Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yeah, I mean you can just play football, baseball, and basketball, and then become a great center midfielder at the college level just b/c of your well rounded athletic ability.

Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point.

Do you actually think manipulating an object using feet is as easy as using hands?

They also think learning how to ice skate in order to play hockey would be easy too.

Yeah, kicking a ball is so much harder than manipulating a small puck on ice with a long stick while on ice skates, and also learning strategic team play, etc. LOL.

You have some reading comprehension issue. A PP posted the following:

"Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point."

THEIR argument is that soccer, basketball, hockey, lacrosse and football are all just as easy to pick up in 9th grade and excel in them.

No, my point is that soccer is no more or less hard than those other sports to learn. They all have their challenges. I will say that trying to play a sport while ice skating if you’ve never skated would be quite hard. Most people have run, walked, and jumped before ... so the PP making the point about hockey is spot on. As far as b-ball, soccer, tennis, golf, and baseball I played them all. I was the best at soccer and the worst at golf. I found soccer extremely easy and intuitive to learn (along with b-ball). Unfortunately, I am not tall so as I got older bballl was tougher for me to excel in. Just the result of the basket being 10 ft in the air. Soccer I did not need to be tall, but I did need to be fast, have strength and endurance, and be smart. I could dribble a b-ball and soccer ball both very well. Making a pk was easier than making a free throw. Much larger target and most GKs have no chance anyhow. Splitting a defense with a thru ball or executing a pick and roll were both easy enough to learn. Anyhow ... my point was around some of the posters talking about how hard it is to learn and be good at soccer. That was not my experience. As far as focusing in on one sport vs. many, obviously the more you practice one thing the better you’ll get at it. But, mixing in at least one other sport (maybe not as intensely) is good to prevent burnout and typically lowers injury rates due to use of different muscle groups.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yeah, I mean you can just play football, baseball, and basketball, and then become a great center midfielder at the college level just b/c of your well rounded athletic ability.

Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point.

Do you actually think manipulating an object using feet is as easy as using hands?

They also think learning how to ice skate in order to play hockey would be easy too.

Yeah, kicking a ball is so much harder than manipulating a small puck on ice with a long stick while on ice skates, and also learning strategic team play, etc. LOL.

You have some reading comprehension issue. A PP posted the following:

"Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point."

THEIR argument is that soccer, basketball, hockey, lacrosse and football are all just as easy to pick up in 9th grade and excel in them.

No, my point is that soccer is no more or less hard than those other sports to learn. They all have their challenges. I will say that trying to play a sport while ice skating if you’ve never skated would be quite hard. Most people have run, walked, and jumped before ... so the PP making the point about hockey is spot on. As far as b-ball, soccer, tennis, golf, and baseball I played them all. I was the best at soccer and the worst at golf. I found soccer extremely easy and intuitive to learn (along with b-ball). Unfortunately, I am not tall so as I got older bballl was tougher for me to excel in. Just the result of the basket being 10 ft in the air. Soccer I did not need to be tall, but I did need to be fast, have strength and endurance, and be smart. I could dribble a b-ball and soccer ball both very well. Making a pk was easier than making a free throw. Much larger target and most GKs have no chance anyhow. Splitting a defense with a thru ball or executing a pick and roll were both easy enough to learn. Anyhow ... my point was around some of the posters talking about how hard it is to learn and be good at soccer. That was not my experience. As far as focusing in on one sport vs. many, obviously the more you practice one thing the better you’ll get at it. But, mixing in at least one other sport (maybe not as intensely) is good to prevent burnout and typically lowers injury rates due to use of different muscle groups.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yeah, I mean you can just play football, baseball, and basketball, and then become a great center midfielder at the college level just b/c of your well rounded athletic ability.

Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point.

Do you actually think manipulating an object using feet is as easy as using hands?

They also think learning how to ice skate in order to play hockey would be easy too.

Yeah, kicking a ball is so much harder than manipulating a small puck on ice with a long stick while on ice skates, and also learning strategic team play, etc. LOL.

You have some reading comprehension issue. A PP posted the following:

"Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point."

THEIR argument is that soccer, basketball, hockey, lacrosse and football are all just as easy to pick up in 9th grade and excel in them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Damn he is sexy

+1

+2

I'll fight all of you for him!

-Signed, Middle aged mother of two.

I'm in!

- Signed, A dude

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yeah, I mean you can just play football, baseball, and basketball, and then become a great center midfielder at the college level just b/c of your well rounded athletic ability.

Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point.

Do you actually think manipulating an object using feet is as easy as using hands?

They also think learning how to ice skate in order to play hockey would be easy too.

Yeah, kicking a ball is so much harder than manipulating a small puck on ice with a long stick while on ice skates, and also learning strategic team play, etc. LOL.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yeah, I mean you can just play football, baseball, and basketball, and then become a great center midfielder at the college level just b/c of your well rounded athletic ability.

Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point.

Do you actually think manipulating an object using feet is as easy as using hands?

They also think learning how to ice skate in order to play hockey would be easy too.

Yeah, kicking a ball is so much harder than manipulating a small puck on ice with a long stick while on ice skates, and also learning strategic team play, etc. LOL.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yeah, I mean you can just play football, baseball, and basketball, and then become a great center midfielder at the college level just b/c of your well rounded athletic ability.

Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point.

Do you actually think manipulating an object using feet is as easy as using hands?

They also think learning how to ice skate in order to play hockey would be easy too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yeah, I mean you can just play football, baseball, and basketball, and then become a great center midfielder at the college level just b/c of your well rounded athletic ability.

Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point.

Do you actually think manipulating an object using feet is as easy as using hands?

They also think learning how to ice skate in order to play hockey would be easy too.

That's a terrible analogy. Try again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yeah, I mean you can just play football, baseball, and basketball, and then become a great center midfielder at the college level just b/c of your well rounded athletic ability.

Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point.

Do you actually think manipulating an object using feet is as easy as using hands?

They also think learning how to ice skate in order to play hockey would be easy too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And football isn't soccer either.

We always tend to view soccer through the prism of American sports. When a kid is 13 you have no idea what position he will play in football later on. If they play baseball and are a pitcher then QB is possible but if a growth spurt never happens then that is off the table.

Our sports require certain attributes in order to be successful so it is best to be generalized before your sport is basically selected for you based on how you grow.

Soccer doesn't really work that way. the only position that can limit based on size or attributes is keeper. Because size simply does not matter in soccer skill development does. Time spent developing skills specific to soccer are more helpful to soccer than playing shortstop, unless you are a keeper.

There are not many multi sport world class figure skaters or gymnasts either.

Playing multiple sports is fun and has benefits but our popular sports tend to self select based more on god given attributes than they do skill development.

A kid can play many sports and in 9th grade pick up football and excel depending upon their athleticism. A kid can not pick up soccer in 9th grade and excel.

I agree with you, but still think that a kid could play basketball or some other complimentary sport while focusing on soccer.

Can everyone post how many kids are one their son's roster and how many of them they believe specialize (no other sports. Zero. Just soccer year round). My son has 16 kids on his team and I would say 7 play no other organized sports, but I don't think it's about specializing in soccer as much as it's about money and the other more available sports not being culturally interesting to them.

I'd say about 95% of the roster of my kids' soccer teams have, at a minimum, played multiple years of rec sports in addition to serious soccer for most of their childhoods. Basketball is the most common, but kids have also swam, played flag football, baseball, lacrosse, and done wrestling. I agree with the PP above that soccer is a sport that pretty much requires early specialization for kids to succeed, unlike football, but that doesn't mean you can't play one or more other sports casually and get the benefits from that.

In general, I think rec sports are a great complement to almost all travel sports.

That is probably true of my son's soccer team too, having played other sports in addition to serious soccer, but once we got to the seniors, that changed. My DS last year (U16) tried to play just on his HS JV basketball team, in addition to keeping up with club soccer, and it was tough. He was constantly sacrificing one for the other. I can't think of another one of his teammates who are playing another sport seriously, maybe something in a rec league. To his teammates it's soccer, soccer, soccer.

This year the HS varsity basketball coach wanted DS on the team, but DS knew at that level it wouldn't work out with U17 club soccer. And with soccer being the sport he has the better shot at playing in college*, he didn't play basketball.

*note: we aren't trying for athletic scholarships, and with his planned major, D1 soccer would be insanely tough to manage. He'd just like to keep playing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yeah, I mean you can just play football, baseball, and basketball, and then become a great center midfielder at the college level just b/c of your well rounded athletic ability.

Ah, you misunderstand. No one is saying that either (unless you’re Bo Jackson). Soccer is no more difficult to learn than basketball or hockey or lacrosse or football etc. that was my actual point.

Do you actually think manipulating an object using feet is as easy as using hands?