speed or technical ability? Age 11.

[Anonymous]

This is a silly question without more details about Kid A and Kid B.

Am I looking at a fast 11 year old who has never played soccer before or one with OK skills that have not been fully developed because he relies on speed to get around people? The window for technical skill development is closing fast at that age, but it’s not closed yet, and if this kid has speed and other athletic fundamentals like great balance, a good coach can probably catch him up on his technical skills in a couple years. If the kid has never played soccer, I’m very unlikely to want to invest the time unless the kid seems unusually dedicated to getting better.

And this slow but highly technical kid. Is he athletic in other ways? Because no one is going to excel in soccer who is slow and unathletic no matter how dazzling their skills. Speed can improve (or decrease, unfortunately) after puberty, but not typically by a lot. It’s fine to say that all the best players in the world have dazzling technical abilities, but every single one of them is an outstanding athlete. You don’t need to have NFL-combine star level speed and balance, but you absolutely need a baseline level of speed and athleticism.

But most likely a coach will not be confronted with someone whose only attribute is speed or technical ability. A good one will also be able to tell if a kid sees the field, which a lot of skilled kids don’t, contrary to popular opinion—plenty of kids dribbling around people with their heads down and no clue where their teammates are. And kids’ attitudes and attention spans make a big difference too, as do the parents you may be saddled with for a year. So the short answer is: It depends on a whole lot of factors besides those mentioned by OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can’t learn speed, so….

Our kid got a lot faster in one summer we he started doing a strength and conditioning program 2x per week plus a sprint workout on the track 2x per week. Went from slightly below average speed on the team to top 5.

Where did your kid go for this kind of training?

He did track workouts with DH who is a distance runner. They only trained sprints on the track. He did strength and conditioning with friends at a CrossFit-style gym with a class for teen athletes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a silly question without more details about Kid A and Kid B.

Am I looking at a fast 11 year old who has never played soccer before or one with OK skills that have not been fully developed because he relies on speed to get around people? The window for technical skill development is closing fast at that age, but it’s not closed yet, and if this kid has speed and other athletic fundamentals like great balance, a good coach can probably catch him up on his technical skills in a couple years. If the kid has never played soccer, I’m very unlikely to want to invest the time unless the kid seems unusually dedicated to getting better.

And this slow but highly technical kid. Is he athletic in other ways? Because no one is going to excel in soccer who is slow and unathletic no matter how dazzling their skills. Speed can improve (or decrease, unfortunately) after puberty, but not typically by a lot. It’s fine to say that all the best players in the world have dazzling technical abilities, but every single one of them is an outstanding athlete. You don’t need to have NFL-combine star level speed and balance, but you absolutely need a baseline level of speed and athleticism.

But most likely a coach will not be confronted with someone whose only attribute is speed or technical ability. A good one will also be able to tell if a kid sees the field, which a lot of skilled kids don’t, contrary to popular opinion—plenty of kids dribbling around people with their heads down and no clue where their teammates are. And kids’ attitudes and attention spans make a big difference too, as do the parents you may be saddled with for a year. So the short answer is: It depends on a whole lot of factors besides those mentioned by OP.

TLDR

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big/fast players play in MLS/NWSL. Technical athletic players play in European leagues.

Even past his prime now, Messi still dominates in MLS due to his incredible technical skills.

love how folks go to messi. Hes got strength and speed to go with insane skill..

Which one did he develop first?

Not sure if this is meant to be a rhetorical question, but wouldn’t it be skill? He famously had a childhood growth disorder and when you’re THAT young, like 9 and under, size does correlate more strongly with strength and speed.

The problem with US soccer is that they never really get out of this mindset.

Maybe the problem with US soccer is that, even if they wanted to, they can’t get out of this mindset because most US coaches don’t have and can’t teach technical skills.

no issue is the top performing males play other sports. Soccer gets the leftovers.. and the size and speed will always best technical that are slow and small. Lets be honest they are playing soccer in US because they cant compete in the other sports.

Winner of most uninformed and dunce comment of the week

nope truth. Womens soccer in US has no problem winning at national level.. why ….its a primary sport…. I know its upsetting that your kid lacks the physical attributes needed. But awesome they can scissor the heck on a ball.. all coaches are going to see is them lose the ball after 10 yards.

The USWNT was dominant because the rest of the world didn’t invest in women’s soccer. Now that they do they are so far incrementally on the decline.

yea sure lol.. its a primary sport.. womens soccer is getting girls with the highest ceilings and best attributes. Boys are not in USA. Love the dilution. Its tough to accept that our soccer is not drawing the best.. and if they did your kid likely wouldnt be playing on a top team. In the end the bigger faster kids are what coaches want. Because thats better then the alternative. They dont want the smaller kids who cant get to the ball in space or get bumped off ball in a few yards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big/fast players play in MLS/NWSL. Technical athletic players play in European leagues.

Even past his prime now, Messi still dominates in MLS due to his incredible technical skills.

love how folks go to messi. Hes got strength and speed to go with insane skill..

Which one did he develop first?

Not sure if this is meant to be a rhetorical question, but wouldn’t it be skill? He famously had a childhood growth disorder and when you’re THAT young, like 9 and under, size does correlate more strongly with strength and speed.

The problem with US soccer is that they never really get out of this mindset.

Maybe the problem with US soccer is that, even if they wanted to, they can’t get out of this mindset because most US coaches don’t have and can’t teach technical skills.

no issue is the top performing males play other sports. Soccer gets the leftovers.. and the size and speed will always best technical that are slow and small. Lets be honest they are playing soccer in US because they cant compete in the other sports.

Winner of most uninformed and dunce comment of the week

nope truth. Womens soccer in US has no problem winning at national level.. why ….its a primary sport…. I know its upsetting that your kid lacks the physical attributes needed. But awesome they can scissor the heck on a ball.. all coaches are going to see is them lose the ball after 10 yards.

The USWNT was dominant because the rest of the world didn’t invest in women’s soccer. Now that they do they are so far incrementally on the decline.

yea sure lol.. its a primary sport.. womens soccer is getting girls with the highest ceilings and best attributes. Boys are not in USA. Love the dilution. Its tough to accept that our soccer is not drawing the best.. and if they did your kid likely wouldnt be playing on a top team. In the end the bigger faster kids are what coaches want. Because thats better then the alternative. They dont want the smaller kids who cant get to the ball in space or get bumped off ball in a few yards.

With your genius theory than Usan Bolt would make a better soccer player than Messi. You’re an idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a silly question without more details about Kid A and Kid B.

Am I looking at a fast 11 year old who has never played soccer before or one with OK skills that have not been fully developed because he relies on speed to get around people? The window for technical skill development is closing fast at that age, but it’s not closed yet, and if this kid has speed and other athletic fundamentals like great balance, a good coach can probably catch him up on his technical skills in a couple years. If the kid has never played soccer, I’m very unlikely to want to invest the time unless the kid seems unusually dedicated to getting better.

And this slow but highly technical kid. Is he athletic in other ways? Because no one is going to excel in soccer who is slow and unathletic no matter how dazzling their skills. Speed can improve (or decrease, unfortunately) after puberty, but not typically by a lot. It’s fine to say that all the best players in the world have dazzling technical abilities, but every single one of them is an outstanding athlete. You don’t need to have NFL-combine star level speed and balance, but you absolutely need a baseline level of speed and athleticism.

But most likely a coach will not be confronted with someone whose only attribute is speed or technical ability. A good one will also be able to tell if a kid sees the field, which a lot of skilled kids don’t, contrary to popular opinion—plenty of kids dribbling around people with their heads down and no clue where their teammates are. And kids’ attitudes and attention spans make a big difference too, as do the parents you may be saddled with for a year. So the short answer is: It depends on a whole lot of factors besides those mentioned by OP.

Thats a myth in regards to technical development in later years. The problem is the coaches expect it past 13. So they stop working on it. I know many kids who switched to club 15 years old. And couldn't do much. But developed and played in college. Coaches that tell you this are just lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big/fast players play in MLS/NWSL. Technical athletic players play in European leagues.

Even past his prime now, Messi still dominates in MLS due to his incredible technical skills.

love how folks go to messi. Hes got strength and speed to go with insane skill..

Which one did he develop first?

Not sure if this is meant to be a rhetorical question, but wouldn’t it be skill? He famously had a childhood growth disorder and when you’re THAT young, like 9 and under, size does correlate more strongly with strength and speed.

The problem with US soccer is that they never really get out of this mindset.

Maybe the problem with US soccer is that, even if they wanted to, they can’t get out of this mindset because most US coaches don’t have and can’t teach technical skills.

no issue is the top performing males play other sports. Soccer gets the leftovers.. and the size and speed will always best technical that are slow and small. Lets be honest they are playing soccer in US because they cant compete in the other sports.

Winner of most uninformed and dunce comment of the week

nope truth. Womens soccer in US has no problem winning at national level.. why ….its a primary sport…. I know its upsetting that your kid lacks the physical attributes needed. But awesome they can scissor the heck on a ball.. all coaches are going to see is them lose the ball after 10 yards.

The USWNT was dominant because the rest of the world didn’t invest in women’s soccer. Now that they do they are so far incrementally on the decline.

yea sure lol.. its a primary sport.. womens soccer is getting girls with the highest ceilings and best attributes. Boys are not in USA. Love the dilution. Its tough to accept that our soccer is not drawing the best.. and if they did your kid likely wouldnt be playing on a top team. In the end the bigger faster kids are what coaches want. Because thats better then the alternative. They dont want the smaller kids who cant get to the ball in space or get bumped off ball in a few yards.

With your genius theory than Usan Bolt would make a better soccer player than Messi. You’re an idiot.

. Usan Bolt would no doubt do well.. ur a moron for not thinking that. And a moron for picking one of the best to play the game for a comparison

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big/fast players play in MLS/NWSL. Technical athletic players play in European leagues.

Even past his prime now, Messi still dominates in MLS due to his incredible technical skills.

love how folks go to messi. Hes got strength and speed to go with insane skill..

Which one did he develop first?

Not sure if this is meant to be a rhetorical question, but wouldn’t it be skill? He famously had a childhood growth disorder and when you’re THAT young, like 9 and under, size does correlate more strongly with strength and speed.

The problem with US soccer is that they never really get out of this mindset.

Maybe the problem with US soccer is that, even if they wanted to, they can’t get out of this mindset because most US coaches don’t have and can’t teach technical skills.

no issue is the top performing males play other sports. Soccer gets the leftovers.. and the size and speed will always best technical that are slow and small. Lets be honest they are playing soccer in US because they cant compete in the other sports.

Winner of most uninformed and dunce comment of the week

nope truth. Womens soccer in US has no problem winning at national level.. why ….its a primary sport…. I know its upsetting that your kid lacks the physical attributes needed. But awesome they can scissor the heck on a ball.. all coaches are going to see is them lose the ball after 10 yards.

The USWNT was dominant because the rest of the world didn’t invest in women’s soccer. Now that they do they are so far incrementally on the decline.

yea sure lol.. its a primary sport.. womens soccer is getting girls with the highest ceilings and best attributes. Boys are not in USA. Love the dilution. Its tough to accept that our soccer is not drawing the best.. and if they did your kid likely wouldnt be playing on a top team. In the end the bigger faster kids are what coaches want. Because thats better then the alternative. They dont want the smaller kids who cant get to the ball in space or get bumped off ball in a few yards.

Look up the scores, cowboy. Easy google search

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big/fast players play in MLS/NWSL. Technical athletic players play in European leagues.

Even past his prime now, Messi still dominates in MLS due to his incredible technical skills.

love how folks go to messi. Hes got strength and speed to go with insane skill..

Which one did he develop first?

Not sure if this is meant to be a rhetorical question, but wouldn’t it be skill? He famously had a childhood growth disorder and when you’re THAT young, like 9 and under, size does correlate more strongly with strength and speed.

The problem with US soccer is that they never really get out of this mindset.

Maybe the problem with US soccer is that, even if they wanted to, they can’t get out of this mindset because most US coaches don’t have and can’t teach technical skills.

no issue is the top performing males play other sports. Soccer gets the leftovers.. and the size and speed will always best technical that are slow and small. Lets be honest they are playing soccer in US because they cant compete in the other sports.

Winner of most uninformed and dunce comment of the week

nope truth. Womens soccer in US has no problem winning at national level.. why ….its a primary sport…. I know its upsetting that your kid lacks the physical attributes needed. But awesome they can scissor the heck on a ball.. all coaches are going to see is them lose the ball after 10 yards.

The USWNT was dominant because the rest of the world didn’t invest in women’s soccer. Now that they do they are so far incrementally on the decline.

yea sure lol.. its a primary sport.. womens soccer is getting girls with the highest ceilings and best attributes. Boys are not in USA. Love the dilution. Its tough to accept that our soccer is not drawing the best.. and if they did your kid likely wouldnt be playing on a top team. In the end the bigger faster kids are what coaches want. Because thats better then the alternative. They dont want the smaller kids who cant get to the ball in space or get bumped off ball in a few yards.

With your genius theory than Usan Bolt would make a better soccer player than Messi. You’re an idiot.

. Usan Bolt would no doubt do well.. ur a moron for not thinking that. And a moron for picking one of the best to play the game for a comparison

No you’re a moron and you have an ugly face to go along with your stupid moron head!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big/fast players play in MLS/NWSL. Technical athletic players play in European leagues.

Even past his prime now, Messi still dominates in MLS due to his incredible technical skills.

love how folks go to messi. Hes got strength and speed to go with insane skill..

Which one did he develop first?

Not sure if this is meant to be a rhetorical question, but wouldn’t it be skill? He famously had a childhood growth disorder and when you’re THAT young, like 9 and under, size does correlate more strongly with strength and speed.

The problem with US soccer is that they never really get out of this mindset.

Maybe the problem with US soccer is that, even if they wanted to, they can’t get out of this mindset because most US coaches don’t have and can’t teach technical skills.

no issue is the top performing males play other sports. Soccer gets the leftovers.. and the size and speed will always best technical that are slow and small. Lets be honest they are playing soccer in US because they cant compete in the other sports.

Winner of most uninformed and dunce comment of the week

nope truth. Womens soccer in US has no problem winning at national level.. why ….its a primary sport…. I know its upsetting that your kid lacks the physical attributes needed. But awesome they can scissor the heck on a ball.. all coaches are going to see is them lose the ball after 10 yards.

The USWNT was dominant because the rest of the world didn’t invest in women’s soccer. Now that they do they are so far incrementally on the decline.

yea sure lol.. its a primary sport.. womens soccer is getting girls with the highest ceilings and best attributes. Boys are not in USA. Love the dilution. Its tough to accept that our soccer is not drawing the best.. and if they did your kid likely wouldnt be playing on a top team. In the end the bigger faster kids are what coaches want. Because thats better then the alternative. They dont want the smaller kids who cant get to the ball in space or get bumped off ball in a few yards.

With your genius theory than Usan Bolt would make a better soccer player than Messi. You’re an idiot.

. Usan Bolt would no doubt do well.. ur a moron for not thinking that. And a moron for picking one of the best to play the game for a comparison

No you’re a moron and you have an ugly face to go along with your stupid moron head!

nice… but none the less you are a moron. And picked one of the stupidest comparisons you could have. Just keep complaining when little Johnny looks good because he aint playing against the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big/fast players play in MLS/NWSL. Technical athletic players play in European leagues.

Even past his prime now, Messi still dominates in MLS due to his incredible technical skills.

love how folks go to messi. Hes got strength and speed to go with insane skill..

Which one did he develop first?

Not sure if this is meant to be a rhetorical question, but wouldn’t it be skill? He famously had a childhood growth disorder and when you’re THAT young, like 9 and under, size does correlate more strongly with strength and speed.

The problem with US soccer is that they never really get out of this mindset.

Maybe the problem with US soccer is that, even if they wanted to, they can’t get out of this mindset because most US coaches don’t have and can’t teach technical skills.

no issue is the top performing males play other sports. Soccer gets the leftovers.. and the size and speed will always best technical that are slow and small. Lets be honest they are playing soccer in US because they cant compete in the other sports.

Winner of most uninformed and dunce comment of the week

nope truth. Womens soccer in US has no problem winning at national level.. why ….its a primary sport…. I know its upsetting that your kid lacks the physical attributes needed. But awesome they can scissor the heck on a ball.. all coaches are going to see is them lose the ball after 10 yards.

The USWNT was dominant because the rest of the world didn’t invest in women’s soccer. Now that they do they are so far incrementally on the decline.

yea sure lol.. its a primary sport.. womens soccer is getting girls with the highest ceilings and best attributes. Boys are not in USA. Love the dilution. Its tough to accept that our soccer is not drawing the best.. and if they did your kid likely wouldnt be playing on a top team. In the end the bigger faster kids are what coaches want. Because thats better then the alternative. They dont want the smaller kids who cant get to the ball in space or get bumped off ball in a few yards.

Look up the scores, cowboy. Easy google search

shakes head as the little cowgirl missed the point. Womens soccer is a primary sport and now draws some money. Hence all countries should get better. But US women still top. And its performance lately is more of a factor that this team focused less on soccer and on activism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big/fast players play in MLS/NWSL. Technical athletic players play in European leagues.

Even past his prime now, Messi still dominates in MLS due to his incredible technical skills.

love how folks go to messi. Hes got strength and speed to go with insane skill..

Which one did he develop first?

Not sure if this is meant to be a rhetorical question, but wouldn’t it be skill? He famously had a childhood growth disorder and when you’re THAT young, like 9 and under, size does correlate more strongly with strength and speed.

The problem with US soccer is that they never really get out of this mindset.

Maybe the problem with US soccer is that, even if they wanted to, they can’t get out of this mindset because most US coaches don’t have and can’t teach technical skills.

no issue is the top performing males play other sports. Soccer gets the leftovers.. and the size and speed will always best technical that are slow and small. Lets be honest they are playing soccer in US because they cant compete in the other sports.

Winner of most uninformed and dunce comment of the week

nope truth. Womens soccer in US has no problem winning at national level.. why ….its a primary sport…. I know its upsetting that your kid lacks the physical attributes needed. But awesome they can scissor the heck on a ball.. all coaches are going to see is them lose the ball after 10 yards.

The USWNT was dominant because the rest of the world didn’t invest in women’s soccer. Now that they do they are so far incrementally on the decline.

yea sure lol.. its a primary sport.. womens soccer is getting girls with the highest ceilings and best attributes. Boys are not in USA. Love the dilution. Its tough to accept that our soccer is not drawing the best.. and if they did your kid likely wouldnt be playing on a top team. In the end the bigger faster kids are what coaches want. Because thats better then the alternative. They dont want the smaller kids who cant get to the ball in space or get bumped off ball in a few yards.

With your genius theory than Usan Bolt would make a better soccer player than Messi. You’re an idiot.

. Usan Bolt would no doubt do well.. ur a moron for not thinking that. And a moron for picking one of the best to play the game for a comparison

No you’re a moron and you have an ugly face to go along with your stupid moron head!

nice… but none the less you are a moron. And picked one of the stupidest comparisons you could have. Just keep complaining when little Johnny looks good because he aint playing against the best.

You also have stupid boogers coming out of your ugly stupid face. Only a moron like you would have such stupid boogers to go along with such a stupid face.

[Anonymous]

Both would be nice, obviously, but I am taking technical ability as long as the kid isn't donkey slow.

DD plays 12U (on a "top team" for all of y'all who like to bray about your kids). Girl on her team is fast but technically terrible. She has the first and second touch of an 8U kid. Seriously, it's awful. She is at times, virtually useless. Girls less rapid than her are more effective because when they receive the ball they can actually control it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a silly question without more details about Kid A and Kid B.

Am I looking at a fast 11 year old who has never played soccer before or one with OK skills that have not been fully developed because he relies on speed to get around people? The window for technical skill development is closing fast at that age, but it’s not closed yet, and if this kid has speed and other athletic fundamentals like great balance, a good coach can probably catch him up on his technical skills in a couple years. If the kid has never played soccer, I’m very unlikely to want to invest the time unless the kid seems unusually dedicated to getting better.

And this slow but highly technical kid. Is he athletic in other ways? Because no one is going to excel in soccer who is slow and unathletic no matter how dazzling their skills. Speed can improve (or decrease, unfortunately) after puberty, but not typically by a lot. It’s fine to say that all the best players in the world have dazzling technical abilities, but every single one of them is an outstanding athlete. You don’t need to have NFL-combine star level speed and balance, but you absolutely need a baseline level of speed and athleticism.

But most likely a coach will not be confronted with someone whose only attribute is speed or technical ability. A good one will also be able to tell if a kid sees the field, which a lot of skilled kids don’t, contrary to popular opinion—plenty of kids dribbling around people with their heads down and no clue where their teammates are. And kids’ attitudes and attention spans make a big difference too, as do the parents you may be saddled with for a year. So the short answer is: It depends on a whole lot of factors besides those mentioned by OP.

Thats a myth in regards to technical development in later years. The problem is the coaches expect it past 13. So they stop working on it. I know many kids who switched to club 15 years old. And couldn't do much. But developed and played in college. Coaches that tell you this are just lazy.

It is certainly true that great athletes with average skills can get playing time in some college programs.

[Anonymous]

DD just lost her spot on the top team at U11 because the coach decided to choose another girl to join the team due to speed, after tryouts 3 the original teammates were ousted for speed barriers.