Anonymous wrote:Coach - what's the most successful drills you've used to help U9/10 keep their head up when receiving/dribbling/passing the ball? Thanks!

Hey-

So this is also a huge misconception. At U8/U9/U10 it is completely normal for players to keep looking at the ball while they are dribbling/passing etc. especially if they just started playing soccer. As they become more familiar with the ball at their feet, they will start to look up more. In a team setting, good dribbling exercises for this would be getting the whole team to dribble in a tight space, so then players have to make sure not to run into anyone (therefore looking up). I usually encourage players at this age to just start taking peeks and looking up to see where there are going and what's in front of them. Also, playing in regular soccer games will help them because obviously there are defenders.

^ sounds like the parents want it more than the kid.

My U12 daughter (10 - turns 11 at the end of December) has standout technical skills - great passing, trapping, equal ability (passing, shooting, etc.) with right and left feet. Can juggle +100 (alternating right/left). Every coach (her coach/other teams' coaches in the club) that have seen her play/practice exclaim - WOW - incredible soccer IQ - keep doing it, you will go far. BUT. (always a but, right?) she lacks aggression/ball hungry/ball hog-ness. And it seems to be getting worse each season. E.g., last game - she made this incredible trap of a goal kick at mid-field - stopped the booming high kick ball DEAD on her foot - and then left it there (practically ducked and bowed away) . . .I asked her - what happened? "Oh, I thought my (wing) buddy was going to get it." Of course that kid/wing buddy was running to (inappropriately) get the ball/take the ball away from her teammate - and my kid bows out and lets her friend take it. Anyway - bottom line, my kid big time lacks aggression. Will this come? Just keep fostering the technical skills in the meantime in the hope that it happens? She used to be a star, but as she ages she gets more and more dominated by the physical players (doesn't help that she is still quite small/petite/no growth spurt yet).

All this (internally) kills my husband who played D1 soccer. He wants her to play in college since he enjoyed (playing in college) so much. Bottom line - I think she fits in the "coaches know if someone has the xx to play in college" (from above) factor - because we have been told by so many different observers how good her skills/IQ are . . . but the aggression/desire is clearly not going to cut it now and in the future. Have folks seen their girls change in this respect?

I don't know if private coaches can help your kid move to the next level, but they can definitely transfer $$$ from your pocket to theirs.

Coach - very interesting thread - thanks! Two questions:

You have made multiple references to getting kids evaluated by a "qualified" outsider. Who does this and how do we find them?

Also, I've heard that private coaches can help kids move to the next level. Where do we find these folks?

I have a U12 who has been playing mostly striker with the occasional time in wing for his entire career. I've been concerned because I feel like he's been playing this/these so long he's lost out on valuable developmental time. I want to ask the coach to play him elsewhere but he loves playing up top and wants me to let it be. FWIW all the parents on the team think he's a "natural forward" and don't understand why I am worried. Next year at U13 will they add a second striker position to the field? I'm concerned a better striker will wander in and he will end up on the bench or cut. Thoughts?

Coach - what's the most successful drills you've used to help U9/10 keep their head up when receiving/dribbling/passing the ball? Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a versatile player, who excels at multiple positions, I wonder what positions coaches of high level teams (DA and ECNL) consider to be the hardest to fill?

Striker and a good Center Midfielder (Especially Holding Mids) are by far the most difficult positions to play and the most difficult positions to find. They are extremely niche positions and require a lot of positional intelligence.

Anonymous wrote:

NOVASoccerCoach wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coach, my U13 kid has been playing for a small club’s top team for a few years now and had several coaches. He has a slender build, is fast with the ball, has better than average footwork and better than average vision in passing. He is good in cutting in and intercept but is usually not aggressive or persistent in defense. He enjoys nutmegging more than shooting, and he provides lots of assists. All coaches put him in the wings, and he seems happy about it. The coaches told me his biggest weakness is shooting, but he doesn’t get the chances to shoot playing winger. Is always playing winger the best thing for his development? What would be your advice? Thanks.

Around U13 is when positional specialization starts to be nailed down. Obviously I've never seen your kid play before but if he is quick and technical, then he should be able to cut inside and shoot on his preferred foot. I don't think him playing as a winger is hampering his development if he's good at it. If he wants to get more shooting chances, he should watch Youtube videos of wingers like Hazard, Robben, Ronaldo and watch how they cut inside from the wing and create shooting opportunities for themselves

Thank you for your insight and advice, coach. He watches Jordi Alba every week. I’ll tell him to watch more Hazard. He hates Ronaldo so I wouldn’t push him on that.

No problem. Any top winger will cut inside and look to score. There are a lot of them. Robben is a very good example

As a parent of a versatile player, who excels at multiple positions, I wonder what positions coaches of high level teams (DA and ECNL) consider to be the hardest to fill?

NOVASoccerCoach wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coach, my U13 kid has been playing for a small club’s top team for a few years now and had several coaches. He has a slender build, is fast with the ball, has better than average footwork and better than average vision in passing. He is good in cutting in and intercept but is usually not aggressive or persistent in defense. He enjoys nutmegging more than shooting, and he provides lots of assists. All coaches put him in the wings, and he seems happy about it. The coaches told me his biggest weakness is shooting, but he doesn’t get the chances to shoot playing winger. Is always playing winger the best thing for his development? What would be your advice? Thanks.

Around U13 is when positional specialization starts to be nailed down. Obviously I've never seen your kid play before but if he is quick and technical, then he should be able to cut inside and shoot on his preferred foot. I don't think him playing as a winger is hampering his development if he's good at it. If he wants to get more shooting chances, he should watch Youtube videos of wingers like Hazard, Robben, Ronaldo and watch how they cut inside from the wing and create shooting opportunities for themselves

Thank you for your insight and advice, coach. He watches Jordi Alba every week. I’ll tell him to watch more Hazard. He hates Ronaldo so I wouldn’t push him on that.

NOVASoccerCoach wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a big difference between the kids who start rec before 5, and those who wait until 6 or 7? I mean, obviously that first year will be a learning curve, but does it even out by middle school? I have always thought toddler sports were ridiculous, but since we have your attention, I would love to confirm that. ( Or be proven wrong.)

I wouldn't say rec matters too much. What does matter is familiarity with the ball and how early that starts. Your kid could go play rec, learn absolutely nothing and maybe practice and learn some technical soccer skills. There's actually a lot of studies done on this, specifically by Tom Byer, an American who is responsible for much of the technical soccer development in Japan. Basically the TLDR is if your player starts learning and getting used to dribbling/basic ball mastery techniques at an early age, they will be further ahead. Take two kids, one of them starts getting used to dribbling the ball at age 4 while the other never touches a soccer ball then starts playing Rec at age 7. That kid who started at age 4 already has 3 years of practice and familiarity than the age 7 kid. Skill Acquiesce actually has been studied to slowly decrease as a kid gets older, so the earlier start, the better. Hopefully that answers the question.

It does. I appreciate your candor.

NOVASoccerCoach wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ummmm, all I had to read was your first post in the other thread to know not to read anything you advise. I'd also recommend that for anyone here.

Any coach who says a kids potential is fully realized before age 12 is not intelligent when it comes to sports. My goodness. This is especially true for girls who develop in a a completely different manner than boys both physically and mentally.

I did not read past the first post in the other thread. I could see that reasoning at U15 for girls and U16 for boys.

Don't you have Instagram account to attend to?

Are you thinking of the same Insta account I am?

I don't have an instagram account.

Twitter?

NOVASoccerCoach wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

NOVASoccerCoach wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coach,

How important is being proficient with both feet (dribbling, passing and kicking) for U12 Girls? Are most or all ECNL U12/13 girls proficient with both feet?

Extremely important. You've got to have two good feet, especially for passing. Imagine being a midfielder and only being able to use your right foot. That means you can only open your body up to the right say. So essentially, you are one-dimensional. You've got to be able to receive the ball on both feet to be able to have the option to play either side. Now you definitely don't have to have shooting prowess with both feet but you've got to be able to dribble and pass with two feet. Also, the weak foot doesn't get better over time. It has to be worked on and practiced every single day. That's why using both feet is supposed to be highly emphasize when players are really young because its much easier to get both feet improving at that age compared to as they get older.

So are all or most ECNL girls proficient with both feet then, Coach?

I'd say the best players are. Varies by the club and the pool they are selecting from.

Thank you so much for your prompt responses.

NOVASoccerCoach wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ummmm, all I had to read was your first post in the other thread to know not to read anything you advise. I'd also recommend that for anyone here.

Any coach who says a kids potential is fully realized before age 12 is not intelligent when it comes to sports. My goodness. This is especially true for girls who develop in a a completely different manner than boys both physically and mentally.

I did not read past the first post in the other thread. I could see that reasoning at U15 for girls and U16 for boys.

Don't you have Instagram account to attend to?

As I said in my intro if you don't care for my opinions just go somewhere else. My point in the first thread was to say that if your kid isn't technically sound by U12 it's going to be a difficult road if you as a parent have D1 aspirations for them. This isn't me pulling info out of my ass. I've worked with D1 coaches, scouted alongside them and that's just the harsh truth. Will some kids at U12 play D1 if they are technically behind? Yes there's a chance if they work their tails off every single day but for the most part if your kid at U12 isn't technically sound and shows no signs of growing athleticism, it's going to be difficult

+1000. If you don’t want to listen or believe the coach’s opinion, advises or perspective, please go elsewhere. The rest of us value his opinion. Thank you.