Anonymous
Post 04/24/2017 15:44     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don't actually know any teams who knew each other before they were formed by ASA in kindergarten. ASA just groups kids together by school, and parents volunteer to coach. Out of our school's 6 teams, 1 girls team is very good, 1 girls team is pretty good and the 3rd girls team rarely wins. 1 boys team is very good, 1 boys team is decent and 1 boys team never wins. (Oddly, the same coach coaches the very good girls' team and the not-good boys' team.)


Let me guess - your first child? We have three kids in ASA and that was true for our first in K - minimal previous experience and randomly placed with other kids from the same school. 2nd and 3rd kids were way more proficient in K (played with older siblings; mini academy for 2 years) and were pulled onto teams by coaches we know. Much stronger teams.


DS's U6 coach did this, though the intention was never to win U6 games (!!!) i don't think but to weed out jet-watch/grass-picker/dirt-kicker etc. so the practices would be less hectic. it's not novel but the coach volunteered his time/energy so it's fair for him to have a preference. and yes as a result it was a stronger team and had a couple of good seasons. but by 2nd gr it all seemed to have evened out.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2017 10:34     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don't actually know any teams who knew each other before they were formed by ASA in kindergarten. ASA just groups kids together by school, and parents volunteer to coach. Out of our school's 6 teams, 1 girls team is very good, 1 girls team is pretty good and the 3rd girls team rarely wins. 1 boys team is very good, 1 boys team is decent and 1 boys team never wins. (Oddly, the same coach coaches the very good girls' team and the not-good boys' team.)


Let me guess - your first child? We have three kids in ASA and that was true for our first in K - minimal previous experience and randomly placed with other kids from the same school. 2nd and 3rd kids were way more proficient in K (played with older siblings; mini academy for 2 years) and were pulled onto teams by coaches we know. Much stronger teams.


OP never mentioned what club they were talking about, but Arlington is very flexible and has let us put together teams of friends and we have done the same thing. Parents don't really get it until they have a 2nd or 3rd child go through. They can do this because they have so many rec teams in comparison to other smaller clubs that are instead always fighting parents to break up the "good teams" in their house leagues. Eventually all the strong teams get put in Div. 1 or Div. 2, so it works out well for the club. But at K, those teams do very well and you get parents like the OP who don't understand (assuming they are in Arlington).
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2017 10:24     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
So is this specifically about Arlington?
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2017 09:51     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:I don't actually know any teams who knew each other before they were formed by ASA in kindergarten. ASA just groups kids together by school, and parents volunteer to coach. Out of our school's 6 teams, 1 girls team is very good, 1 girls team is pretty good and the 3rd girls team rarely wins. 1 boys team is very good, 1 boys team is decent and 1 boys team never wins. (Oddly, the same coach coaches the very good girls' team and the not-good boys' team.)


Let me guess - your first child? We have three kids in ASA and that was true for our first in K - minimal previous experience and randomly placed with other kids from the same school. 2nd and 3rd kids were way more proficient in K (played with older siblings; mini academy for 2 years) and were pulled onto teams by coaches we know. Much stronger teams.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2017 09:45     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
I don't actually know any teams who knew each other before they were formed by ASA in kindergarten. ASA just groups kids together by school, and parents volunteer to coach. Out of our school's 6 teams, 1 girls team is very good, 1 girls team is pretty good and the 3rd girls team rarely wins. 1 boys team is very good, 1 boys team is decent and 1 boys team never wins. (Oddly, the same coach coaches the very good girls' team and the not-good boys' team.)
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2017 22:58     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This has been said already. Parents in that club seek out peers and build teams prior to U6. Simple to do. They get the kids together on their own with siblings and friends, and then put the strong kindergartener?s together. They play the summer before Fall U6. Some clubs are all about breaking up teams and parity, but not your club. Very easy to go into U6 and beat everyone. The wins mean nothing. Again, this issue is dumb to go overboard on.


Why do you need to be a bitch to answer the question? I didn't even know there's U4 soccer or that coaches could choose players.


Well now you know DB.
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2017 16:24     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:This has been said already. Parents in that club seek out peers and build teams prior to U6. Simple to do. They get the kids together on their own with siblings and friends, and then put the strong kindergartener?s together. They play the summer before Fall U6. Some clubs are all about breaking up teams and parity, but not your club. Very easy to go into U6 and beat everyone. The wins mean nothing. Again, this issue is dumb to go overboard on.


Why do you need to be a bitch to answer the question? I didn't even know there's U4 soccer or that coaches could choose players.
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2017 14:10     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
This. 100 times.

At ANY age, the kids with the most skill are going to be the ones who play a lot on their own. At U6, a coach who sees a team once a week isn't going to conjure up some magical improvement. Give the best coach in the world a team full of kids who don't touch a soccer ball outside the weekly practice, and that coach isn't going to make much difference.

And at U6 especially, the early-blooming athletes are going to dominate. A kid who has lovely skill but isn't as fast as his peers (or doesn't have the leg strength to simply boot the ball across the field on the fly into the Pugg goal) isn't going to have much time and space to show those skills.


Then how does one club end up with more of such kids on a team than the others, year after year, when teams draw from schools with similar demographics?


I know no one wants to name the club, but where is this happening?

Or let's put it this way -- how is this club forming its U6 teams?

The conventional model: Players sign up, parents volunteer as coaches, and then a commissioner assigns players to coaches. Proximity is usually the key factor, so you're generally going to have a lot of kids from one school on the same team.

Is your club doing it differently?
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2017 13:16     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
This has been said already. Parents in that club seek out peers and build teams prior to U6. Simple to do. They get the kids together on their own with siblings and friends, and then put the strong kindergartener?s together. They play the summer before Fall U6. Some clubs are all about breaking up teams and parity, but not your club. Very easy to go into U6 and beat everyone. The wins mean nothing. Again, this issue is dumb to go overboard on.
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2017 12:47     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:
This. 100 times.

At ANY age, the kids with the most skill are going to be the ones who play a lot on their own. At U6, a coach who sees a team once a week isn't going to conjure up some magical improvement. Give the best coach in the world a team full of kids who don't touch a soccer ball outside the weekly practice, and that coach isn't going to make much difference.

And at U6 especially, the early-blooming athletes are going to dominate. A kid who has lovely skill but isn't as fast as his peers (or doesn't have the leg strength to simply boot the ball across the field on the fly into the Pugg goal) isn't going to have much time and space to show those skills.


Then how does one club end up with more of such kids on a team than the others, year after year, when teams draw from schools with similar demographics?
Anonymous
Post 04/22/2017 09:24     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:... so I am not a D1 former player, but I played HS and have coached U4 -U8 for several years. Coaching is not your answer. It is parents ahead of the curve who seek out friends and put together strong teams. Dhluh!

We have a 4 year old in our U5 Saturday session who can cruyff, stepover, scissor, and roulette, not to mention an outside cut beckenbauer or two. Yippee. What can your kindergartener do? Why can't your kid neat the team of kids who can do this? Cause her mom / dad and siblings do this crap with her, and they play together with other youngsters of soccer siblings and practice. It is not hard to dominate K soccer. What a stupid question. Totally dumb thread.


This. 100 times.

At ANY age, the kids with the most skill are going to be the ones who play a lot on their own. At U6, a coach who sees a team once a week isn't going to conjure up some magical improvement. Give the best coach in the world a team full of kids who don't touch a soccer ball outside the weekly practice, and that coach isn't going to make much difference.

And at U6 especially, the early-blooming athletes are going to dominate. A kid who has lovely skill but isn't as fast as his peers (or doesn't have the leg strength to simply boot the ball across the field on the fly into the Pugg goal) isn't going to have much time and space to show those skills.

Anonymous
Post 04/21/2017 23:29     Subject: Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
... so I am not a D1 former player, but I played HS and have coached U4 -U8 for several years. Coaching is not your answer. It is parents ahead of the curve who seek out friends and put together strong teams. Dhluh!

We have a 4 year old in our U5 Saturday session who can cruyff, stepover, scissor, and roulette, not to mention an outside cut beckenbauer or two. Yippee. What can your kindergartener do? Why can't your kid neat the team of kids who can do this? Cause her mom / dad and siblings do this crap with her, and they play together with other youngsters of soccer siblings and practice. It is not hard to dominate K soccer. What a stupid question. Totally dumb thread.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2017 23:19     Subject: Re:Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:OMG this is the dumbest soccer thread in some time. Please stop!


+1 every one her thinks their kid or spouse coach is some prodigy. Gag! How about some objective reports on your K's ability? What can they even do?
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2017 20:37     Subject: Re:Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OMG this is the dumbest soccer thread in some time. Please stop!


+100. Hoping this thread dies.


why is it dumb and needs to die?


Because they are 6 years old that's why.


many are only 5 actually. what's your point?
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2017 20:31     Subject: Re:Why are some kindergarten teams so much stronger?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OMG this is the dumbest soccer thread in some time. Please stop!


+100. Hoping this thread dies.


why is it dumb and needs to die?


Because they are 6 years old that's why.