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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]U12 boy has a not so great season and is looking to improve his game over the summer. He's not a kid who will play in college but we enjoys playing and we want him to feel good about himself and be the best that's possible for him. Coach has not been helpful. We were told DS's technical skills are excellent, probably the best on the team. He's fast and athletic. He is one of those kids who looks great in practice but then so-so in the games. He has a teammate who is the opposite. Also fast and athletic but his technical skills are apparently the worst on the team. But he does very well in games. DS is puzzled and I don't know enough about soccer to explain what his teammate has that he does not. I saw this type of question come up recently and the explanation is usually that a child who does well in practice but not as much in games lacks confidence or is afraid of physical contact. DS doesn't seem to have these problems.

What are we missing? Could it be DS is not able to anticipate opponent's moves? Can drills or coaching can help? [/quote]
What position does he play? Oftentimes at that age the kids with the best technical skills are not the ones scoring the goals, it’s the direct type soccer players who rely on the long ball to score. This changes dramatically as the kids get older and defenders get better & bigger, and the kids with the technical skills are able to maintain better possession and have better passing accuracy.

If speed of play is an issue, check out the thread asking if speed of play can be learned. Very helpful info there.

Whatever summer camp you send your son to, make sure it’s attended by committed players and has serious but fun coaches. The strongest clubs all offer summer camps for non-club players. One week won’t cut it either, to get the most out of it your DS will need at least two. I think you’ll be surprised at how much progress your DS will make under these circumstances. Consistent summer training (and I mean 4 weeks every summer) has been the single most important factor in my DS’ playing trajectory (assuming excellent technical skills as a baseline). [/quote]

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