Maybe he's scared to make a mistake. Maybe he's confused by parents yelling instructions at him from the sidelines.

Here's a great resource to help us become better soccer parents:
https://www.soccerparenting.com/

No drone needed....http://www.hipod.com/2434-2/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So your 9 year old understands the mechanics of play, but doesn't know how to apply them on the field. He needs different coaches or trainers who can teach him how to apply what he has learned to real world/game situations. I've seen some kids that can learn from video playback of their games. Have you or his coaches tried that? Video his game and then watch it back with him and stop at times to show where he is, what's happening, what he did vs what he should do or should be thinking about. A lot of athletes need to look back at the replay to figure out how to correctly apply the skills they have to real games and how to recognize what's going on.

OMG - this is an awesome idea.....why did I not think of that?????

He loves atching videos of himself so this could work. Is if I could only fly a drone over the game!

Thank you!

You're welcome. My old office-worker used to do this for her son (he was the QB of his HS football team). She goes up to the top of the bleachers and stands up there and videos from there. She can get a pretty wide angle view. On their teach, there is a parent assigned to video every game and different parents take turns. She focuses on her son as much as she can and then they watch both the "team" footage and Mom's footage and analyze his game. Over the years, it's helped him and he's stayed the starting QB for his team.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So your 9 year old understands the mechanics of play, but doesn't know how to apply them on the field. He needs different coaches or trainers who can teach him how to apply what he has learned to real world/game situations. I've seen some kids that can learn from video playback of their games. Have you or his coaches tried that? Video his game and then watch it back with him and stop at times to show where he is, what's happening, what he did vs what he should do or should be thinking about. A lot of athletes need to look back at the replay to figure out how to correctly apply the skills they have to real games and how to recognize what's going on.

OMG - this is an awesome idea.....why did I not think of that?????

He loves atching videos of himself so this could work. Is if I could only fly a drone over the game!

Thank you!

This would give a new spin to helicopter parenting.

All kidding aside, this works very well with basic videocams so long as the other parents consent and nobody goes crazy and puts stuff on YouTube.

Anonymous wrote:
So your 9 year old understands the mechanics of play, but doesn't know how to apply them on the field. He needs different coaches or trainers who can teach him how to apply what he has learned to real world/game situations. I've seen some kids that can learn from video playback of their games. Have you or his coaches tried that? Video his game and then watch it back with him and stop at times to show where he is, what's happening, what he did vs what he should do or should be thinking about. A lot of athletes need to look back at the replay to figure out how to correctly apply the skills they have to real games and how to recognize what's going on.

OMG - this is an awesome idea.....why did I not think of that?????

He loves atching videos of himself so this could work. Is if I could only fly a drone over the game!

Thank you!

He's 9. Maybe watch soccer on tv?

It is like people who excel at book learning and academics and those who excel at applied learning. There are people who understand what's in the books and can teach, but cannot apply what they've learned. There are those who are poor at book learning but can apply the principals well. I've known many people who excel at schoolwork, but could not apply their learning in a real world setting (like in engineering). Conversely, I've also known some that were so-so in school, but are fantastic applied engineers who can build, repair, and redesign actual engineering products.

So your 9 year old understands the mechanics of play, but doesn't know how to apply them on the field. He needs different coaches or trainers who can teach him how to apply what he has learned to real world/game situations. I've seen some kids that can learn from video playback of their games. Have you or his coaches tried that? Video his game and then watch it back with him and stop at times to show where he is, what's happening, what he did vs what he should do or should be thinking about. A lot of athletes need to look back at the replay to figure out how to correctly apply the skills they have to real games and how to recognize what's going on.

Technical vs tactical....at 9 focus on technical

I could have written almost the exact same post about my 9 year old son! He's fast, strong, and skilled and looks great during drills. He practices a ton on his own and watches EPL and Bundesliga games most weekends--absolutely loves soccer in every way. In scrimmages and games though, half the time the coach needs to remind him where he's supposed to be, whether he's playing offense or defense. Some games he clicks in and is an impact player, and others it's like he's not really paying attention to the game at all. My older kids did not all have his athletic gifts, but they were all much more effective players at the same age.

We have wondered whether there is such a thing as sports-related ADHD. He is not spacey or inattentive in any other area.

It takes a year or two of consistent coaching for kids to understand spacing and we're they should be on the field. The coach has to reinforce which positions should be in which areas of the field and what areas each player is accountable for. It takes awhile

he is 9 relax

Don't stress out. This is not unusual for 9 year olds, so don't expect him or his teammates to read the game like a pro. Let the coach handle it. Hiring personal trainer will not solve positioning problems. If his team looks less organized and cohesive than the teams you play against, it is probably the coaching issue. If this is the case, you should consider trying out for a better team next year.

He is most likely looking at the ball too much and not seeing the field. My DD does 1:1 training and a few of the drills involve keeping her head up. It has really helped her game play.

He obviously needs a personal trainer

My 9yo boy has great skill and practices very well. Scrimmage ok; drills and ball control best on his team.
At games he falls apart. Tries hard but always out of position so running 2-3x as much as an effective player with field vision.

My 7yo has excellent field presence but not nearly as skilled - but a better game player.

My son is not special needs nor has any anxiety issues or performance problems; it is like he just does not recognize how drills and situation play appearing game. It’s like someone who knows math but cannot apply it to solve a real world problem; if that makes sense.

Appreciate any tips!