How important is juggling?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I recognize that the more a player can juggle the better but can someone provide a minimum number of juggles a player should be able to do by age groups (i.e. U11, U12, etc.)?

My DD is 10 years old (U11), so I want to help her set realistic goals. Thank you.

There isn't a number. Either you can juggle or you cannot. If you can routinely hit 30-50 and top a 100 pretty often then you can juggle. If you want to go for some personal best of 1000, 2000, 5000 etc, that is simply a pursuit of a goal and nothing anyone here has advocated for. You know whether or not if you can juggle proficiently. If 7 out of 10 attempts nets you over 20-30 juggles, then you can juggle. The rest are just arbitrary milestones and she will pursue them at her own leisure. If she never does other than just juggling around for a warmup and goofing off that is perfectly fine too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I recognize that the more a player can juggle the better but can someone provide a minimum number of juggles a player should be able to do by age groups (i.e. U11, U12, etc.)?

My DD is 10 years old (U11), so I want to help her set realistic goals. Thank you.

This is age not u(xx)
Age 10

8-10
Highly skilled
25-100+

age 11
15-12 alternating feet
Highly skilled
50 plus alternating feet

Age 12-14
Goal should be 100 plus alternating feet. Many will not get there. Also walking with the ball.

https://www.gftskills.com/juggling-challenge-age-breakdown/

So as a bench mark, Arlington ‘08 girls have 6 teams(roughly 14 on a team). I think one girl can juggle and walk, easily juggling into the 250’s. The next highest is in the 80’s. I know because most of the girls keep track(lol).

[Anonymous]

My DD was stuck at the 20-30, top 100 pretty often for a little while - because she didn't put the time and effort into it. Her touch was decent but not spectacular.

Then she started really enjoying it and finding it fun, so she started juggling on her own more. Now, she can juggle whatever number she wants. She isn't limited to a certain range. And now her touch is amazing. She can receive any type of ball at any height, weight, good pass or a bad one, and stop it right at her feet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I recognize that the more a player can juggle the better but can someone provide a minimum number of juggles a player should be able to do by age groups (i.e. U11, U12, etc.)?

My DD is 10 years old (U11), so I want to help her set realistic goals. Thank you.

This is age not u(xx)
Age 10

8-10
Highly skilled
25-100+

age 11
15-12 alternating feet
Highly skilled
50 plus alternating feet

Age 12-14
Goal should be 100 plus alternating feet. Many will not get there. Also walking with the ball.

https://www.gftskills.com/juggling-challenge-age-breakdown/

So as a bench mark, Arlington ‘08 girls have 6 teams(roughly 14 on a team). I think one girl can juggle and walk, easily juggling into the 250’s. The next highest is in the 80’s. I know because most of the girls keep track(lol).

Thank you so much. This is extremely helpful. My 10 year old DD is only able to consistently do 8 juggles and with a personal best is 15 alternating feet. She still has a long way to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I recognize that the more a player can juggle the better but can someone provide a minimum number of juggles a player should be able to do by age groups (i.e. U11, U12, etc.)?

My DD is 10 years old (U11), so I want to help her set realistic goals. Thank you.

This is age not u(xx)
Age 10

8-10
Highly skilled
25-100+

age 11
15-12 alternating feet
Highly skilled
50 plus alternating feet

Age 12-14
Goal should be 100 plus alternating feet. Many will not get there. Also walking with the ball.

https://www.gftskills.com/juggling-challenge-age-breakdown/

So as a bench mark, Arlington ‘08 girls have 6 teams(roughly 14 on a team). I think one girl can juggle and walk, easily juggling into the 250’s. The next highest is in the 80’s. I know because most of the girls keep track(lol).

Thank you so much. This is extremely helpful. My 10 year old DD is only able to consistently do 8 juggles and with a personal best is 15 alternating feet. She still has a long way to go.

My DS is 10 and plays on a very strong B team. He hates juggling and for some reason the coach has never pushed it during practice so he isn’t motivated to work on it. He can consistently juggle 8-10 and tops out at 15. I have tried bribes to motivate him but they don’t work. He is motivated to practice other soccer skills in the yard, attend clinics, etc so it’s not laziness. I just think juggling is incredibly frustrating because he can’t seem to get past this level. Would love tips for getting kids over the hurdle. I have even shown him YouTube videos that explain dos and don’ts. The posts on this thread have me thinking he should just hang up his cleats.

[Anonymous]

Juggling is not an end-all-be-all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I recognize that the more a player can juggle the better but can someone provide a minimum number of juggles a player should be able to do by age groups (i.e. U11, U12, etc.)?

My DD is 10 years old (U11), so I want to help her set realistic goals. Thank you.

This is age not u(xx)
Age 10

8-10
Highly skilled
25-100+

age 11
15-12 alternating feet
Highly skilled
50 plus alternating feet

Age 12-14
Goal should be 100 plus alternating feet. Many will not get there. Also walking with the ball.

https://www.gftskills.com/juggling-challenge-age-breakdown/

So as a bench mark, Arlington ‘08 girls have 6 teams(roughly 14 on a team). I think one girl can juggle and walk, easily juggling into the 250’s. The next highest is in the 80’s. I know because most of the girls keep track(lol).

Thank you so much. This is extremely helpful. My 10 year old DD is only able to consistently do 8 juggles and with a personal best is 15 alternating feet. She still has a long way to go.

My DS is 10 and plays on a very strong B team. He hates juggling and for some reason the coach has never pushed it during practice so he isn’t motivated to work on it. He can consistently juggle 8-10 and tops out at 15. I have tried bribes to motivate him but they don’t work. He is motivated to practice other soccer skills in the yard, attend clinics, etc so it’s not laziness. I just think juggling is incredibly frustrating because he can’t seem to get past this level. Would love tips for getting kids over the hurdle. I have even shown him YouTube videos that explain dos and don’ts. The posts on this thread have me thinking he should just hang up his cleats.

So it does not get fun till you can do 20 plus. Once it is fun you just start doing it all the time. So have him(and her) work one foot at a time for 4 minutes three days a week. After three weeks add 4 minutes of alternating feet. Also start with the ball on the ground and have him roll it back on to his foot to start juggling. This is a pull back and is used a lot. Oh one other thing...have him stand on one foot for 30 seconds and do the same for the other foot before juggling. Juggling is also about balance. If your balance is weak it’s really hard to juggle and or dribble. I use to use one of those balance boards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Juggling is not an end-all-be-all

But shooting is!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I recognize that the more a player can juggle the better but can someone provide a minimum number of juggles a player should be able to do by age groups (i.e. U11, U12, etc.)?

My DD is 10 years old (U11), so I want to help her set realistic goals. Thank you.

This is age not u(xx)
Age 10

8-10
Highly skilled
25-100+

age 11
15-12 alternating feet
Highly skilled
50 plus alternating feet

Age 12-14
Goal should be 100 plus alternating feet. Many will not get there. Also walking with the ball.

https://www.gftskills.com/juggling-challenge-age-breakdown/

So as a bench mark, Arlington ‘08 girls have 6 teams(roughly 14 on a team). I think one girl can juggle and walk, easily juggling into the 250’s. The next highest is in the 80’s. I know because most of the girls keep track(lol).

Thank you so much. This is extremely helpful. My 10 year old DD is only able to consistently do 8 juggles and with a personal best is 15 alternating feet. She still has a long way to go.

My DS is 10 and plays on a very strong B team. He hates juggling and for some reason the coach has never pushed it during practice so he isn’t motivated to work on it. He can consistently juggle 8-10 and tops out at 15. I have tried bribes to motivate him but they don’t work. He is motivated to practice other soccer skills in the yard, attend clinics, etc so it’s not laziness. I just think juggling is incredibly frustrating because he can’t seem to get past this level. Would love tips for getting kids over the hurdle. I have even shown him YouTube videos that explain dos and don’ts. The posts on this thread have me thinking he should just hang up his cleats.

So it does not get fun till you can do 20 plus. Once it is fun you just start doing it all the time. So have him(and her) work one foot at a time for 4 minutes three days a week. After three weeks add 4 minutes of alternating feet. Also start with the ball on the ground and have him roll it back on to his foot to start juggling. This is a pull back and is used a lot. Oh one other thing...have him stand on one foot for 30 seconds and do the same for the other foot before juggling. Juggling is also about balance. If your balance is weak it’s really hard to juggle and or dribble. I use to use one of those balance boards.

This is great advice! Thank you so much!!!! Signed, PP w 10 year old son

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Juggling is not an end-all-be-all

But shooting is!

Decision-making

[Anonymous]

It is very, very important to get good at juggling.

1. It is key for developing first touch skill; and
2. Every coach of every high level team will expect that you can juggle a hundred plus times easily. Want to get cut quickly? Show up for a tryout and don't stand around juggling before anything gets started.

Being a proficient juggler makes you a better competitive player. It's a simple as that.

That applies to girls and guys.

[Anonymous]

Like a seal with a ball on the tip of its nose. I love watching the little automatons come in and hypnotically pop the ball up and down on the edge of their foot, looking to see who notices. In any event, if you really want to impress at tryouts, juggle successfully with a couple of other players. If you are good at juggling alone, you are not really taking tough touches from yourself. It’s a little harder when you are receiving the ball from others and not necessarily in rhythm Or knowing what to expect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is 8 and plays for a local club. He can reliably get 5 or 6 juggles, but not much more than that. His coaches seem to put an emphasis on juggling as a measure of improvement, but I don't have a good sense as to what a realistic goal is for a kid in the 8-9 year old range.

I do not know what an appropriate measurement is for an 8 year old. I am too old--I no longer drive to youth travel games but still attend my kids' college games. I have had two of my three kids make three college cups. The one who did not is the best player in the bunch! I managed a national championship youth team for one of my kids. Background, so you can decide if you want to listen to my sense.

Juggling is ONE of many really important skills to continue to develop. One key to the game at the highest levels is whether a player can receive, control and move the ball when the game is moving at its fastest pace. If your kid gets comfortable with the ball--and juggling is a tool to help get there--she will enjoy matches more and more. I remember a youth match with one of my sons where his team played what was then the #1 team in the nation. I think it was U14. Our guys struggled because the pressure the other team imposed was so quick and stifling that our guys could not receive a pass and get the ball off their feet before an opponent was on them. And, our guys were a state cup champion team. I recall our British coach saying to me after the game that he was disappointed that our players did not handle the pressure but felt they had learned a valuable lesson. They went on to reverse a 7-1 drubbing (and the 1 was a state cup champion) to a victory the following year against that team. The touch from a skill like juggling helps a player improve their ability to receive and distribute under pressure. It is important, and keep in mind, not all kids advance at the same pace or are as proficient in a skill such as juggling as others. My one child who went to two college cups is the worst of the three at juggling, but is the most aggressive and the most determined. Lots of attributes and skills go into making a player! Good luck to your daughter--hope she enjoys every minute of her youth soccer experience! And hope you love it as well!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is very, very important to get good at juggling.

1. It is key for developing first touch skill; and
2. Every coach of every high level team will expect that you can juggle a hundred plus times easily. Want to get cut quickly? Show up for a tryout and don't stand around juggling before anything gets started.

Being a proficient juggler makes you a better competitive player. It's a simple as that.

That applies to girls and guys.

Would you recommend wearing juggalo face paint as they juggle their juggles to increase their chances of being accepted to the juggling society?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is very, very important to get good at juggling.

1. It is key for developing first touch skill; and
2. Every coach of every high level team will expect that you can juggle a hundred plus times easily. Want to get cut quickly? Show up for a tryout and don't stand around juggling before anything gets started.

Being a proficient juggler makes you a better competitive player. It's a simple as that.

That applies to girls and guys.

Would you recommend wearing juggalo face paint as they juggle their juggles to increase their chances of being accepted to the juggling society?

I’d recommend that you always remember to remove your ODSL car magnet before driving through a car wash.