Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 19:43     Subject: Re:At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Elementary age: you shouldn’t even be keeping score. Every kid should get plenty of chances to play every position.

Middle school age: start keeping score to see who wins and who loses, but without being invested in the outcome. Just another data point for coaches to discuss with the athletes. Kids should be rotating between a few positions for which they seem best suited.

High school age: Kids play the 1-2 positions at which they are best. Better players get more playing time. JV play to win while still giving the less good kids some playing time. Varsity I think you can truly play to win.

Any adult who actually cares which little kid team wins a game is a pathetic loser.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 18:07     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
My kid quit flag football after a season where he did not touch the ball one time.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 17:47     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Anonymous wrote:The goals for the kids on the field should be to have fun, play within the rules and strive to win.

The goals for the adults should be to work to make sure every kid is having a decent time (it’s not always pure fun), every kid is playing in various positions consistent with the kid’s abilities and safety, and every kid is - to the extent reasonably possible - learning something about the sport.

The adults do adult things and the kids work at learning and playing the game.

Now - reality - there are very few kid games in any sport that “matter”. Playing/competing for an Olympic spot, a school championship ,etc - Sure. To some extent, of course winning matters. Mostly though - wins and losses do not matter at all.

And, with most travel/club youth sports the entire point is individual improvement by the players. If your kid plays/competes in a youth sport ask yourself - do you know what persons or teams won last year? Does anyone care? In youth soccer the selling point for the top clubs is how many of their players are moving to pro or college ball - not whether the club team won anything.





Thanks, this is such a helpful and healthy perspective on it. I think equalizing playing time is important at this age due to this. People are signing their kids up so they can personally improve and learn new skills. The best way to improve is actual game play not just in practice. I hate that so many parents make a thing of winning. It does not matter if your first grader's team with a championship game in their little league. It just doesn't. At this age the teams that win typically have 1 kid that outshines everyone.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 17:23     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
The goals for the kids on the field should be to have fun, play within the rules and strive to win.

The goals for the adults should be to work to make sure every kid is having a decent time (it’s not always pure fun), every kid is playing in various positions consistent with the kid’s abilities and safety, and every kid is - to the extent reasonably possible - learning something about the sport.

The adults do adult things and the kids work at learning and playing the game.

Now - reality - there are very few kid games in any sport that “matter”. Playing/competing for an Olympic spot, a school championship ,etc - Sure. To some extent, of course winning matters. Mostly though - wins and losses do not matter at all.

And, with most travel/club youth sports the entire point is individual improvement by the players. If your kid plays/competes in a youth sport ask yourself - do you know what persons or teams won last year? Does anyone care? In youth soccer the selling point for the top clubs is how many of their players are moving to pro or college ball - not whether the club team won anything.



Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 16:30     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:When you say football, do you mean American football or soccer? I'm assuming soccer.

The goal should always be to win but not at the cost of development.

During practices, the goal should be giving every player as many touches as possible and no one should be sitting for an extended period of time.

During games, especially at the rec level and at the lower grade levels, every person should have the opportunity to play. And no one should be pigeon holed into a position and there should be some rotation in positions.

I will say that there's not as much control during games. I've had cases where a parent was furious that some players wouldn't pass to their kid during a win for our team. And also demanded that the team play down to their kid's level. The issue is that their kid wasn't that good and wasn't really able to be part of the play. And even if we did try to make allowances to try to maximize touches during a game, the other team may not give the same benefit. Which was the case where the other team would typically rip the ball away from their kid whenever they got it.

So I might not stress about them not getting the ball during games because maybe the ball or play went their way. But I do expect to see them on the field and also to be given opportunities during practices.


American football


So tackle football or flag football?

If flag, I posted my answer on flag on the other page.

It tackle, that is an entirely different animal. For the cohesiveness of the team, not every kid touches the ball in games. Some kids just have better athletic ability and more sports IQ to handle positions. Believe me, not every kid should play QB. Even at the youngest level, a QB needs to know where to go and make sure he knows where everyone else goes. If he doesn't then the play is ruined.

Further, not everyone should carry it and this is about learning teamwork. As Judge Smalls said "the world needs ditchdiggers too" well in football, the world needs offensive lineman. Football is the ultimate team game. Every single player needs to be on the same page or it won't work. It is better to have kids in somewhat set positions so they know exactly what they need to do. If you move kids around constantly they will not know what to do and mess up.

So no, not everyone touches the ball.


As the coach do you make your own kid the QB?
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 16:16     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Anonymous wrote:Always. That’s the point once you know how to play the game. I’d say with very young kids who need to learn, k, 1st and maybe 2nd, but IME by second at least the boys who hav been playing for years want to win and it’s no fun having kids who have no athletic ability come in a screw up the game.


I tend to agree. The games often don't make sense unless you explain this part. Also, it's usually an easier way to explain how the games work. Let's swim a race but not see who went faster. Just doesn't make sense.

The emphasis on it is the question though.

At some point you have to filter out the kids who aren't going the same direction and doing the same thing. They just aren't fun to be around.

Same thing goes for the teams and coaches. Often times teams and coaches have other social issues, like who is running the plays in basketball. Nine times out of ten it's the coach's kid. If they are more interested in running a dog and pony show than playing the game and winning for example. Sometimes kids form cliques and won't pass the ball another social issue which I consider non-competitive.

IMO those kinds of behaviors show a lack of desire to win and play the game.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 16:06     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:When you say football, do you mean American football or soccer? I'm assuming soccer.

The goal should always be to win but not at the cost of development.

During practices, the goal should be giving every player as many touches as possible and no one should be sitting for an extended period of time.

During games, especially at the rec level and at the lower grade levels, every person should have the opportunity to play. And no one should be pigeon holed into a position and there should be some rotation in positions.

I will say that there's not as much control during games. I've had cases where a parent was furious that some players wouldn't pass to their kid during a win for our team. And also demanded that the team play down to their kid's level. The issue is that their kid wasn't that good and wasn't really able to be part of the play. And even if we did try to make allowances to try to maximize touches during a game, the other team may not give the same benefit. Which was the case where the other team would typically rip the ball away from their kid whenever they got it.

So I might not stress about them not getting the ball during games because maybe the ball or play went their way. But I do expect to see them on the field and also to be given opportunities during practices.


American football


So tackle football or flag football?

If flag, I posted my answer on flag on the other page.

It tackle, that is an entirely different animal. For the cohesiveness of the team, not every kid touches the ball in games. Some kids just have better athletic ability and more sports IQ to handle positions. Believe me, not every kid should play QB. Even at the youngest level, a QB needs to know where to go and make sure he knows where everyone else goes. If he doesn't then the play is ruined.

Further, not everyone should carry it and this is about learning teamwork. As Judge Smalls said "the world needs ditchdiggers too" well in football, the world needs offensive lineman. Football is the ultimate team game. Every single player needs to be on the same page or it won't work. It is better to have kids in somewhat set positions so they know exactly what they need to do. If you move kids around constantly they will not know what to do and mess up.

So no, not everyone touches the ball.


This is flag.. and how do you decide who should be the QB at that age if you haven’t seen every kid in the position in an actual game?
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 14:18     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:When you say football, do you mean American football or soccer? I'm assuming soccer.

The goal should always be to win but not at the cost of development.

During practices, the goal should be giving every player as many touches as possible and no one should be sitting for an extended period of time.

During games, especially at the rec level and at the lower grade levels, every person should have the opportunity to play. And no one should be pigeon holed into a position and there should be some rotation in positions.

I will say that there's not as much control during games. I've had cases where a parent was furious that some players wouldn't pass to their kid during a win for our team. And also demanded that the team play down to their kid's level. The issue is that their kid wasn't that good and wasn't really able to be part of the play. And even if we did try to make allowances to try to maximize touches during a game, the other team may not give the same benefit. Which was the case where the other team would typically rip the ball away from their kid whenever they got it.

So I might not stress about them not getting the ball during games because maybe the ball or play went their way. But I do expect to see them on the field and also to be given opportunities during practices.


American football


So tackle football or flag football?

If flag, I posted my answer on flag on the other page.

It tackle, that is an entirely different animal. For the cohesiveness of the team, not every kid touches the ball in games. Some kids just have better athletic ability and more sports IQ to handle positions. Believe me, not every kid should play QB. Even at the youngest level, a QB needs to know where to go and make sure he knows where everyone else goes. If he doesn't then the play is ruined.

Further, not everyone should carry it and this is about learning teamwork. As Judge Smalls said "the world needs ditchdiggers too" well in football, the world needs offensive lineman. Football is the ultimate team game. Every single player needs to be on the same page or it won't work. It is better to have kids in somewhat set positions so they know exactly what they need to do. If you move kids around constantly they will not know what to do and mess up.

So no, not everyone touches the ball.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 09:52     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Anonymous wrote:Football can be tricky because only two kids are touching the ball in a given play, three if you count the center. People who specialize in defense never touch the ball. Generally I would say you can expect even playing time but not equal touches on the ball.

For 2nd graders it would be nice if the coach called a run play for each kid at least once in the game, but it might not happen. I wouldn't expect rotation at QB because it's actually a lot of pressure (yes, even at a very low level) and most kids are going to choke. My kid played QB last year in 2nd grade and is now actively avoiding that position because it stresses him out.


Flag football has smaller rosters and the expectation playing ironman
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 09:50     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Football can be tricky because only two kids are touching the ball in a given play, three if you count the center. People who specialize in defense never touch the ball. Generally I would say you can expect even playing time but not equal touches on the ball.

For 2nd graders it would be nice if the coach called a run play for each kid at least once in the game, but it might not happen. I wouldn't expect rotation at QB because it's actually a lot of pressure (yes, even at a very low level) and most kids are going to choke. My kid played QB last year in 2nd grade and is now actively avoiding that position because it stresses him out.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 09:41     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Part of playing a sport is learning how it works.

If coaches are calling plays that undermine the victory, that's...not how the sport works. Ultimately that does not benefit the kids who go on to play more or at a more advanced level, or who just want to watch it and make sense of the game.

If you're looking for more touches, find a rec team that practices more often. Or if you are saying your kid is never on the field, find a rec team that is more even about that (IMO rec should put everyone in the game at some point).
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 09:39     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Do you mean literally touch the ball or be on the field?

I don't know how American Football works but it seems like as long as everyone in a rec game is on the field at least 1/3 of the game, what happens happens.

Do coaches call plays that pre-determine who gets to touch the ball? If so, I don't think you can expect them to call plays that favor Jimmy getting to touch the ball over a better move for the team. That's what practice is for.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 09:36     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:When you say football, do you mean American football or soccer? I'm assuming soccer.

The goal should always be to win but not at the cost of development.

During practices, the goal should be giving every player as many touches as possible and no one should be sitting for an extended period of time.

During games, especially at the rec level and at the lower grade levels, every person should have the opportunity to play. And no one should be pigeon holed into a position and there should be some rotation in positions.

I will say that there's not as much control during games. I've had cases where a parent was furious that some players wouldn't pass to their kid during a win for our team. And also demanded that the team play down to their kid's level. The issue is that their kid wasn't that good and wasn't really able to be part of the play. And even if we did try to make allowances to try to maximize touches during a game, the other team may not give the same benefit. Which was the case where the other team would typically rip the ball away from their kid whenever they got it.

So I might not stress about them not getting the ball during games because maybe the ball or play went their way. But I do expect to see them on the field and also to be given opportunities during practices.


American football


In regards to touches, American football might be a bit different.

I'm not sure how it's played at the younger levels but in general I'd say it's a bit more specialized and controlled. And the ball only goes to one specific person. ie only person gets the handoff or pass for the play.

One of the things that I used to like about football is that everyone on the field needs to do their part for the play to work.

So again I might not worry too much if your kid doesn't get to touch the ball during games and just make sure they're doing their part when they're out there. But would want to see them get the opportunity to learn it and practice it during games. And would be nice to see them get a play or two during games but that wouldn't be as big of an issue for me.
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 09:28     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Anonymous wrote:When you say football, do you mean American football or soccer? I'm assuming soccer.

The goal should always be to win but not at the cost of development.

During practices, the goal should be giving every player as many touches as possible and no one should be sitting for an extended period of time.

During games, especially at the rec level and at the lower grade levels, every person should have the opportunity to play. And no one should be pigeon holed into a position and there should be some rotation in positions.

I will say that there's not as much control during games. I've had cases where a parent was furious that some players wouldn't pass to their kid during a win for our team. And also demanded that the team play down to their kid's level. The issue is that their kid wasn't that good and wasn't really able to be part of the play. And even if we did try to make allowances to try to maximize touches during a game, the other team may not give the same benefit. Which was the case where the other team would typically rip the ball away from their kid whenever they got it.

So I might not stress about them not getting the ball during games because maybe the ball or play went their way. But I do expect to see them on the field and also to be given opportunities during practices.


American football
Anonymous
Post 09/10/2024 09:26     Subject: At what age is it acceptable to play to win?
Anonymous wrote:Always. That’s the point once you know how to play the game. I’d say with very young kids who need to learn, k, 1st and maybe 2nd, but IME by second at least the boys who hav been playing for years want to win and it’s no fun having kids who have no athletic ability come in a screw up the game.


Said by someone who was at their peak in 7th grade sports.

Also not true. My husband started in 8th and played D1 football for a SEC school and thinks none of this matters and everyone should have equal playing time.