Player development is a myth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP. The 5 kids at U10 who were the best ball handlers are still the best. The 5 kids who had poor ball skills still have poor skills. There are a few in between who've climbed the ladder somewhat, but I think it's just learning a particular position has allowed them to focus a little more. Thus they seem better than some, but you could not move them to another position or else their lack of true skill would show.

You do need technical ability, there is no doubt. And it is also true that coaching cannot make a massive difference to a kid's technical ability in the short term. Although a coach who emphasizes possession and passing in games and parctise is providing an environment more conducive to the kids developing those skills and kids playing under such a coach will develop faster over time.

But a coach can teach kids soccer IQ - an understanding of the game - where and when to move with and without the ball, how to organize on defense, on offense, and in transition. Where to make runs. How to work together to attack different formations. When to press and how to press. When to look for long balls. How to break lines. How to move to create space for others etc. And this can make a huge difference to the way kids play and their results.

I've seen in HS soccer and the majority of clubs that athleticism rules. It doesn't matter how well you know the game or strong your technical skills are. Many coaches will take big, strong and fast even though these players don't know where to run or how to kick the ball correctly. There are very little coaches out here that actually develop talent. Arlington has some, I have yet to see anyone equal to their coaching level. We still have long way to go.

PP - Fair enough point that many clubs and coaches don't do this. But OP's point was that none did. You are correct that Arlington is one example of a club that does, but there are others in this area too. Things are definitely improving and hopefully will continue to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP. The 5 kids at U10 who were the best ball handlers are still the best. The 5 kids who had poor ball skills still have poor skills. There are a few in between who've climbed the ladder somewhat, but I think it's just learning a particular position has allowed them to focus a little more. Thus they seem better than some, but you could not move them to another position or else their lack of true skill would show.

You do need technical ability, there is no doubt. And it is also true that coaching cannot make a massive difference to a kid's technical ability in the short term. Although a coach who emphasizes possession and passing in games and parctise is providing an environment more conducive to the kids developing those skills and kids playing under such a coach will develop faster over time.

But a coach can teach kids soccer IQ - an understanding of the game - where and when to move with and without the ball, how to organize on defense, on offense, and in transition. Where to make runs. How to work together to attack different formations. When to press and how to press. When to look for long balls. How to break lines. How to move to create space for others etc. And this can make a huge difference to the way kids play and their results.

The players at my club (somewhere in the Vienna area) wouldn't know what you are saying because the overall soccer IQ of the club is nonexistent.

That may well be true. Not all coaches are good coaches and know how to develop kids well. Not even all ECNL/DA coaches are good coaches. But some are, and they can and do make a difference.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I wasn't saying that coaches cannot develop players. They can. My point is that the success of a club's teams is driven overwhelmingly by the ability to attract good players. Sure, coaching matters for maybe 10-20% but 80-90% is just having the right players. Also, I'm only talking youth soccer here, not professional or even college where all the teams have a good set of players to start with. In that case coaching does matter more. In youth soccer clubs it's all about attracting players, whether it's through sheer volume like Arlington & Loudoun, or through branding or focus on college placement.

[Anonymous]

No, you're wrong. Barcelona takes kids off the street and turns them into superstars. They don't scout the entire world for the best talent or anything like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, you're wrong. Barcelona takes kids off the street and turns them into superstars. They don't scout the entire world for the best talent or anything like that.

Barcelona is a big city with a lot of kids to choose from on the streets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally false. Some coaches and clubs are definitely better at this than others. And some kids are more coachable than others. All other things equal, like athleticism and talent.

No but it is nuanced. Some clubs with big pools development means get the best athletes and develop them through strength training and conditioning. This is most club specially on the girls side. It’s easy to fill positions, easy to coach and easy wins in the younger ages. Other club get the best athletes but spend time working on individual skill and identify players with high soccer iq and technical skills in certain positions(usually midfield). They are usually successful in the older groups. There do not seem to be many of those type of clubs around here but when we run into them, we lose. It seems close but we always lose by about the same score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, you're wrong. Barcelona takes kids off the street and turns them into superstars. They don't scout the entire world for the best talent or anything like that.

I think this is sarcasm?

[Anonymous]

It goes back to the fact that its much more likely to develop the natural athlete into a technical player. Thant to turn a technical kid into an athlete. 99% of the time its better to choose the natural athlete and take a pass on the technical kid.

[Anonymous]

Teams do not develop a players technical abilities except maybe at the younger ages. The older they get the more that falls on player to practice at home or pay for extra training. Coaches spend more time focusing on the tactical as the players get older from what I have seen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP. The 5 kids at U10 who were the best ball handlers are still the best. The 5 kids who had poor ball skills still have poor skills. There are a few in between who've climbed the ladder somewhat, but I think it's just learning a particular position has allowed them to focus a little more. Thus they seem better than some, but you could not move them to another position or else their lack of true skill would show.

You do need technical ability, there is no doubt. And it is also true that coaching cannot make a massive difference to a kid's technical ability in the short term. Although a coach who emphasizes possession and passing in games and parctise is providing an environment more conducive to the kids developing those skills and kids playing under such a coach will develop faster over time.

But a coach can teach kids soccer IQ - an understanding of the game - where and when to move with and without the ball, how to organize on defense, on offense, and in transition. Where to make runs. How to work together to attack different formations. When to press and how to press. When to look for long balls. How to break lines. How to move to create space for others etc. And this can make a huge difference to the way kids play and their results.

I've seen in HS soccer and the majority of clubs that athleticism rules. It doesn't matter how well you know the game or strong your technical skills are. Many coaches will take big, strong and fast even though these players don't know where to run or how to kick the ball correctly. There are very little coaches out here that actually develop talent. Arlington has some, I have yet to see anyone equal to their coaching level. We still have long way to go.

PP - Fair enough point that many clubs and coaches don't do this. But OP's point was that none did. You are correct that Arlington is one example of a club that does, but there are others in this area too. Things are definitely improving and hopefully will continue to do so.

My kid has been with Arlington for over 5 years, and I have not seen a coach actually put effort into developing any individual's talent. In fact, my kid's experience has been the antithesis of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP. The 5 kids at U10 who were the best ball handlers are still the best. The 5 kids who had poor ball skills still have poor skills. There are a few in between who've climbed the ladder somewhat, but I think it's just learning a particular position has allowed them to focus a little more. Thus they seem better than some, but you could not move them to another position or else their lack of true skill would show.

You do need technical ability, there is no doubt. And it is also true that coaching cannot make a massive difference to a kid's technical ability in the short term. Although a coach who emphasizes possession and passing in games and parctise is providing an environment more conducive to the kids developing those skills and kids playing under such a coach will develop faster over time.

But a coach can teach kids soccer IQ - an understanding of the game - where and when to move with and without the ball, how to organize on defense, on offense, and in transition. Where to make runs. How to work together to attack different formations. When to press and how to press. When to look for long balls. How to break lines. How to move to create space for others etc. And this can make a huge difference to the way kids play and their results.[/quote]

I've seen in HS soccer and the majority of clubs that athleticism rules. It doesn't matter how well you know the game or strong your technical skills are. Many coaches will take big, strong and fast even though these players don't know where to run or how to kick the ball correctly. There are very little coaches out here that actually develop talent. Arlington has some, I have yet to see anyone equal to their coaching level. We still have long way to go.

PP - Fair enough point that many clubs and coaches don't do this. But OP's point was that none did. You are correct that Arlington is one example of a club that does, but there are others in this area too. Things are definitely improving and hopefully will continue to do so.

My kid has been with Arlington for over 5 years, and I have not seen a coach actually put effort into developing any individual's talent. In fact, my kid's experience has been the antithesis of that.

No soccer iq is like speed. It can be refined but not by much. You either have it or you don’t. It has something to do with the minds processing abilities. It like hitting a fast ball or a quarterback being able to read a defensive. They have done studies and the athletes with high iq see the field, read cues and make a decision quicker vs others. You can try to dumb it down and joy stick players but that will only for a while.

The thing is it just does not matter in travel and high school. There is just such a big difference of athleticism between players. Also been at Arlington and have seen no development other than conditioning.

[Anonymous]

Some kids I am convinced cannot be taught soccer IQ. I am convinced of that from coaching. Even the most basic concepts some still cannot manage at U14. I did not have most of these kids until U13 but even still they can’t grasp some of this stuff that I see others were able to get from U8-U11.

[Anonymous]

It’s not either / or. It’s a nuanced blend. Good coaches can harness talent be it athleticism or be it sports IQ. They can grow it and get more out of it. They can also teach average kids to play the game better. Passing. Communicating. Moving off the ball. Etc. To simply give up and think otherwise is silly.

For a kid to be truly elite do they need talent, drive, hard work, and natural sports IQ? Yes. Does it also help to have a good coach? Yes. But who cares as very few of our kids will ever be that anyhow. Find a coach that likes to teach the game, knows the game, hold kids accountable, and blend praise and criticism properly and stick with him/her.

[Anonymous]

Also. I’ve seen lots of talented teams squandered by crappy coaching.

[Anonymous]

Soccer iq can most definitely be cultivated and improved, just like pure intellectual talent. The environment (teammates, approach) can have a pretty significant impact. And yes, this can be perfected through hundreds and thousands of hours of play. People with superior memories and analytical skills simply recall and identify optimal solutions when they need to make split-second decisions. You see this when superior players are able to recall every detail from a 15- or 20-second stretch of play from a game months or even years earlier. Certainly you need a lot of other skills but mental horsepower, spatial thinking and creativity and anticipation are all certainly improvable with better coaching and teammates.