Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So USMNT should blame their lack of speed for their poor performance?

Amen. Though I have to say some of their lineups have been slow relative to competition, but part of that is poor tactical awareness. In any event, speed is not really a skill unless you are running track and training properly. The question is what skills you can improve to beat people of comparable athleticism.

Speed of play is different than speed from point A to point B. Speed of play includes physical speed, but also speed of thinking/decisions and speed of playing the ball which requires impeccable first touch. The ball is played quicker. You look faster if you are thinking 2 steps ahead as well and arrive in the right place at the right team.

Speed in the sense Americans think of it (end line to end line) is pointless without the other things.

Anonymous wrote:So USMNT should blame their lack of speed for their poor performance?

Amen. Though I have to say some of their lineups have been slow relative to competition, but part of that is poor tactical awareness. In any event, speed is not really a skill unless you are running track and training properly. The question is what skills you can improve to beat people of comparable athleticism.

So USMNT should blame their lack of speed for their poor performance?

Being fast and light on your feet. My son has amazing ball skills, vision, first touch is fantastic. Hewoukdoractice for hours against a wall, juggling, doing foot work, etc. His coaches would say he was the smartest kid in the field because of his vision. He could make the best passes.

Unfortunately, none of it matters now that he is 12 and slow. He hasn't gone through puberty and many of his teammates have (he is Dec. 2007 birthdate) so his teammates are 13 or about to turn 13 with really long legs. They are like gazelles and he has endurance but he is not a sprinter. He can't keep up and is about to be cut from the team.

Anonymous wrote:Speed.

It is a big advantage precisely because there is not much speed in soccer compared to other sports, at least on the boys side.

Speed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the most important skills you think for an athletically gifted player that will separate him/her from average good players? And how to obtain such skills?

Vision and timing are great skills especially useful for athletic players but difficult to hone alone at home. First touch first touch first touch. People will say juggling and it's hard to disagree. I spent hours with my kid literally sending the ball towards him every which way (standing still, making runs, left side, right side, in air, towards chest, on ground). It was our version of playing catch so no skin off my teeth. For those of you without that kind of time, juggling and wall ball.

No just run fast. Seriously that's all you need.

Running fast is maybe the most important skill that can't be taught or developed but speed won't do you any good if you can't play.

Having said that all the juggling skills in the world won't make up for slow speed even as early as middle school.

Parent of a 6th grader, and the full field really exposes the slower kids, and those lacking endurance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the most important skills you think for an athletically gifted player that will separate him/her from average good players? And how to obtain such skills?

Vision and timing are great skills especially useful for athletic players but difficult to hone alone at home. First touch first touch first touch. People will say juggling and it's hard to disagree. I spent hours with my kid literally sending the ball towards him every which way (standing still, making runs, left side, right side, in air, towards chest, on ground). It was our version of playing catch so no skin off my teeth. For those of you without that kind of time, juggling and wall ball.

No just run fast. Seriously that's all you need.

Running fast is maybe the most important skill that can't be taught or developed but speed won't do you any good if you can't play.

Having said that all the juggling skills in the world won't make up for slow speed even as early as middle school.

First touch. Comes thru practice.
Ball striking. More practice.
Aggression & speed. Natural gifts.

Hands down the most important skill. Has to be the parents ability to stroke a check to the club.

Definitely hand eye coordination and bat speed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the most important skills you think for an athletically gifted player that will separate him/her from average good players? And how to obtain such skills?

Vision and timing are great skills especially useful for athletic players but difficult to hone alone at home. First touch first touch first touch. People will say juggling and it's hard to disagree. I spent hours with my kid literally sending the ball towards him every which way (standing still, making runs, left side, right side, in air, towards chest, on ground). It was our version of playing catch so no skin off my teeth. For those of you without that kind of time, juggling and wall ball.

No just run fast. Seriously that's all you need.

Discover what you love about the game and do it--that's something that sometimes gets lost. Also, be able to receive the ball from any direction and distribute it it to any direction; if you're forced to keep it make sure you can. This basically means being able to control the ball with both feet.

Have fun, and play a lot.

Anonymous wrote:What's the most important skills you think for an athletically gifted player that will separate him/her from average good players? And how to obtain such skills?

Vision and timing are great skills especially useful for athletic players but difficult to hone alone at home. First touch first touch first touch. People will say juggling and it's hard to disagree. I spent hours with my kid literally sending the ball towards him every which way (standing still, making runs, left side, right side, in air, towards chest, on ground). It was our version of playing catch so no skin off my teeth. For those of you without that kind of time, juggling and wall ball.

What's the most important skills you think for an athletically gifted player that will separate him/her from average good players? And how to obtain such skills?