How much training for a U13 player who wants to go DA?

[Anonymous]

FYI: we are not in the DC area

My son, 12, trains 3/week with his team
He just made ODP player pool and will train 1/week
He wants to make ODP travel team.
Does he need additional individual training? Thinking of hiring a coach for 1 hour a week of skills training.
How much is too much training? He will tryout for DA next year. I am trying to avoid burnout.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

If he is only doing 1 hour a week on his own in addition to team/odp training that is not enough. If he is an early-developer and/or superior athlete he might make a DA team and do OK for a while, but he will need much more than 4-5 hours/week to develop the kind of technical base to play at a higher level.

If you are concerned about burnout when considering an additional 1 hour/week on top of 3 team practices and ODP, his current level is probably right for you. 10+ hours/week is common for (boys) DA players.

The real questions are, what does HE want, and how bad does HE want it?

[Anonymous]

A private coach for an hour or 90 minutes a week would be good, but you could also consider a more general fitness / flexibility training session to break up the mix. You want to avoid burnout and constant drilling can really push the limits. A bit of cross training where they work on speed, strength and flexibility can really help.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately there are very few spots available and this is not Europe where competition is king. Here it is all about keeping the club loyalists happy. If you really want him to make DA you should move to a DA cub.

That is the path to DA. If you want a path to to be a great soccer player, make sure he is playing 5-6 days a week and try out at a European academy when he is 16 or 17.