Soccer Coach in Northern VA - Ask me anything

[Anonymous]

Do European or south American U-little kids play sharks & minnows?

It just seems so ineffective to me, though no drill/game is, at this age.

[Anonymous]

CCL or EDP for u12?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CCL or EDP for u12?

it depends on the coach and team and what you are willing to do with travel. CCL has a more travel than CCL2 which is more local. I think EDP might fall somewhere in the middle of both. If you're in NOVA you are probably considering Bethesda South or Alexandria which I hear are very good teams. I guess you might consider Joga as well but that is not yet proven on the quality of teams that they'll put out. It depends on where you end up with CCL.

[Anonymous]

what do you do when you believe a 5-yo girl on your team is truly gifted? what if any advice would you give to her parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what do you do when you believe a 5-yo girl on your team is truly gifted? what if any advice would you give to her parents?

PLay with the boys. Seriously.

Almost every truly gifted girl I know played for a boys team through teen years.

[Anonymous]

What do you do when you see signs of potential emotional abuse by parents?

i.e. kid gets kicked in the shin at practice and starts crying and dad comes over screaming at him to toughen up and stop whining...like repeatedly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you do when you see signs of potential emotional abuse by parents?

i.e. kid gets kicked in the shin at practice and starts crying and dad comes over screaming at him to toughen up and stop whining...like repeatedly

I see a kid that doesn't want to play and maybe fakes a lot and a dad living vicariously through his kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you do when you see signs of potential emotional abuse by parents?

i.e. kid gets kicked in the shin at practice and starts crying and dad comes over screaming at him to toughen up and stop whining...like repeatedly

I see a kid that doesn't want to play and maybe fakes a lot and a dad living vicariously through his kid.

Getting kicked in the shin (esp with shinguards on) doesn't hurt enough to cry. I think the kid probably hates soccer and is looking for a way out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what do you do when you believe a 5-yo girl on your team is truly gifted? what if any advice would you give to her parents?

PLay with the boys. Seriously.

Almost every truly gifted girl I know played for a boys team through teen years.

ok makes sense but i do want to keep her on my (girls) team for a little longer...

[Anonymous]

Coach - is there any reason a Kindergarten team's coach is keeping the scores and posting them on the club's website? I thought it's pretty standard practice everywhere that no scores are kept for K/1st/2nd graders, but perhaps there's a reason to?

[Anonymous]

Hi coach: My kid absolutely loves soccer, and is good at it but not great. Kid is 8 and wants to do better. They are at silver level for Arlington travel. Where would they learn the most? Doing travel, developmental, or just rec? I have heard the only travel teams worth being on are red/white so the silver/gold isn't worth the money. On the other hand, I have heard kids on travel can improve greatly and move up. Similarly, I have also heard ADP is a good middle ground between rec and travel, but have also heard ADP is a waste of money and if a kid isn't on travel they wont improve their game on ADP. So confused!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi coach: My kid absolutely loves soccer, and is good at it but not great. Kid is 8 and wants to do better. They are at silver level for Arlington travel. Where would they learn the most? Doing travel, developmental, or just rec? I have heard the only travel teams worth being on are red/white so the silver/gold isn't worth the money. On the other hand, I have heard kids on travel can improve greatly and move up. Similarly, I have also heard ADP is a good middle ground between rec and travel, but have also heard ADP is a waste of money and if a kid isn't on travel they wont improve their game on ADP. So confused!

Not a coach, but have kids who played both ADP and Travel. ADP is generally balanced out by the coaches, so there are usually not any blowouts - just strong competition. If one team gets too good, they will shift around players on teams the next semester. Some kids who could easily qualify for travel have parents who don't have time for travel - so there can be some real talent out there. ADP is not a waste of time, and is more fun than Rec, and many players have vastly improved while doing ADP and moved up to high Arlington teams.

Some lower Arlington travel teams can get kicked around pretty good by some of the ODSL teams who are playing their top players, against Arlington's 5th team - but they do end up with divisions that are balanced out after some game stats are established. But you have real coaches for practices - and some kids have flourished. If your child is on Silver, then they are scrimmaging with kids on Gold - so not really playing against better players to help you improve your game.

Personally, I would do ADP for a year, and if your child flourished, have them tryout for travel again next year. Several ADP teams would be competitive with and/or beat a Gold or Silver Travel team.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your perspective- helps a lot

[Anonymous]

do kids need to be taught to not kick the ball with their toes, if so at what age? or is this something they'll figure out naturally as they grow?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:do kids need to be taught to not kick the ball with their toes, if so at what age? or is this something they'll figure out naturally as they grow?

Yes, and do it now, no matter what age the kid is in.
It's a terrible habit, and it becomes harder to break as they get older.