How important is juggling?
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Anonymous
Ha! So true around here 
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Anonymous
Also it’s really easy to id the top and bottom technical players. Its just not juggling but juggling is a part of being a technical player. If the player can juggle she/he should have a good touch, correct form, good ball control in tight spaces and accurate passing. In passing drills they are like a machine. If you have that going for you, the coaches will watch to see what you can do in the scrimmages vs a kid who struggles with the drills. |
Anonymous
| Well, in the circus it is essential that all clowns can juggle, but I’m not sure it helps with soccer. Ooohhh ... you meant juggle with your feet. JK. |
Anonymous
| For what its worth (and probably not much since there is way more to the sport), my kid was the one that made it to 1239 at age 9 and 1 month. He just beat his record recently and made it 2135. He is still 9 years old. Yet at a recent club tryout, he was on the bubble between the top two teams. He is a technical player and has a great first touch but juggling doesn't guarantee anything. It doesn't help that he is one of the smallest players on the team. In the US, we still have a fascination with size and strength. Maybe because most of the other popular sports in this country require those two things. |
Anonymous
There is a point of diminishing returns with juggling and 2000 is probably well past that point. To most high level players juggling is just an expectation. It is a level of comfort and control of the ball. It develops first touch. But among top players it is not a separator, it is the expectation. There is no magic number that will separate one player from another. A kid who juggles 3000 times is not necessarily a better player than the player who can only reach 150. But if they are both good players with good touch juggling helped them along the way. There are two types of kids, those who can juggle and those who won't juggle. Anyone who dedicates time can juggle. These arguments really just boil down to some parent of a kid who simply will not juggle and then tries to defend their kid by attacking kids who do juggle. If you want to replace juggling with wall ball, that is fine. If you can dedicate the time to different footskills homework that will work too. But a kid must be doing extra work with the ball on their own to develop touch. Juggling just happens to be one method that requires the least amount space, equipment and it doesn't need a friend or teammate. Just you and the ball. |
Anonymous
It sounds like you kid does not need any more juggling proficiency, but needs to focus his practice time on developing fundamental skills (passing, receiving, dribbling, etc). |
Anonymous
While juggling helps it is not all that matters. Knowing how to play and athleticism also matter greatly. It is a sport not a circus contest |
Anonymous
Why do you all keep bring up this straw argument- juggling = circus. That is the dumpers argument every. Have not seen a kid who plays at a highly competitive level who juggle sucking. You just do not see. I have seen kids who are really fast and athletic suck. |
Anonymous
The point is that MORE than just juggling matters. A good player needs to be a smart player and have athleticism to succeed. Yes, juggling helps too, but I've seen many kids that can juggle very well, but aren't that great on the pitch due to lack of soccer IQ and/or athleticism. And yes, some athletic kids aren't that great because they lack skill and/or IQ. It all must fit together to be a really good player. That was the only point. Meanwhile, juggling is a great thing to do to improve touch and foot-eye coordination. |
Anonymous
Nobody said juggling makes a player great. Jesus it must be sad to live such a literal and binary life. |
Anonymous
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100 juggles = VDA
200 juggles = McLean 300 juggles = Arlington 500 juggles = random GDA team 1000 juggles = FCV 1500 juggles = BRYC |
Anonymous
kinda defensive aren’t we? And yeah, some people on this thread did just that. |
Anonymous
No, nobody said juggling will make a player great. Juggling will go a long ways to develop quality first touch. But again, tell us all a activity that requires less that can develop first touch. You seem to be going out of your way attacking an activity to defend the fact that your kid won’t juggle. |
Anonymous
You’re drawing a lot of dumb conclusions. I simply cannot argue with someone that is not reading comprehensively. Juggling is great. My kid does it. My kid also works on other skills as well as stamina and speed. It all matters. That’s my one and only point. There is nothing wrong with juggling and it helps. I have said that three times now. |
Anonymous
It seems you are just looking for a argument. When it has been said many many times that juggling is simply an activity that improves first touch and requires few resources to accomplish does not diminish other activities. Juggling, like other activities are not a zero sum game. Nobody ever suggested kids juggle to the exclusion of other activities and frankly the OP simply asked about juggling and it’s importance and benefits. It’s not as if anyone suggested stop going to practice in favor of juggling so why you feel the other extra things that your kid does are under attack is beyond me. It is a stupid argument. There is simply no harm in juggling as there is no harm in working on stamina, speed or other skills. |