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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][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]

Ha, I typed this and reading it back I see how it sounds. I didn't mean it like I have some 20 step training plan that I would make my kids follow to guarantee success. More that I understand the sport very well from my own experiences and staying involved with the community. I know which clubs/coaches are the best and what kind of environment is best at different ages. A lot of parents around here get excited about their kids' early talent and push them into heavy training too young, which burns them out. I have a good understanding of the long view, how much changes with puberty, and how to work through the inevitable setbacks. But I am clueless about soccer and feel like I've just been guessing. I wish I had understood what to look for in a soccer club and coach for a kid who loves it and wants to learn all they can. A few years in I can see a gap between my kid and those from other clubs that had an actual plan for development. [/quote]

I have two kids a few years apart and I am making sure not to make the same mistakes with the younger kid... I see how a lack of decent coaching/competition early on was/is detrimental to my older kid, now we have to work to bridge the gap. The younger one is benefiting and is already on a much stronger path forward. Unfortunately, the only thing that worked in our situation was getting private lessons to bridge the gap in training. I didnt do the lessons because I think my kid will play professionally, I just wanted her to be on par with her peers and not feel like she is lagging behind.

You might need to do the same to bridge that gap.     [/quote]

Blaming bad coaching for your kid's lack of progression is wild.  Stop relying on team practices/games and coaches to improve your kid.  If they were working hard to make sure there wasn't a gap in the first place you wouldn't need to scapegoat some coach from the past.  "Unfortunately, the only thing that worked in our situation was getting private lessons to bridge the gap in training."  Unfortunately, you are to blame for ever thinking you could just pay a club money, drop them off at training with some random dude with a certificate, and expect them to come out better players.

And to confirm...yes, you will ABSOLUTELY need to be doing hours of work outside of team practices to maintain a level with the top teams.  From an early age.  Include pickup, street ball, futsal, individual training, and privates.  You cannot expect a coach to get your player there and assuming they can is the adult making a big mistake for their kid.  [/quote]

Wow, someone has got a chip one their shoulder on the subject matter - likely a coach that is subpar...

In the situation described, it was absolutely the coach's fault. The entire team did not progress as far as they should have, there were genuine training gaps - team training gaps, not just individual ones. Also, the whole point of what I described was - me learning that we should have started putting more emphasis on coaching/competition at an earlier age... you raged against me, but literally restated what I already stated, but you sound unhinged about it.

Not every parent knows all the right moves when their kid starts with soccer, it takes time to learn that "yup" if you want your kid better, they need extra practice - how the hell was I supposed to know (my 1st/2nd year) with a soccer club (and club soccer in general) that $4k plus uniform does not pay for decent training unless you are on the 1st team.    [/quote]

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