Girls Soccer - at what age does possession style overtake physical style?
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Anonymous
On a typical travel team, how many parents truly understand soccer? And do they really value technical skills and possession Soccer? Or do they just understand wins/losses? We all know the answer. Wins. Hence, youth coaches don’t risk wins for the future development of the kids cause parents might pull their DC from the team. Sad but I think it reality. |
Anonymous
Not true, I knew a good coach who developed young players (boys and girls) to play possession and his teams used to win most games. When time came for the teams to move up and different coaches took over they disrupted the style of play and teams didn’t produce. When teams played possession parents/coaches from oposite teams were amazed watching the game. A team of young kids playing possession like pros. |
Anonymous
For my kid’s team, pretty much all of them, which is why we are where we are. But even at previous clubs, probably 75-80%. I think when almost all families have one regular who watches la liga or epl, you will have kids who will likely play a little more of this style (though playing styles vary immensely), and parents who don’t scream to boot it, clear its, or otherwise do the many things that result in a loss of possession against good teams. By the time your kid is U14, you want to see more results. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
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Not girls' soccer, but my son's coach, the winner of the USYS East Region Coach of the Year (!) award sometime in the last three years, actually told me, straight up:
"Yes, I could teach them to pass the ball, to play pretty soccer. But at this level, you have to be competitive." In his mind, at least, winning games and teaching the kids how to play the game well were competing objectives. Remember, this guy was honored as one of the top. youth. coaches. in. the. country. |
Anonymous
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It is a choice between winning or developing.
To develop a creative player with vision and a team with vision within possession You need to let them experience the patterns of play over and over so they come to recognize The different patterns and opportunities. Possession with intent is an exceptional style that requires technical and vision to play It requires knowledge and courage to coach it. Our team took the challenge at U9 and U10 and at U11 it was almost unfair the way our team could play at a basic possession level, the keys being they were able to receive across body, use first touch from pressure, possess under pressure, look up, make decisions, and play with vision of where the second pass should go or come from. Our team consistently beats teams now that are twice our size. Without possession we would get beat down still. Most refs note our play and are correct that the next step is speed of play. Possession requires a long term commitment that most are not willing or able to make Barca can do it. Not every one else knows how or can commit to it. Very few in the US even understand the basics: it is not really about passing it just looks like that, It is about creating and exploiting space. If you have Abby Wambach or Alec Morgan then yeah let Rapinoe blast it in from the left wing all day But watching Tobin Heath take on 2 defenders and draw them out to create space for a nice cross on the ground Is really possession at its best. To each their own, the past and the future both have their place in the game |
Anonymous
Impressive. What team is this? |
Anonymous
No mystery if we are talking boys U12. Hard to tell which gender. |
Anonymous
I’m tired of the maligning. Arlington does not teach garbage long ball soccer. check out any of the highlights at the link. Not all but most of these girls have played for Arlington their entire soccer careers and for Mo the last couple of years. https://www.hudl.com/team/v2/351021/Arlington-Girls-U16-04s/team |
Anonymous
If you are tired of the maligning, do something about the development of the younger age top teams. I am sure coaches of older top teams (including the excellent boys academy staff) would appreciate it. The question isn’t whether they turn out fine or even good. It’s whether they would turn out better with better development at younger ages. It’s plenty for true for other clubs in the area as well. |
Anonymous
Weren’t there other top European teams in ICC? How did they do? |
Anonymous
This is just for the girls idea. It’s a structural problem at Arlington. At the younger ages, you need a lower coach to player ratio. One coach and an assistant with 24-26 players u12 and under does not work. You lose too many potentially good players and many players do not develop properly. You see consistent sloppy or bad technique which is not corrected. At that age, it should be one coach for 8-10 players. You just can not teach technical skills in a big group like that. U12 and under is about individual skill development. The majority of practice should be about building technical skill and small side games working on those skills. It is bullsh#t to say you have to get that outside the club at that age. U13 and up the emphasis changes to team development. Coaches are not teaching technical skill and the coach to player ratio should increase. Arlington has a huge pool of players at u9. This pool is not developed well. By u12/u13 the average level of technical skill is well below where it should be. |
Anonymous
Spanish clubs do not spend time on skill development, it is expected. This is why we are a terrible soccer nation. We honestly believe that starting skill training at 8-9 years old three hours a week is enough to develop players who are fluent with the ball is ridiculous. No travel program should spend time on skill development. The practices should be challenging enough to improve technical skills but not be the focus of practice. Possession tactics can be implemented at much younger ages without it being obvious that tactics are being taught. |
Anonymous
Although I am fine sharing our team philosophy, regrettably I don’t share our team identity on this forum as it merely invites discord and detraction for a youth team. Again it is a choice about winning or development as a priority. Success is important to player development of character, creativity, technical competence and vision. part of that is winning or competing in games. It is a tough balance. Players need to be comfortable in taking risks. And coaches need to likewise be able to take risks to develop players over immediate gratification. When a defender correctly passes back to the keeper or across the goal as a solution rather than lose the ball to 2 attackers high pressing them or just kicking the ball long from pressure, often mistakes are made and are costly, parents cringe and players can become fearful. To succeed teaching possession you really need a commitment. So you really have to ask yourself what do you want from your team/coach: - to develop strong fast players technically to win by force and determination - to develop character and mentally strong players - to develop cognitive players who visualize and anticipate the game with confidence and courage to execute that play Ideally you are trying for all 3. In reality the third part is the most important to develop in all players in a teaching environment And they can work on their own on technical and physical. To the OP question: it’s the wrong question, physical style may always overcome possession style but there is a point in time (inexact) where it is Too late to teach possession style and get in the repetitions to develop the recognition of patterns and add creativity on top. Maybe too late is too harsh and I should say very hard. Messi is great because of his vision, he is on dead legs right now if you look at the decline in his speed and runs. He is playing on vision now more than physical. A remarkable thing. Same as Rooney coming to MLS guy was playing on anticipation and vision that year and dead legs. Nothing wrong with direct play and it can provide a similar result for youth development for what they get out of sports. For anyone interested in goin as far as possible in soccer now though you need to learn the modern game as it is played. And the answer to OP question really should be: when do see your players mental side of the game overtaking their physical ? Good luck to all. We are all on the same side of development just different approaches and even beliefs and that is good otherwise it would be a very stagnant and boring game |
Anonymous
Right or wrong, clubs/teams do not typically spend time to teach individual skills such as dribbling/kicking. They will teach some fundamentals and some skill moves but it’s up to each player to practice it outside of team practices in order to be comfortable, efficient and confident with the ball. This is even more true with basketball as well. Parents think if they spend $3K a year to a club that their DC will be great players. I don’t think a player like Olivia Moultrie learned her technical skills and kicks from her club.....it’s mostly from her outside trainer and practices. |