Taking a year off when you want to be recruited

[Anonymous]

My 8th grader is a strong player, consistently starting and playing most of the game in MLSNext. He's a kid with a lot of dedication, arriving early, doing drills outside of school, etc . . .

However, over the past two years, he's begun playing another sport, and he's fallen in love with it. He's at the point, where if he wants to keep growing in that sport he needs to move to a more intense/competitive team.

He's tempted to take a year off from club/travel soccer, but still train on his own, do some camps, maybe work with a private coach, to see how far he can get in the other sport. Then at the end of the year, he'll see where he is, and decide whether he wants to stick with the new sport, or go back to soccer. He very much wants to play one of the two sports in college.

Is this realistic? If so, what things would be the top priority to keep up his skills?

[Anonymous]

This is a cauldron of contradictions

The advice is for the kid to follow their passion but lower expectations of top level soccer in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a cauldron of contradictions

OP here,

That is a good summary of my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a cauldron of contradictions

The advice is for the kid to follow their passion but lower expectations of top level soccer in the future.

+1. He should choose what he wants. Skip the private lessons even u less that’s a choice driven by him. 8th graders should be making decisions based on 1000 things other than playing in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a cauldron of contradictions

The advice is for the kid to follow their passion but lower expectations of top level soccer in the future.

+1. He should choose what he wants. Skip the private lessons even u less that’s a choice driven by him. 8th graders should be making decisions based on 1000 things other than playing in college.

If it was up to him, he'd play travel for both, and private coaching for both. I don't see how that's possible. So, I've suggested that since he knows what high level travel is like for soccer he should try it for the other sport, and then decide. I'm just not sure that's realistic, if he'll be able to decide in 10th or if the soccer door will close.

[Anonymous]

Lets just be real- a year of private training is NO replacement for a year of on field, sports IQ development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lets just be real- a year of private training is NO replacement for a year of on field, sports IQ development.

I've read that playing multiple sports can also develop sports IQ.

[Anonymous]

What's the "other sport?"

A year off of high level soccer, will certainly have an effect on his development in the sport, but it won't be the end of the world.

If he's found a new passion, run with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lets just be real- a year of private training is NO replacement for a year of on field, sports IQ development.

I've read that playing multiple sports can also develop sports IQ.

Yes of course but that is not what we're talking about here. If OP thinks her kid can still get recruited for a sport they are not playing and just getting private training on... unless they are a 1% top athlete that will be highly unlikely.

[Anonymous]

It would help to know the other sport and the county. The answer might be to play for school one season.

[Anonymous]

Tell your kid they have to pick one. You don't get to train on the side and walk back onto a top team. He'll be replaced with another great player immediately and forgotten. It's the sad truth. My family member is amazing at soccer; but wanted to play another sport as well so he has to do both rec to play both. Travel just wasn't possible for his family and schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 8th grader is a strong player, consistently starting and playing most of the game in MLSNext. He's a kid with a lot of dedication, arriving early, doing drills outside of school, etc . . .

However, over the past two years, he's begun playing another sport, and he's fallen in love with it. He's at the point, where if he wants to keep growing in that sport he needs to move to a more intense/competitive team.

He's tempted to take a year off from club/travel soccer, but still train on his own, do some camps, maybe work with a private coach, to see how far he can get in the other sport. Then at the end of the year, he'll see where he is, and decide whether he wants to stick with the new sport, or go back to soccer. He very much wants to play one of the two sports in college.

Is this realistic? If so, what things would be the top priority to keep up his skills?

I doubt he wants to play college soccer. Better off doing the other sport and skip trying to get recruited.

[Anonymous]

8th graders should pick what they want to do. He can't do both. So he needs to decide where he invests his time. If it's the other sport this year, then so be it. I don't know how you can have time to do all this and school and get enough rest not to get hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:8th graders should pick what they want to do. He can't do both. So he needs to decide where he invests his time. If it's the other sport this year, then so be it. I don't know how you can have time to do all this and school and get enough rest not to get hurt.

You can't. The time commitment isn't possible unless God shines down on you and somehow keeps the schedules/games separate and the child is just built different and can't overuse their muscles .

[Anonymous]

I have a soccer boy the same age but he loves all sports. If it were him, I could see he’d spend the next year on the new sport and never go back to soccer. He’d get immersed in the new thing and soccer would slip away.