looking forward to every thread not devolving into insults.

Every thread has devolved into crickets instead. Do you hear them? "Cheep Cheep."

[Pinksoccerball]

Size5Balls wrote:

KevintheBrownOne wrote:I agree. Looking forward to every thread not devolving into insults.

Every thread has devolved into crickets instead. Do you hear them? "Cheep Cheep."

Although there isn't much going on right now so likely not much to question or comment on. Once showcases and tournaments begin again, I'm sure it'll get back to normal.

[soccer_dc]

Pinksoccerball wrote:

Size5Balls wrote:

KevintheBrownOne wrote:I agree. Looking forward to every thread not devolving into insults.

Every thread has devolved into crickets instead. Do you hear them? "Cheep Cheep."

Although there isn't much going on right now so likely not much to question or comment on. Once showcases and tournaments begin again, I'm sure it'll get back to normal.

Just goes to show how much of the activity on this board was just trolls and idiots. There was only a small amount of actual soccer related talk. I hope that changes now.

[Pinksoccerball]

soccer_dc wrote:

Pinksoccerball wrote:

Size5Balls wrote:

KevintheBrownOne wrote:I agree. Looking forward to every thread not devolving into insults.

Every thread has devolved into crickets instead. Do you hear them? "Cheep Cheep."

Although there isn't much going on right now so likely not much to question or comment on. Once showcases and tournaments begin again, I'm sure it'll get back to normal.

Just goes to show how much of the activity on this board was just trolls and idiots. There was only a small amount of actual soccer related talk. I hope that changes now.

Yes I agree. Funny that all it took was creating usernames which still doesn’t identify the specific person but it does negate the trolls having multiple conversations with themselves to create drama.

[DMVParent]

Right! It's still anonymous, but you can tell which anonymous posters are the trolls.

[PotomacPete]

I don’t see any real soccer talk here yet. Just snipping.

So here’s some real soccer talk. What makes the following countries and really only the following countries so successful at soccer over recent history (last 30 years)? Culture? Success breeding success? Tradition? A combination?

Germany
Brazil
France
Spain
Italy
Argentina
England

[Size5Balls]

PotomacPete wrote:I don’t see any real soccer talk here yet. Just snipping.

So here’s some real soccer talk. What makes the following countries and really only the following countries so successful at soccer over recent history (last 30 years)? Culture? Success breeding success? Tradition? A combination?

Germany
Brazil
France
Spain
Italy
Argentina
England

Yes, combination of those and others. All the top pro leagues on their respective continents are in those countries. They are all highly populated. Soccer is number one or two sport played in each. Generational knowledge passed down. Much more money involved. Etc...

[NeymarsEarring]

England doesn’t belong on that list. They are more comparable to countries like Croatia, The Netherlands, Belgium, Uruguay. Countries that have some talent and will make a deep run in a major tournament every now and again, but not consistent favorites.

[InsertWittyNameHere]

Here are some good videos on player development. I’ve posted these before. I believe that most of the issues come down to parents and coaches. We can break down how children learn. We can break down how to feed information or introduce it to them, but those two groups will ultimately have the most significant impact. In general, you will hear a lot mentioned of free play, RAE, pay-to-play, or pro/rel. But, if you take that a step back, you may notice that the older kids in those countries have learned most from their experiences with those two groups, regardless of funding. You need to have some reference for the technical development/skills, and that comes in many forms, from your parents, from coaches, from TV/video, or from other kids that learned from parents, coaches, and TV/video. Some call that culture, and I think that is too nebulous a term for it. To me, it is knowledge. If you look at the other successful sports in this country, you will see the same thing. The information/knowledge on how to play those games are all around.

If you really care, watch all of the videos and come to your conclusion. I put them in this order for a reason.

Player Development of Brazil - Is it old, but still stands as a good starting point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAMSDu08UsI&t=

Tom Byer - Soccer Starts at Home – Pay attention to the emphasis on learning environments and early delivery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX8ko38zdaM&list=PLokQUChWpnfx9F4aXUfYEujHbiteo55t_&index=2

Romeo Jozak - Croatian FA – note sensitive learning ages and concepts of coaching/curriculum importance for technical development
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAAX82ff3eY&list=PLokQUChWpnfx9F4aXUfYEujHbiteo55t_&index=4

Kris Van Der Haegen - Belgium FA – great ideas on the small-sided game build-up and how it influences learning when very young. Sneaky good video; the SSG slides explain a lot if you pay attention to the previous videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL_YHe774fA&list=PLokQUChWpnfx9F4aXUfYEujHbiteo55t_&index=3

You will notice some particular themes keep popping up. Overemphasis on competition at the younger ages, psychological issues with parent and coach emotional control during play causing a disruption of motor skill formation. A disciplined approach to a curriculum and education of coaches/parents which is lacking and causes gaping holes in technical skill acquisition. The list goes on. It is up to parents and coaches in this country to look in the mirror and ask, "what do I really care about this activity?" Most don't care; they want the competition as soon as possible, which is fine. They want something structured and easily measurable at the earliest ages (win/loss). They need predictable play and accomplishments, a grade. Unfortunately, at the early ages, that tactical, competitive, and analytical understanding of American football, basketball, and baseball is useless in this game. It actually works against the development of the correct technical foundation. When trying to work on the proper technical foundation, some may think it is taking too long, will move past development too soon, and go right into how to win a game without knowing. Only to find out the following year(s), the kids never built a foundation and still need to work on basic control a lot. If you don’t plan for your kid to go pro, you have time. C team, A team doesn’t matter if you care about learning and realize it is just a game.

I had never actually cared about sports in general until my child started playing. Once involved, I became inquisitive about the very questions you were asking, which led me down a rabbit hole, as you can see. My thoughts at this point are whatever the activity your child takes on(soccer or otherwise), if you care, learn about it and teach them at home. Take them to qualified instructors and guide them as best as possible. If you are not an ex-player, you need to learn and teach the game/activity. Casually watch with them and enjoy the game/activity. Watch all levels possible, such as pro-level, amateur, college, and youth.

Please don't get into it for more than helping them learn; they will not go pro. If you don't know what to do, hire qualified coaches to give you some things to work on, go to YouTube or buy some videos, and then YOU do them with your kid. It is hard to escape the thirst for competition at younger ages in this country, so you have to allow it. Enjoy watching them learn/play and enjoy the journey with them and, at the same time, guiding them to not focus too much on outcomes. At all ages, help them get better control and have more fun. If they are not having fun and not focused on skills, find someplace different. Keep the focus on skills for as long as you can, and passing is a skill to me. It doesn't need to be all-encompassing; let them be kids and have a life outside of the activity. Effectively have fun with the experience, and your kid may also, regardless of how far they go.

The view counts on those videos compared to 3 million youth players, 10 thousand clubs, and watching the US play tells me everything. Most don't care, and that is ok, but if you do care, you have to help your kid enjoy it.

If there are more good informative videos from France, Germany, or any other FA, please post them!

If any coaches in the area, new or old, read this, please check out “The Coach’s Guide to Teaching – Doug Lemov” I think it should be required of all youth coaches to get a good base for implementing their ideas to players.
https://www.coachsguidetoteaching.com/

[mocosoccerparent]

Hi - I am hoping someone can offer a balanced perspective on how I can best help my soccer-obsessed DD reach her full (and from what I can tell, great) potential. I have not wanted to post until now because I knew I'd get a lot of responses that basically just said my kid was clearly some no-name loser playing for a no-name club. Hopefully that won't be the case now. I'll preface by saying that I was not athletic in the slightest so I have no "reliving my glory days" baggage but also no frame of reference.

DD is 13 and currently plays for a travel club that doesn't get discussed a lot on these boards. She's a leader on her team and contributes substantially. I have heard from numerous coaches that she's very talented. She lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes the sport - when she's not practicing or playing, she's watching matches on TV or practicing on her own. She absolutely loves it and is very self-motivated. Her team plays EDP and finishes middle of the standings every season. DD is happy with her team, coach, and teammates but she wants to continue to develop as a player and continue to play all the way through college, though she recognizes that prime recruiting and scholarship opportunities are few and far between.

So my question is, given everything, should she stay with her current team/club for the foreseeable future? Try to go to a different club where she may not be on the top team or may have to travel much further for games and practices? Wait until high school and then move? I feel like the culture in this area is cutthroat and given how much she loves the sport, I'm reluctant to see her make a move to a place where the competition within the team is just as brutal as with opposing teams! Any insights are appreciated.

[soccer_dc]

mocosoccerparent wrote:Hi - I am hoping someone can offer a balanced perspective on how I can best help my soccer-obsessed DD reach her full (and from what I can tell, great) potential. I have not wanted to post until now because I knew I'd get a lot of responses that basically just said my kid was clearly some no-name loser playing for a no-name club. Hopefully that won't be the case now. I'll preface by saying that I was not athletic in the slightest so I have no "reliving my glory days" baggage but also no frame of reference.

DD is 13 and currently plays for a travel club that doesn't get discussed a lot on these boards. She's a leader on her team and contributes substantially. I have heard from numerous coaches that she's very talented. She lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes the sport - when she's not practicing or playing, she's watching matches on TV or practicing on her own. She absolutely loves it and is very self-motivated. Her team plays EDP and finishes middle of the standings every season. DD is happy with her team, coach, and teammates but she wants to continue to develop as a player and continue to play all the way through college, though she recognizes that prime recruiting and scholarship opportunities are few and far between.

So my question is, given everything, should she stay with her current team/club for the foreseeable future? Try to go to a different club where she may not be on the top team or may have to travel much further for games and practices? Wait until high school and then move? I feel like the culture in this area is cutthroat and given how much she loves the sport, I'm reluctant to see her make a move to a place where the competition within the team is just as brutal as with opposing teams! Any insights are appreciated.

She seems to have the self motivation to achieve her goals. What remains is whether she has the talent. The best way to find out would be to tryout for a ECNL or GA team. Those leagues are designed for exposure to college coaches and give the best path to playing in college. 13 is a good age to start this process and now is the time of year when teams begin having ID sessions. Contact coaches and ask if she could come to some training sessions. You don't need to wait for ID sessions to be announced, contact the coaches now. At a minimum you'll get an evaluation from the coaches on where she stands talent wise. You could always go back to the current club if the travel and commitment take the fun out of it for her. But once she reaches HS it may be too late for the college path. While some EDP players do make it to college, it's an easier path playing with an ECNL club due to the exposure, coaching connections, training with better players, etc.

[mocosoccerparent]

soccer_dc wrote:

mocosoccerparent wrote:Hi - I am hoping someone can offer a balanced perspective on how I can best help my soccer-obsessed DD reach her full (and from what I can tell, great) potential. I have not wanted to post until now because I knew I'd get a lot of responses that basically just said my kid was clearly some no-name loser playing for a no-name club. Hopefully that won't be the case now. I'll preface by saying that I was not athletic in the slightest so I have no "reliving my glory days" baggage but also no frame of reference.

DD is 13 and currently plays for a travel club that doesn't get discussed a lot on these boards. She's a leader on her team and contributes substantially. I have heard from numerous coaches that she's very talented. She lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes the sport - when she's not practicing or playing, she's watching matches on TV or practicing on her own. She absolutely loves it and is very self-motivated. Her team plays EDP and finishes middle of the standings every season. DD is happy with her team, coach, and teammates but she wants to continue to develop as a player and continue to play all the way through college, though she recognizes that prime recruiting and scholarship opportunities are few and far between.

So my question is, given everything, should she stay with her current team/club for the foreseeable future? Try to go to a different club where she may not be on the top team or may have to travel much further for games and practices? Wait until high school and then move? I feel like the culture in this area is cutthroat and given how much she loves the sport, I'm reluctant to see her make a move to a place where the competition within the team is just as brutal as with opposing teams! Any insights are appreciated.

She seems to have the self motivation to achieve her goals. What remains is whether she has the talent. The best way to find out would be to tryout for a ECNL or GA team. Those leagues are designed for exposure to college coaches and give the best path to playing in college. 13 is a good age to start this process and now is the time of year when teams begin having ID sessions. Contact coaches and ask if she could come to some training sessions. You don't need to wait for ID sessions to be announced, contact the coaches now. At a minimum you'll get an evaluation from the coaches on where she stands talent wise. You could always go back to the current club if the travel and commitment take the fun out of it for her. But once she reaches HS it may be too late for the college path. While some EDP players do make it to college, it's an easier path playing with an ECNL club due to the exposure, coaching connections, training with better players, etc.

Thanks! I'm curious what options are worth pursuing. We're in Montgomery County so it would be difficult to drive to Baltimore or far into Virginia multiple times a week. What teams are realistic options?