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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'll give you a different perspective because everyone is so obsessed with getting left behind.

When my kid was 9, we ended up leaving travel ball in early March because of a move.  This meant that he missed the last 2.5 months of travel.  No team practices or games.  In that time he said that he wanted to get better so we developed a plan for him...lots of training at home and some private/group sessions.  We are talking 12+ hours a week.  In those 2.5 months and the additional 3 months of summer, he got SOOOOO much better.  He is now MLS Next and visiting academies.  Team practices and games are not what they need to be focused on at this age.

You don't need to be on a team to get better.  Focus on the basics and ball mastery.  They can become a beast at 12+ years old without travel ball.[/quote]

While this may be true, this requires a kid who loves soccer and has an inner drive to improve. Nothing OP has said suggests this is the case. It sounds like OP's son is naturally good at soccer but it's not their favorite. If OP signs their kid up for travel they could end up in a situation where they are essentially dragging their kid to practices.

Look, I get it. My kids are both pretty talented in the sport that I excelled in growing up. I see the potential [b]and know exactly what to do at which ages to maximize their potential.[/b] But the problem is, they like it but don't love it. They aren't interested in the more intense path that I took. They prefer other sports that frankly they aren't as talented in. As a result they are falling behind other kids who are taking the more intense path. But I have to accept that as a parent. I am not going to sign them up for some intense year round program when they aren't asking for more. I don't want them looking back on childhood and resenting me for making them spend hours per week doing something they enjoy less than other things, just because I thought they could be good at it. [/quote]

This statement made me laugh out loud.

[/quote]

Why, maybe OP is/was a coach or some sort of a talent scout... maybe he has an idea of how to gauge early abilities. Granted probably not as accurately as OP thinks, but I wouldn't discount it completely.[/quote]

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