Thanks for all of the above suggestions/advices.

I will look up a coach on CoachUp.

We have a U15 and use a private coach and we got his name from one of the club's coaches years ago and have used him off and on for years, other kids we know use him as well. So I would ask around from your current coach to see if they know someone. Definitely helps, and we did it one year prior to spring tryouts and it really helped their technical warm-up skills for tryouts.

However, I don't think you should share a lesson if the skills are far apart. You would be doing both a disservice.

Anonymous wrote:Is hiring a private coach/trainer that much more effective than a parent watching & learning the moves from soccer training from YouTube then teaching/showing their kids to do it?

This is what I did for the last 6 months with my 10yo DD. As a result, she has very good foot skills and touch. But I’m very curious if a private coach would be mich better. Please advise.

It depends on what your general experience is and your overall ability to motivate your kid. At young ages in particular simply spending time with your kid and having them get in touches is almost all that matters.

As they get older the only real issues are more based in what you don't know and being able to correct your kid. Your as well as your kids temperament may be such that you work great together. If that is the case then don't change a thing. But sometimes another coach can see and correct things that you might not. Your kid may react better to a different voice too.

There is no right answer.

Anonymous wrote:Is hiring a private coach/trainer that much more effective than a parent watching & learning the moves from soccer training from YouTube then teaching/showing their kids to do it?

This is what I did for the last 6 months with my 10yo DD. As a result, she has very good foot skills and touch. But I’m very curious if a private coach would be mich better. Please advise.

It can be. The first key is exactly what you did … making time for your kid to train skills in a focused manner. So that will be effective regardless.

Hire a coach if you a) don't have the time to do what you did; and/or b) find an excellent coach that knows and can demonstrate skills you can't find on YouTube or easily replicate from watching YouTube. Once you and your kid attend a few sessions, you can take what you learn and then drop the trainer too. Typically you pay by session or by a group of sessions so it is never a big, long term commitment.

If looking to forgo the personal trainer approach, the Techne app is a good online resource. It is self-training, with an online companion basically. It is more organized and regimented than just looking at YouTube and it lets you track stats and time spent and compete against other users. It is good for girls too as it is run by female pro soccer player, so there is a little bit of a role model effect that you might not be able to provide as a parent.


HP Elite is also a nice alternative as your kid can play against other kids but focusing on skills and technique. Lot's of choices and all can be effective, but the key is to make time to do this if your kid is really into the sport. If not, have them spend time studying, or reading, and/or generally exercising instead.

Is hiring a private coach/trainer that much more effective than a parent watching & learning the moves from soccer training from YouTube then teaching/showing their kids to do it?

This is what I did for the last 6 months with my 10yo DD. As a result, she has very good foot skills and touch. But I’m very curious if a private coach would be mich better. Please advise.

Anonymous wrote:14 is really too late for this. you might have some hope for the 10 year old.

Its never too late. Even adults benefit from focused skills training. If you're interested in your kid improving, do this.

14 is really too late for this. you might have some hope for the 10 year old.

Try the Techne app too. Video based training with goal tracking and ability to compete against others.

Agree that HP Elite is a good clinic based training program too.

I posted on my neighborhood listserv and got a junior from the high school team who also played travel for many years. It has worked out great and only paying $25 per hour.

My DD in Maryland uses:

https://www.pelotatraining.com/

The rates are great at $50/hr for 1v1 or $80 for 2v1. You will get 3000 touches in a session. My DD has gained confidence with the ball, is playing at quicker pace and has better field vision. I saw results in 3-4 sessions as just having her head up more with possession is a big deal.

Haha you are right about the bikini diet! I suspect that it might be good for short-term confidence but not really going to do much as far as the long-term goes, right

Thanks for the Golden Boot and HP Elite recs. I didn't think of clinics! Shows what I know.

Anything in Maryland / DC?

Thanks!!

Keep your goals in check. One should not go into private training expecting immediate results. A few things might be able to get tightened up but doing some privates to get better for tryouts is a bit misguided approach. You are trying to do a quick and dirty summer bikini diet which is fine but focus more on longer term sustainability.

Will it help now? Yes, for the lower hanging fruit issues.

The younger kid might benefit more than the older within this timeline.

That said, look for a trainer who will provide "homework" that the kids can spend 15 to 30 minutes a day on. Use the routine as a pre-practice warmup or finish the practice on practice days. Incorporate juggling as 10 minute activity as well.

If the kids spend 15-30 minutes a day on their own with the help of private training there will be improvement by tryout season. The key is to then find a program or schedule that you can afford and continue with for a longer duration.

HP elite or golden boot are great ways to augment team training. Clubs do NOT training players, they focus on teams. You need specialized training for that and touches.

My kids (age 10 and 14) are looking to develop skills and for some extra practice. I don't have a huge budget, but I'm wondering if it might actually be efficient and relatively cost-effective to get some private coaching this spring ahead of various tryouts.

The kids are at vastly different skill levels but I'm wondering if they could split a few sessions...

Where should I look for someone to do some private sessions with my kids (that won't break the bank?) The kids are both fine players but not superstars. For unrelated reasons, neither has ever been on a team that really developed their individual skills well, so that's why I'm thinking about supplementing.

Thoughts?