Soccer -switching positions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At U11, he should not be a 'striker'.

Under U12/13 is way too young to specialize.

Total football. The most valuable player is one that can play all positions well---even if they have an inclination for one.

My kid was put at striker his first 2 years, than center mid, and now defender this season which he is not loving (but he does it very well)--it's a possession based Club that really expects a lot from the defenders and allows them to take the space, build the attack and even shoot on goal as players shift as he goes up--overlapping runs, etc.

He's been down/a bit depressed after each practice, game and when he asked the Coach--he said "I don't trust anyone else back there". My kid is tenacious and works to win back the ball immediately.

I would definitely allow your kid to get some goalie training/experience. It changes a player's perception and enhances field play.

I told my child--if he wants to play elsewhere he has to demonstrate that he is better than anyone else in the team at that position. Very recently- he's been getting some time at center mid/forward which is making him smile ear-to-ear.

His Coaches also believe in total football and have said at 12.5 years old---there's no telling what position he will eventually specialize in. But--the best player is a versatile player.

We've told him play hard wherever he is put and see it as advantage to learn each position well. No questions to the Coach. He brought it up and they know his preference--but no badgering or complaining.

Op here. This is very helpful thank you. For the record, we Do not live in the DC area. We are at a possession based club. My son is usually put as a striker because he is very good at it. Actually most of the kids play one position and therefore they get pretty good at that position. You might like it or hate it, but that’s the way this club does it. My son unfortunately is not a great defender on the field and that is why I am very hesitant about him being goalie. Additionally, like a previous poster noted above, he will be of average height And will definitely not be short but not extremely tall either. Call me crazy but I don’t want him to lose something that he is quite skillful at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On to some practical advice for OP ..... how tall is your son likely to be? Will he want to play travel at a high level, or be a starter on a big HS varsity team? If he is going to be smallish I would hesitate to have him switch over to goalie, particularly if he is good as a forward.

This was my first thought as well! He is of average height. His dad is 6’1. I am 5’5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Arlington makes kids start to specialize around age 12 - a friend's son got an offer for his ASA team but it was dependent on him committing to the goalie slot. He had hoped to stay a field player.

Bright side of goalie - I imagine there are fewer kids who really want to play that position, so there might be more demand for him. A friend of mine got a scholarship to a D1 school for goal-tending.

Yes! I imagine that being goalie may provide more opportunities and may be less competitive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Arlington makes kids start to specialize around age 12 - a friend's son got an offer for his ASA team but it was dependent on him committing to the goalie slot. He had hoped to stay a field player.

Bright side of goalie - I imagine there are fewer kids who really want to play that position, so there might be more demand for him. A friend of mine got a scholarship to a D1 school for goal-tending.

Yes! I imagine that being goalie may provide more opportunities and may be less competitive

I know a lot of dads that volunteer their kid for goalie just so they get a spot on an "A Team" in the area. At the younger ages, goalies aren't competitive. A team will like 2-3 players that will like going into the goal.

Some of these kids never would have made a higher team based on their skills as field player alone.

It's crafty, but I am not one who thinks 'A' team means anything in the lower years or will buy training from a Coach because I think it will help chances. I just want my kids to develop as players---I don't give two sh*ts about teams/leagues under 12/13.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At U11, he should not be a 'striker'.

Under U12/13 is way too young to specialize.

Total football. The most valuable player is one that can play all positions well---even if they have an inclination for one.

My kid was put at striker his first 2 years, than center mid, and now defender this season which he is not loving (but he does it very well)--it's a possession based Club that really expects a lot from the defenders and allows them to take the space, build the attack and even shoot on goal as players shift as he goes up--overlapping runs, etc.

He's been down/a bit depressed after each practice, game and when he asked the Coach--he said "I don't trust anyone else back there". My kid is tenacious and works to win back the ball immediately.

I would definitely allow your kid to get some goalie training/experience. It changes a player's perception and enhances field play.

I told my child--if he wants to play elsewhere he has to demonstrate that he is better than anyone else in the team at that position. Very recently- he's been getting some time at center mid/forward which is making him smile ear-to-ear.

His Coaches also believe in total football and have said at 12.5 years old---there's no telling what position he will eventually specialize in. But--the best player is a versatile player.

We've told him play hard wherever he is put and see it as advantage to learn each position well. No questions to the Coach. He brought it up and they know his preference--but no badgering or complaining.

Op here. This is very helpful thank you. For the record, we Do not live in the DC area. We are at a possession based club. My son is usually put as a striker because he is very good at it. Actually most of the kids play one position and therefore they get pretty good at that position. You might like it or hate it, but that’s the way this club does it. My son unfortunately is not a great defender on the field and that is why I am very hesitant about him being goalie. Additionally, like a previous poster noted above, he will be of average height And will definitely not be short but not extremely tall either. Call me crazy but I don’t want him to lose something that he is quite skillful at.

Funny, about your last part. We had the same view when our incredibly goal hungry child started playing defense a lot. After a year, whenever he was placed up--he would hang back so far and not be up where he needed to be. His mindset definitely changed.

BUT--that time as a defender has made him a much more well-rounded player. It is really helping him now in early teens because if you can defend/get back/ make a tackle, etc. and you are good as a forward...that ability to defend enhances your play as a forward. Striker is the first defender on the team.

I see a lot of kids that love the glory and always have to play up front. Many turn out to be fairly lazy players down the road. Further, forwards are a dime a dozen. There is never a shortage of forwards. But--very few players have the knowledge to play defense well (not talking kick and run US defenders, btw). So-- have your kid learn everything. I like when my coaches would give kids half time up front/midfield and 1/2 game as defender. Yea--it didn't always produce the win for them---but they developed some really great players by doing this in the early years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"His Coaches also believe in total football and have said at 12.5 years old---there's no telling what position he will eventually specialize in. But--the best player is a versatile player."

It's beyond versatility. A kid won't understand what versatility means.

If a striker can't think like a defender or a goalie, automatically, he is never going to beat them consistently.

A striker who always plays striker and just has a coach try to tell him what it feels like to be a goalie or what the goalie should be thinking is never going to internalize what a goalie can or can not do.

Without that information available instantly, at game speed, his potential will be limited.

You are quoting me. And, I 100% whole-heartedly agree with your comments. Thanks for fleshing out what I meant.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure what being a good defender or not has to do with a kid's potential as a GK. Totally different positions / skillset. Kind of like saying my kid's not a great linebacker, so I don't want them playing cornerback in football.

The first priority is letting your son try new things / playing new positions. Everyone has agreed that specialization at that young age is insane. As a former ODP player, varsity captain at a large HS, and club player at a top D1 school, I'd agree.

I also sympathize with those that posted their experiences about kids getting "stuck" in goal. I've seen that happen.

For my kids, I'm going to want them to get significant experience and playing time at every position on the field, including trying out playing GK. My experience was our best field players were also fabulous GKs, often good enough to play GK at a high level, they just liked field better. The reverse was often true as well. I'm friends with a fair amount of former college players from JMU, and one of their former GKs (from the mid/late 90's) is a fabulous field player.

[Anonymous]

Kids should be playing all positions and all sides....If a club "makes" you specialize then you need to leave. The game is multi-directional, not just North and South so you will have highly skilled players across the board. It's not like the early 80s where you put the fat kid on defense.

[Anonymous]

So forwards are a very competitive position as your child moves up the age groups. The more skills you can bring to the position the better. Playing mid field, full back and goal develops different skill sets. If your kid is one of the fastest on the team, he/she just has not played at a high enough level- ie each year the kids get faster and faster.

[Anonymous]

Just a thought - about 90 percent of the kids who go on to play in college end up in different positions than they played the most in club.

It is important that kids have the individual skills to play multiple positions. My daughter, now in grad school, was exclusively a defender in club. Mostly a wing defender. Pretty much every college coach during recruiting saw her as a forward or maybe an attacking mid. In the end, she played about 30 mins in 4 years as a forward. By senior year she was a defending center mid rarely coming out. In the end, she, like lots and lots of her friends playing in college, played whatever was needed so she could get playing time.

So - work on individual skills. Play multiple positions. And, work work work on individual skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On to some practical advice for OP ..... how tall is your son likely to be? Will he want to play travel at a high level, or be a starter on a big HS varsity team? If he is going to be smallish I would hesitate to have him switch over to goalie, particularly if he is good as a forward.

This was my first thought as well! He is of average height. His dad is 6’1. I am 5’5.

With parents your size he "should" be more than tall enough to be a goalie in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On to some practical advice for OP ..... how tall is your son likely to be? Will he want to play travel at a high level, or be a starter on a big HS varsity team? If he is going to be smallish I would hesitate to have him switch over to goalie, particularly if he is good as a forward.

This was my first thought as well! He is of average height. His dad is 6’1. I am 5’5.

With parents your size he "should" be more than tall enough to be a goalie in HS.

Average FIFA field player is 5’11”. Average FIFA goalkeeper 6’2”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On to some practical advice for OP ..... how tall is your son likely to be? Will he want to play travel at a high level, or be a starter on a big HS varsity team? If he is going to be smallish I would hesitate to have him switch over to goalie, particularly if he is good as a forward.

This was my first thought as well! He is of average height. His dad is 6’1. I am 5’5.

With parents your size he "should" be more than tall enough to be a goalie in HS.

Average FIFA field player is 5’11”. Average FIFA goalkeeper 6’2”.

Interesting. I think goalkeepers definitely need height. Interestingly, the goal coaches are short. My son won’t be super tall so I’m wondering if that’s a set back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a thought - about 90 percent of the kids who go on to play in college end up in different positions than they played the most in club.

It is important that kids have the individual skills to play multiple positions. My daughter, now in grad school, was exclusively a defender in club. Mostly a wing defender. Pretty much every college coach during recruiting saw her as a forward or maybe an attacking mid. In the end, she played about 30 mins in 4 years as a forward. By senior year she was a defending center mid rarely coming out. In the end, she, like lots and lots of her friends playing in college, played whatever was needed so she could get playing time.

So - work on individual skills. Play multiple positions. And, work work work on individual skills.

I’ve had 2 children go through travel soccer in the metro dc area. Both played all over the field at a young age, and the one who stayed a field player exclusively in particular benefitted from being able to play anywhere and shift his mindset to match his role all the way through his playing years. But the one who liked to play both striker and keeper, like the OP’s child, chose GK permanently at 15. It was almost too late - the kids who had been specializing at GK since U12 were very far ahead in their goalkeeper technical skills. Mine caught up, but it was a struggle for a while. However he had much more versatility as GK because he had really good field player skills. Also he’s quite tall. So I think if your child really is leaning towards GK, choosing by age 13 might be good, but also develop field skills up until then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a thought - about 90 percent of the kids who go on to play in college end up in different positions than they played the most in club.

It is important that kids have the individual skills to play multiple positions. My daughter, now in grad school, was exclusively a defender in club. Mostly a wing defender. Pretty much every college coach during recruiting saw her as a forward or maybe an attacking mid. In the end, she played about 30 mins in 4 years as a forward. By senior year she was a defending center mid rarely coming out. In the end, she, like lots and lots of her friends playing in college, played whatever was needed so she could get playing time.

So - work on individual skills. Play multiple positions. And, work work work on individual skills.

I’ve had 2 children go through travel soccer in the metro dc area. Both played all over the field at a young age, and the one who stayed a field player exclusively in particular benefitted from being able to play anywhere and shift his mindset to match his role all the way through his playing years. But the one who liked to play both striker and keeper, like the OP’s child, chose GK permanently at 15. It was almost too late - the kids who had been specializing at GK since U12 were very far ahead in their goalkeeper technical skills. Mine caught up, but it was a struggle for a while. However he had much more versatility as GK because he had really good field player skills. Also he’s quite tall. So I think if your child really is leaning towards GK, choosing by age 13 might be good, but also develop field skills up until then.

Thank you for your response. Goalie training is technical and needs to be started early. So hard to know what to do given the fact that he has to pick one or the other.