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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]10:19 - we have a similar problem - we have a few girls who are really, really good at forward positions, so i struggle with putting them on D or in goal, especially if the score is close.  But the only way to get better at defending is to practice defending.

We have a couple of girls who always volunteer to play goalie. Which in one sense is great, since so many kids dread it.  But part of me thinks they only enjoy playing goalie because they haven't gotten scored on yet, and they might not like it so much once that happens.  (We put our best defenders in front of them when we have a less experienced goalie, so they're getting help.)  The girls on our team who have actually been scored on were devastated when it happened.  [/quote]

10:19 here. Compounding my problem is the other parents that expect and want my kid back there as a safety net.  They often talk about the "winning line-up".  If I have to watch the same two kids dribble the ball into the ground on wing, with their kick and run 'dribbling' (which nobody has bothered to teach or work on with them to keep it close to the body), the same forwards cherry-pick and never chase back--I might just lose my mind.

I guess if my kid stopped trying to win the ball back he might also get to play forward more :roll: .  At 9, I really need my kid playing everything.  We mitigate by winter indoor where we place him up front the entire winter (we coach) to offset the defensive mindset they are creating.  [/quote]

This must be happening in many teams in the DMV because we just left a team last year almost exactly like the one you describe. My kid isn't a strong defender but would mostly get slotted as center mid but would never see the ball once it reached the wings as those kids dribbled it all the way down only to get it lost. And parents there also always commented on the "winning lineup." My son was not a part of the "winning lineup" and although his footskills, touch, and ability to read the game were better than most he never got the minutes I believe all kids that age should get for development and ended up leaving.[/quote]

What did your coach say?  Was your kid middle of the pack?  I don't mean to be rude, but your assessment of your child's talent will always be higher than reality.  The winning line up at the younger ages always means more athletic, that advantage begins to go away around U11 when IQ takes over.  Hope you are enjoying your new club.  [/quote]

I agree a parent's assessment can be higher than reality, but I do try to look to assess the situation objectively. If I were trying to field a winning team, my kid would not be in the "winning starting lineup." That being said I am still a firm believer in giving equal playing time at these young age groups for development of all players on the team. Most development takes place in training but I believe there is an important piece that is learned in real game situations that my kid was missing out on. That being said, the coach did say he was one of the strongest technical players on the team and that he was very comfortable on the ball and in 1v1 situations. He is small in stature, and playing in the top team where a lot of athleticism takes over, the game may have been a bit too fast for him at this time against higher level competition where there are a lot of bigger, faster kids. And the chemistry may not have been there with some of his teammates.

He is playing pretty much the full game now with his new team with a stronger role, but there are cons to playing with kids that are less skilled. He is happy that he is just playing more now. I am not too worried as my kid continues to play with the ball everyday and is constantly working on his individual skills. Just trying to ensure he is having fun, and playing only 6-8 minutes per half was not fun for him. Think about how many touches would be had in those few minutes, and then winning competitive games knowing you had no real part in it. Unfortunately, the fun piece was going away for him.     [/quote]

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