Travel Soccer teams around NOVA let's discuss

[Anonymous]

I have a different question about travel soccer. My 10 year old is playing in a pretty big club in the middle team. He is looking more and more "average" each year to me (although I don't know anything about soccer). I'm not thinking he may be recruited for college in any sport, but he does have some natural athletic ability, loves sports and has proven to be above average in every sport he has tried. I don't want him to get to HS and be squeezed out of this ultra competitive soccer environment he's in, and then find himself unable to play any sports because soccer is all he's ever played and it's just too late to get into another sport. But even at age 10, he plays so much soccer that it's hard to find the time to play anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a different question about travel soccer. My 10 year old is playing in a pretty big club in the middle team. He is looking more and more "average" each year to me (although I don't know anything about soccer). I'm not thinking he may be recruited for college in any sport, but he does have some natural athletic ability, loves sports and has proven to be above average in every sport he has tried. I don't want him to get to HS and be squeezed out of this ultra competitive soccer environment he's in, and then find himself unable to play any sports because soccer is all he's ever played and it's just too late to get into another sport. But even at age 10, he plays so much soccer that it's hard to find the time to play anything else.

Couple of things:

- Travel is already above average. Travel players are maybe 25 percent of the whole club, typically. A handful of House players are better than Travel players, but not that many. If you're on the "middle" team, you're considerably above average.

- You won't be totally squeezed out of soccer. No, there are no guarantees he'll make a high school varsity. But you can keep playing club soccer.

- The sports in which you're most likely to make a high school team are football and track/field. Experience isn't always necessary. If you're a good athlete, your chances at making varsity are pretty good.

- Play other sports! You don't want to deal with burnout, either physically or mentally. If your travel team is demanding that you devote yourself to indoor soccer and nothing else in the winter, the coach is doing something wrong. Feel free to tell him to do some reading -- NSCAA, U.S. Youth Soccer, Changing the Game Project, etc. Try basketball in the winter. Take up tennis in the summer. Anything else. I've talked with a lot of pro soccer players, and they all played other sports until high school and often beyond.

- Is he having fun? Yes? Then don't worry!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a different question about travel soccer. My 10 year old is playing in a pretty big club in the middle team. He is looking more and more "average" each year to me (although I don't know anything about soccer). I'm not thinking he may be recruited for college in any sport, but he does have some natural athletic ability, loves sports and has proven to be above average in every sport he has tried. I don't want him to get to HS and be squeezed out of this ultra competitive soccer environment he's in, and then find himself unable to play any sports because soccer is all he's ever played and it's just too late to get into another sport. But even at age 10, he plays so much soccer that it's hard to find the time to play anything else.

Couple of things:

- Travel is already above average. Travel players are maybe 25 percent of the whole club, typically. A handful of House players are better than Travel players, but not that many. If you're on the "middle" team, you're considerably above average.

- You won't be totally squeezed out of soccer. No, there are no guarantees he'll make a high school varsity. But you can keep playing club soccer.

- The sports in which you're most likely to make a high school team are football and track/field. Experience isn't always necessary. If you're a good athlete, your chances at making varsity are pretty good.

- Play other sports! You don't want to deal with burnout, either physically or mentally. If your travel team is demanding that you devote yourself to indoor soccer and nothing else in the winter, the coach is doing something wrong. Feel free to tell him to do some reading -- NSCAA, U.S. Youth Soccer, Changing the Game Project, etc. Try basketball in the winter. Take up tennis in the summer. Anything else. I've talked with a lot of pro soccer players, and they all played other sports until high school and often beyond.

- Is he having fun? Yes? Then don't worry!

[Anonymous]

Good advice from the PP, esp the part about trying/playing other sports. My girls both play travel soccer as their "first" sport and play basketball in the winter and summer - they aren't travel basketball material so they play CYO/rec and LOVE it. It's frankly a nice break for them from the high pressure environment of travel soccer. They're athletic and their soccer skills give them a leg up in basketball (vision, awareness, speed, confidence in playing physically, etc.). Many kids don't start basketball until 5th or 6th grade - if your son is 10, it's definitely not too late. My girls will never make the varsity HS hoops team but they have a blast doing it and play on decent rec teams with like-skilled players (CYO is organized into divisions by 6th grade, so better teams play other better teams - not sure how other rec type leagues work).

My good friend coached HS field hockey and lax - many of her freshman players were soccer players -i.e., kids that either got burned out in club soccer or just wanted to try something new. She said they were her best recruits and transitioned beautifully into their new sport. Of course there are lacrosse (or baseball, football, etc) players who have been playing since infancy, but there will also be guys who haven't played before. I also think sports like cross country and swimming are open to kids of all abilities at the high school level, or at least they used to be!

For me, the priority is that my kids are active and enjoy the fun/benefits of being part of a team. I also want them to have the confidence to try something new and get better at it.

Please don't buy into the hype that if your kid isn't the next Lio Messi at age 10, he's doomed. If he enjoys a sport, let him play at whatever level suits his abilities and interest.

[Anonymous]

I'm amazed at all the great advice on this board. DCUM isn't really known for that, is it?

Anyway, I'm inspired to add a couple of points, FWIW.

If the PP's son does well with the aerobic endurance aspect of soccer ("that kid can run all day"), then he might be able to transition successfully to the less glamorous, but potentially still rewarding, high-school sports of cross-country or crew when he's older.

It's certainly not too late to try lacrosse, rugby, and flag football, which require soccer-like invasion tactics and decision-making as well as acceleration-decceleration, lateral movement, agility, coordination, and many other athletic skills that soccer trains. Starting basketball at age 10 would be tougher (in terms of getting good enough to make a high-school team one day), but it's the world's greatest and most fun sport, hands down, anyone who says otherwise is nuts, so, sure, that's a great option, too.

A final note: if the PP's son is beginning to look less accomplished out there, he probably needs to become more athletic in general, rather than more technically skilled in soccer. The best to improve the athleticism of a ten-year-old is not to sign him up for speed and agility training but to play complementary sports (again, e.g., lacrosse) with friends.

Okay, time for another doughnut.

[Anonymous]

You can't cast a player off based on where he is at 10. I have had players that were on the third travel teams at 9/10 and ended up on an academy team, another that made region 1 odp camp. Many more have gone on to get promoted into the top team in the club or the top team in other large clubs. Sometimes it takes a bit for a lightbulb to go off for a player, sometimes it's a physical change, other times it is a shift of focus/attitude. A few weeks can make a massive difference, months and years even more so.

He should also be doing other sports - especially basketball. I see no reason to play American football prior to HS, as there is little to be gained that he can't pick up quickly as an athlete. Soccer and basketball really are best at the youngest ages - soccer requires a coordination, balance, and movement with the feet that no other sport does, basketball uses the same small team dynamic as other team sports (soccer/lax/field hockey) but you can use your hands, so it's much easier to have success at a young age (hands are easier to use than feet).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a different question about travel soccer. My 10 year old is playing in a pretty big club in the middle team. He is looking more and more "average" each year to me (although I don't know anything about soccer). I'm not thinking he may be recruited for college in any sport, but he does have some natural athletic ability, loves sports and has proven to be above average in every sport he has tried. I don't want him to get to HS and be squeezed out of this ultra competitive soccer environment he's in, and then find himself unable to play any sports because soccer is all he's ever played and it's just too late to get into another sport. But even at age 10, he plays so much soccer that it's hard to find the time to play anything else.

Good question. My son was in a big club on a middle team and has no "future" beyond a fun and fitness. You might want to investigate some of the smaller clubs around. I know not everyone will agree with me, but a small club team with a good coach can be a great experience. The whole focus will be on your boy and his team mates, at whatever level they are playing. They will be the whole show. They will get better together and enjoy themselves. You won't feel like you are paying all that money for some other team to take all the best resources. It will probably be somewhat cheaper. Your kid won't get to wear the high prestige jacket at school, but who cares? I can't say if this is right for you, but don't rule it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed at all the great advice on this board. DCUM isn't really known for that, is it?

Anyway, I'm inspired to add a couple of points, FWIW.

If the PP's son does well with the aerobic endurance aspect of soccer ("that kid can run all day"), then he might be able to transition successfully to the less glamorous, but potentially still rewarding, high-school sports of cross-country or crew when he's older.

It's certainly not too late to try lacrosse, rugby, and flag football, which require soccer-like invasion tactics and decision-making as well as acceleration-decceleration, lateral movement, agility, coordination, and many other athletic skills that soccer trains. Starting basketball at age 10 would be tougher (in terms of getting good enough to make a high-school team one day), but it's the world's greatest and most fun sport, hands down, anyone who says otherwise is nuts, so, sure, that's a great option, too.

A final note: if the PP's son is beginning to look less accomplished out there, he probably needs to become more athletic in general, rather than more technically skilled in soccer. The best to improve the athleticism of a ten-year-old is not to sign him up for speed and agility training but to play complementary sports (again, e.g., lacrosse) with friends.

Okay, time for another doughnut.

This is very interesting. It seems like my son's personality may not be aggressive enough for soccer, although his foot skills are very good. Before we give up soccer because it doesn't suit his personality (because he loves the sport), would the best way to develop more aggressiveness be to have him participate in a sport like lacrosse or basketball?

[Anonymous]

DS is a starter on a top local club team where virtually all the players are being recruited to a variety of college teams - everything from ACC teams on down. At 10 years old he was on the B team in our club, but worked his tail off and now is an essential player on a nationally ranked (non-Academy, by choice) team. Taking a snapshot of a player at 10 years old is not necessarily a great predictor of where they will be in 4 or 5 years when they want to play high school soccer. If he truly loves it (asks to play more, trains by himself when no one's around, watches it on TV) don't give up. Give him the opportunity to play and train and learn. I agree, though, that at that age it's appropriate and healthy to play other sports. At some point most kids focus on one sport, but usually not when they are 10 or 11. PS: There are very good high school players but on every team probably half the players are pretty bad but they are big or fast. The quality of high school soccer is famously mixed but the players do love it.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure playing basketball or lacrosse will make a soccer player more aggressive in soccer, although it's an interesting idea. When I see a soccer player who isn't chasing the ball and forcing the issue (not being "aggressive" enough), I wonder if he's communicating his discomfort with the situations presented by team sports. It's easier for many kids to be focused and proactive and to demonstrate hustle when they are playing an individual sport and can't depend on anyone else. A lack of aggressiveness may reflect what the player does in practice. Slow-moving technical drills don't prepare players to put it all on the line in a game. if the defender isn't present in the drill, the presence of the defender during the game may make the player feel awkward and just not right. Last, a lack of aggressiveness may be a lack of fitness, a lack of agility, or a lack of confidence. But whatever the reason, this is the classic issue that most soccer parents run into at one time or another. The shouts of "Be aggressive!" and "Get in there!" are pretty constant at youth soccer games. But let's not view a lack of aggressiveness as some kind of character flaw, just as something that may be explained by looking at obvious causes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure playing basketball or lacrosse will make a soccer player more aggressive in soccer, although it's an interesting idea. When I see a soccer player who isn't chasing the ball and forcing the issue (not being "aggressive" enough), I wonder if he's communicating his discomfort with the situations presented by team sports. It's easier for many kids to be focused and proactive and to demonstrate hustle when they are playing an individual sport and can't depend on anyone else. A lack of aggressiveness may reflect what the player does in practice. Slow-moving technical drills don't prepare players to put it all on the line in a game. if the defender isn't present in the drill, the presence of the defender during the game may make the player feel awkward and just not right. Last, a lack of aggressiveness may be a lack of fitness, a lack of agility, or a lack of confidence. But whatever the reason, this is the classic issue that most soccer parents run into at one time or another. The shouts of "Be aggressive!" and "Get in there!" are pretty constant at youth soccer games. But let's not view a lack of aggressiveness as some kind of character flaw, just as something that may be explained by looking at obvious causes.

And I'm not suggesting that anyone on this board is doing that, but I have heard parents berate their kids for "not being aggressive," as if it's the end of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed at all the great advice on this board. DCUM isn't really known for that, is it?

Anyway, I'm inspired to add a couple of points, FWIW.

If the PP's son does well with the aerobic endurance aspect of soccer ("that kid can run all day"), then he might be able to transition successfully to the less glamorous, but potentially still rewarding, high-school sports of cross-country or crew when he's older.

It's certainly not too late to try lacrosse, rugby, and flag football, which require soccer-like invasion tactics and decision-making as well as acceleration-decceleration, lateral movement, agility, coordination, and many other athletic skills that soccer trains. Starting basketball at age 10 would be tougher (in terms of getting good enough to make a high-school team one day), but it's the world's greatest and most fun sport, hands down, anyone who says otherwise is nuts, so, sure, that's a great option, too.

A final note: if the PP's son is beginning to look less accomplished out there, he probably needs to become more athletic in general, rather than more technically skilled in soccer. The best to improve the athleticism of a ten-year-old is not to sign him up for speed and agility training but to play complementary sports (again, e.g., lacrosse) with friends.

Okay, time for another doughnut.

Yes! My 3 nephews all transitioned from travel soccer (one was a top player in the area) to cross-country and track. The soccer politics in the later years gets draining. IMO--this is why so many of the best players leave the sport.

Anyways, all three got track scholarships. They were top in the State. They weren't running with the intention of $ for college--but turns out they were good at. The track/cross-country kids were a great bunch.

I like how nobody can argue with a 'timer/stopwatch'. You win the race--you win. You have the fastest time in the state--you are the fastest in the state. Unlike travel soccer--you could be an absolute stand-out star and get f*cked over completely. Happens all of the time. There is a great deal of Nepotism in some clubs. Some clubs pick their top teams at U-9 level and NOBODY ever moves down from their perch over the next 5 years. It's ludicrous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a different question about travel soccer. My 10 year old is playing in a pretty big club in the middle team. He is looking more and more "average" each year to me (although I don't know anything about soccer). I'm not thinking he may be recruited for college in any sport, but he does have some natural athletic ability, loves sports and has proven to be above average in every sport he has tried. I don't want him to get to HS and be squeezed out of this ultra competitive soccer environment he's in, and then find himself unable to play any sports because soccer is all he's ever played and it's just too late to get into another sport. But even at age 10, he plays so much soccer that it's hard to find the time to play anything else.

Good question. My son was in a big club on a middle team and has no "future" beyond a fun and fitness. You might want to investigate some of the smaller clubs around. I know not everyone will agree with me, but a small club team with a good coach can be a great experience. The whole focus will be on your boy and his team mates, at whatever level they are playing. They will be the whole show. They will get better together and enjoy themselves. You won't feel like you are paying all that money for some other team to take all the best resources. It will probably be somewhat cheaper. Your kid won't get to wear the high prestige jacket at school, but who cares? I can't say if this is right for you, but don't rule it out.

In my experience--some of the best players in U-9 are on the lowest teams in the big clubs. Big clubs often listen to parents with big mouths and place kids at that level because they have older siblings in the club.

The problem comes that many of these big clubs will not move down. They will only move up as the teams get bigger age-wise. This means a kid that never should have been there in the first place remains there like a government worker until he decides to retire on his own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This is very interesting. It seems like my son's personality may not be aggressive enough for soccer, although his foot skills are very good. Before we give up soccer because it doesn't suit his personality (because he loves the sport), would the best way to develop more aggressiveness be to have him participate in a sport like lacrosse or basketball?

Basketball has improved my daughter's aggressiveness in soccer. There's something about going for rebounds that doesn't feel as wrong as stealing the ball to her, and it is good practice for her. Going for rebounds really helped her get the idea down that she was supposed to go for the ball, and she could translate that into trying to steal the ball in both basketball and soccer.

[Anonymous]

Basketball and soccer are contact sports. If your son is excelling at the drills and not enjoying the games as much, perhaps he'd be better off with a sport with less touching? The physicality of soccer really ratchets up in adolescence. Some kids love it, some don't.

The phrase "be aggressive" isn't exactly the right one since I associate that with yellow carding. Perhaps "engage"?