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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Everyone always says the young players should discuss this with the coach.  It is not a bad exercise to do, but it is an exercise.  Set that aside for the moment.

Do you know why your kids are playing the positions they are playing?  Think about it.  What role do they have on their respective teams?  Why do you think they want to revise that role?  Is it likely that the coach and team will stay the same next year?  If the coach changes or the team changes significantly, would that matter to your kids?

Start with the basic questions:  Why are your kids playing where they are playing right now?  What are the primary attributes of those positions?  Do your kids possess them, or do they possess more of them than their current teammates?  And - importantly - does it matter?

I don’t know about men’s volleyball.  I know everyone is tall.  Is your kid physically a better fit now for a different position (set aside experience and skill level for a second).  And - very important - will they physically develop so that they are a decent candidate in the future.  Switch sports for a second - it does no one any good to put an early maturing 5’8” boy into and only into the role of a center on a basketball team if they are basically done growing.  In a couple of years they become the size of the point guard with none of the experience.  So - future growth needs to considered.

With soccer - the predominant characteristics are speed and quickness, and then size.  Is your kid playing a position or positions that fit their physical status?  It is a lot more open in the sense that height is good everywhere, but really only needed in center back positions.

Now - with soccer - the real question is relative abilities of the team members.  The “strongest” overall players will mostly be in the middle of the field.  Left handed (footed) players will be along the left side of the field.  And, like most guy sports - bigger and faster is better, but there is a huge IF there.  The IF is that the players have to be skilled relative to their teammates and competition.

With high level youth soccer teams - the goals are mostly individual player development.  So playing different positions other than keeper can be done in practices and scrimmages and that is fine.  Frankly it is often done that way to get kids time at other positions.  What a coach will not tell a kid, and maybe will not tell a parent, is that the weaker players are worked into the lineup more with the idea of doing the least harm rather than the idea of doing the most good.  So - for example - a good place to put weaker players to get them playing time is at a forward position.  They probably won’t score, but they won’t cost you a goal either.

And - keep in mind - strong/weak is relative to the level of play.  The weakest player on a really good team may well be the strongest player if put on a mid-level team.

So - back to communication - start with your knowledge of where your kids stand in terms of their individual ability and size.  In the ideal situation what positions would they best be fit for? Are those the positions they want to play?  Then the next tough step - are those positions available to play on their current teams?  If not - why not?  Another player or players better?  Is that a position the coach uses to hide weaker players?  Finally - what additional skills/attributes would be needed?

Mind you - I do not think any coach is going to say to you or your kid - I can’t play you there because that is where I hide our weaker players.  But that very well may be the correct answer.

The key, I think, in any case, is to work hard to learn the skills needed for the positions you do play, AND for others as well.  Versatility is a very good thing.

A story - my daughter played 4 years of college soccer.  For years and years of club soccer she was mostly a defender.  But she is short and while short defenders are not an unknown in women’s soccer they are far from ideal.  Still - she was very fast and quick and even on high level teams that makes up for a lot.  When we got to college recruitment though - not one college coach saw her as a defender.  Every single one pictured her as a right mid or forward.  She spent her senior year (women players commit as sophomores and juniors) learning how to play forward.

She got to college and fought for playing time anywhere.  Early in her Junior year she was warmed up to sub in as a forward, and the defensive center mid went down with what turn out to be an acl.  My kid was warmed up so she went in to cover and did well enough to stay in.  She ended up keeping the position through her senior season.  So - based on our experience with my kid - I would say the keys are to develop the skills to work any position, and to take advantage of non-game opportunities to expand your experience.  Maybe the coach won’t play you up top in a game, but would be happy to give you time up top in practices and scrimmages.
That is an easier ask for a kid to make too.  He’s not looking to take Bill or Ted’s position, but wants some experience up top or on D so can he play there at the end of practice scrimmage now and then?  That may get the coach to say to himself - I should be mixing them up every now and then so yeah - let’s do it.

[/quote]

+1 this is really excellent advice. Also, are there opportunities on other teams (school, rec, subbing for another club) where they would have an opportunity to get reps at other positions? For example, my 13yo DS plays travel baseball and isn’t able to get much playing time at catcher (a position he really enjoys) on his regular team. They have 2 catchers that are simply better at the position and son plays elsewhere. So, son subs on other teams occasionally to get reps at that position (his coaches are totally fine with it), which works out great! He has a few teammates that still play on rec teams etc along with travel- they do it to play with friends and to get time at key positions (pitch, shortstop etc) they don’t get to play in travel. Would something like that be possible?[/quote]

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