Anonymous wrote:Last year my DD at U9 was member of the A team. She was small, scrappy with good IQ. This year, she is still part of the A team but hasnt really kept pace with her team and opponents and isn't as much a part of the play anymore even when she is in the game, her scrappiness is still there, but not very effective because she can’t keep up with speed of play change that happened. I dont think the coach will make a change, but the situation is obvious. What do I do? just wait it out? She would probably have more action in the B team and I am hesitant to talk to the coach. This doesnt seem like a winning situation for the team.
At U9/10, training sessions are much more important than games. Practicing with and against strong players should help with making quick decisions and help to get her used to the increased speed of play (assuming that the coach is running quality training sessions). Oftentimes, "not keeping up with the speed of play" is a function of a child not having the same level of technical skill with the ball vs. the other players on the field. Taking too long to think about what move/pass to make under pressure, etc. If your daughter is interested, I would recommend looking for a good futsal program during the winter. It is incredibly fast and, if you find a good coach, the kids get hundreds of touches on the ball at every training session.
The other big question is, does this situation bother your daughter, or is it just bothering you? If she is happy and having fun, it's not a bad thing to have her playing and practicing with kids that are stronger than her... That's how you get better. If it is bothering her, then you may want to ask the coach what he/she thinks that she needs to work on.