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[quote=Anonymous][quote=RantingSoccerDad][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]Those of you who think C team soccer is the same as rec need to get your heads checked. My DC2, who plays rec, is only a year younger than DC1, who does travel, and the level of play is very very different. Rec is fun but it's not soccer. C team soccer is actually soccer although the skill level is not as good as on the A or B teams. [/quote]

Agreed.  My son is on C team this year, was on rec last year and the experiences are not comparable at all.  Are there some kids on rec who are better than kids on travel C?  Absolutely!  There are really good kids on rec whose parents don't want them to do travel, or who personally don't want to do travel, for a variety of reasons.
But on travel C, you learn to play different positions, to stay in position, and a style of play.  Also, on travel C, despite what people on DCUM say, there are no players who are really awful or not interested in being there.  Everyone is mediocre and is actually trying, even if the skill level/inherent athleticism isn't there.   [/quote]

How can anyone possibly compare travel soccer with rec?  Completely different mindset, training, commitment and a certified professional coach. [/quote]

Sort of.

The biggest difference between travel and rec, especially at the younger age groups, is that the players who lack the interest and the aptitude aren't there. When I'm coaching rec, I have several players with developmental issues, several players who are rarely there, and so on. The other rec players really aren't different.

Some rec players start to fall behind because travel players are training more often and playing with and against more complete teams. But some don't. I've seen so many players come back from travel to rec and find they're really not as far ahead as they thought. If they were playing on a top-level team (above average in VPL or CCL, upper divisions in NCSL), sure, they come back, and they're a lot better. But if they're mid-level or low-level travel? They might not make All-Stars when they come back to rec. Many don't.

And I think the reason why is the last thing you mention -- a "certified professional coach."

I don't know of any clubs that put their best coaches with the U9s through U12s. You may have some coaches that coach multiple teams -- a U16 and a U10, for example -- but they might not be great with the younger age groups.

A more typical lower-age coach has, at most, a D license. Some parent coaches have that as well. Some parent coaches also have more experience than the 24-year-old "professional" coach who is just getting started and was assigned to the U9s.

And their mindset is often completely wrong. They just came out of a college program or perhaps an amateur (even semipro or even fully pro) team that really put an emphasis on winning. So they start their coaching careers, and the "development over winning" mantra hasn't taken hold. Sure, they'll rotate players into different positions because the technical director tells them to, but they're yelling at the players over basic bad touches that any U10 is going to make. Or they're running up the score because they think that'll placate the parents. (And it might.)

At the other end of the spectrum, some coaches are so intent on "development" that they don't teach basic field sense. How many U12 players have you seen who, when asked to play defense, turn and look for options in the *middle* of the field and then give the ball away? They still haven't learned that their best play is usually (not always, of course) going to be to the outside. And if they're in danger of losing the ball, lose it way out on the wing, not dead center 20 yards from goal with no defensive cover behind you.

Bottom line: There are good and bad rec coaches, and there are good and bad travel coaches. They often have exactly the same coaching credentials, in which case the parents will often be better because **they have kids**.

Coaches are basically teachers. You don't learn how to teach when you're playing college soccer. You don't learn much about teaching in the USSF coaching curriculum -- maybe a little more in the revised curriculum, which is good.

D license coaches are "certified" in coming up with a practice plan, and it's drilled into their head to ask guided questions rather than simply yelling. The former is pretty easy, and the TD might have his or her own plans, anyway. The latter? That takes time.
[/quote]

This is well stated.  I parent coach rec right now and I have as high or higher license than all but the technical director and 1 other paid travel coach.  I don't advertise it because what difference does it make?  The license process made me a better coach than I was before but it isn't magic.  The main differences I see between travel and rec at this age group are:
1. travel eliminates the first time/unmotivated player by self-selection and 2. what is being taught - travel generally teaches a program of technical and tactical development properly - so OP your team sounds like it is learning possession soccer and losing games while it develops this style of play - lacking aggression is probably just the players are still learning to balance when to attack by passing and when to attack individually - it will come.   Sounds like your team may be losing games but winning in development.  Think long-term.  But as far as what to do as a parent for your child?  I suggest you let the coach know the kids were upset and that they may need a pep talk and let the coach know you are there to help.  Sometimes it helps a coach to know that you get it as far as development v. losing, and that may help the coach understand that winning a game or two is also important for the psyche development of a team and individual kids.  Unfortunately travel and rec both have a parent culture of parents who really can't tell when their player is learning and don't accept the reality that you can't track a player from U8 into the premier league or la liga.   Take your kid out for ice cream and identify things he does in the game that you can praise - the old DiCicco catch them being good.[/quote]

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