Play FIFA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe watch a high level (college or professional) game with him on TV and explain what the players are doing and why.

Yes, have him watch a lot of soccer on TV and in person. This is a big problem in this country. Few kids actually know the intricacies of the game. You can learn a lot by watching and listening to the commentators. Most kids here get this deep understanding of basketball and football because that's what they watch on TV, Youtube highlights, and play on the playground.

This. In other countries the world stops when soccer is on, especially the big cups. It is many kid’s earliest memory,the great games they watched with their families!
As a former immigrant to the U.S.my impression is there is a huge disconnect here between the passion youth have for soccer - would say it’s easily THE most popular sport throughout school (perhaps regional differences?) - but the adult teams are niche at best. Nobody hardly knows or pays attention to what’s going on with US soccer, still now, even after all these decades of passionate youths playing all over the country.

Sorry, if that got off topic a bit.

The English commentators are the worst. Just endless tired cliches and harking back to the 1980s when players were tough. I’d rather listen in Spanish or just turn the sound off.

Just let him play if he has any insight he will sort it out. Having feel for the game is something that comes naturally. It is not taught like people believe. Messi is not Messi because he moved to Barcelona

Anonymous wrote:DS is a U10 and plays rec soccer. This will be his 6th season (spring/fall for the last 3 years). He doesn’t seem to have much soccer IQ. If he’s playing defense, he’ll be all the way up with the forwards. And he doesn’t seem to understand that he needs to match up on defense. I hear the coaches yell at him in games to get to his spot. I don’t think he really knows what they mean. He seems to just go the ball, wherever that may be on the field.

When do most players develop soccer IQ and what can we do to help him? He is otherwise a strong player - fast, good ball handling, passes well. And he really enjoys playing.

In a Rec league, the coach may not emphasis positioning as much at this age. In travel at U11, I noticed the coach spent a lot of time coaching proper spacing and positioning for the 1st time. The players can really understand it at U10, but it has to be coached a lot at that age by a decent coach. If the coach is yelling at him in a game, then it really wasn't coached in practice.

As a caveat, I will say that it is ok that your kid loves to be close to the ball and action! This really develops a love for the game! They will naturally start to position themselves as they grow older. I will also say, that kids start to become soccer robots and loose creativity when they are over-coached and "joy sticked" by the coaches -thus less likely to love the game as much. I wouldn't get too concerned at U10, but naturally by U12 they should really get it, even without specific coaching. If you stay in rec soccer, just make sure he loves the game for now!

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the great recommendations. I’ve never watched soccer on tv (we’re a baseball, football, basketball house) and DS is my first child to play soccer. We can try watching together.

I only have a very general understanding of soccer. DS plays everyday on recess and with the older kids in the neighborhood - which is less formal. I guess I’ll need to learn more to help explain things to him.

So if you start watching with him, watch the pre- game shows on Premier League on NBC/Peacock. They break down defenses, what responsibilities of players are, how the offense player breaks the defense, coaching tactics, formations, etc. They are very entertaining and can be brutal to players and coaches. Also the champions league coverage is very good.

Amanda in the Golden Boot Soccer office here. If you’re in/near Northern Virginia, we offer skills classes and camps for just some of the reasons you outlined. In addition to footskills, our trainers help players develop field awareness, decision-making, reaction time, and all the other mental pieces of the game.

Our second winter session starts this week and is pretty full, although there may be one or two classes still open for your player’s age (look for Positive Touch Footskills or Art of Scoring Goals). Otherwise, keep an eye out for our spring classes (on Sunday afternoons) to open soon.

https://www.goldenbootsoccer.com/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watch top professional teams on TV
Listen to the commentators during the game
Focus on players playing your position, especially what they are doing without the ball
Don't listen to American commentators on Fox

Most of the English commentators are garbage too.

They (analyst) may give a biased opinion, but they at least know the sport.

Commentators should give insight along with calling the action. Not just repeat the obvious like all their audience are new to soccer or 3 years old.

USA Network carries a lot of Premier League soccer on weekend mornings. Some streaming services do too, like Peacock and ESPN for instance. Half-time shows often focus on specific players and what they did well or poorly with graphics and video. You should probably take him to your club's travel games in his age group. See if you can find the top team and go watch them. Your club administrator can help you find their schedule but most travel games won't start until the beginning of April.