Anonymous
Post 01/17/2021 10:02     Subject: Re:Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:I think too many people who have smaller less athletic kids try to convince themselves that technical and IQ are the great equalizer. The truth is the more athletic bigger kid has more potential and comes with a higher reward to the club/coach to keep and develop. Genetics is the number one factor in almost all sports soccer included. The amount of work needed to be put in by the smaller less athletic player just to reach the level to compete with the genetically better athletes is more of a risk for the same reward as working with the more athletic kid. Can it be done? Yes absolutely it can. However its really against overwhelming odds. Im sure everyone would be proud to say my kid is Messi or Lebron or JJ Watt. Reality is most kids playing soccer in the US aren't competing with our countries best athletes to begin with. If they are not already standing out head and shoulders above everyone they are playing with now. The chances of them reaching any type of elite status are even lower. Just have your kids put 100% in whatever they do. Whether it be soccer, studies, video games, or making their bed. Teach them to their best at everything they do every time they do it. If they do they be more successful for it. Good habits carry over to all aspects of life.


Yep. +1.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2021 10:00     Subject: Re:Playing time expectations
I think too many people who have smaller less athletic kids try to convince themselves that technical and IQ are the great equalizer. The truth is the more athletic bigger kid has more potential and comes with a higher reward to the club/coach to keep and develop. Genetics is the number one factor in almost all sports soccer included. The amount of work needed to be put in by the smaller less athletic player just to reach the level to compete with the genetically better athletes is more of a risk for the same reward as working with the more athletic kid. Can it be done? Yes absolutely it can. However its really against overwhelming odds. Im sure everyone would be proud to say my kid is Messi or Lebron or JJ Watt. Reality is most kids playing soccer in the US aren't competing with our countries best athletes to begin with. If they are not already standing out head and shoulders above everyone they are playing with now. The chances of them reaching any type of elite status are even lower. Just have your kids put 100% in whatever they do. Whether it be soccer, studies, video games, or making their bed. Teach them to their best at everything they do every time they do it. If they do they be more successful for it. Good habits carry over to all aspects of life.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2021 08:19     Subject: Playing time expectations
Speed sets it up. Skill finishes. Intelligence can overcome lack of other attributes, and so can heart. It all matters. Find coaches that look for good players and develops their strengths while shoring up their weaknesses. There is no one size fits all. However, without heart, tell your kid to take up solo running, cycling, swimming, lifting to stay in shape, but have him/her stay out of competitive sports. Heart (effort/desire) is the most important ingredient to true competitive success.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 12:57     Subject: Re:Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by “world standards”? Not sure I understand. Just that people tend to appreciate athleticism over technical skills?


what’s meant is you look at the top area kids right now let’s say the top 100 in each age. They look great compared to the other area kids but compare them to the same age players in Europe and SA and the are far below the average . Not being a negative Nancy it’s just where we are at this point . Stay positive better times are ahead.


99.9999% of American youth players will only ever play against Americans; why should they care that Europeans of the same age are better?


I think PP was saying we think some kids are technically sound but in reality they aren't if you compare them to the rest of the world.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 12:46     Subject: Re:Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:
A technical player that is small, weak and slow will get destroyed by the fast/stronger defenders.

Hence, small skilled players needs to be moderately quick/fast, and somewhat strong too. Intelligence is important but having the skills and smarts without the speed/quickness/strength is very limitin


I am the PP you are responding to, and I agree - my point was, it is ok to be moderately quick/fast and strong. You don't have to be the utmost athlete.


And the PP.

I agree and I think it’s a balance. A player’s strength needs to be able to compensate for his/her weakness as long as the weakness to not too weak. If a player is way too small, too weak or too show, it’s almost impossible for his/her soccer IQ or skills to adequately compensate for it.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 12:18     Subject: Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:A technical player that is small, weak and slow will get destroyed by the fast/stronger defenders.

Hence, small skilled players needs to be moderately quick/fast, and somewhat strong too. Intelligence is important but having the skills and smarts without the speed/quickness/strength is very limiting.


Absolutely. But in real life, the smaller skilled player won't be encouraged to learn how to use his or her body and make intelligent choices because the player will be bumped down to the B or C team or remain on the A team and won't play at all. Trust me.


100% this. They will even be told they have better skill/IQ but not the size as their reason for not moving up. And, on the big field at U13-15 it can make a significant difference to be lacking in physical maturity.

If you can navigate a kid through these years---a kid like that will end up infinitely better because he has had to use skill and high IQ to get around physically bigger players. A kid that is massive early runs the risk of relying on that physicality. That is why I in Europe--kids are challenged appropriately. They move an older age kid that has not developed yet down an age group for awhile and one that is dominating due to size up an age group. Our 1 year model is crap. You have fully grown kids at 14 and kids that don't even start growing until 15.

I agree our system won't change because almost all soccer players in the Us stop playing by Senior year of HS (and most before). The later growers never materialize.



Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 11:51     Subject: Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:A technical player that is small, weak and slow will get destroyed by the fast/stronger defenders.

Hence, small skilled players needs to be moderately quick/fast, and somewhat strong too. Intelligence is important but having the skills and smarts without the speed/quickness/strength is very limiting.


Absolutely. But in real life, the smaller skilled player won't be encouraged to learn how to use his or her body and make intelligent choices because the player will be bumped down to the B or C team or remain on the A team and won't play at all. Trust me.


That depends on the club and coach. Whatever may have been true twenty years ago, there are plenty of coaches in this area today who do NOT do this if the kid is genuinely skilled.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 11:48     Subject: Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:A technical player that is small, weak and slow will get destroyed by the fast/stronger defenders.

Hence, small skilled players needs to be moderately quick/fast, and somewhat strong too. Intelligence is important but having the skills and smarts without the speed/quickness/strength is very limiting.


Cleaerly some degree of athleticism is important. Weedy donkeys are not going to make good soccer players. A lack of blazing speed is not nearly such a problem. Sure such a player would struggle to beat a fast/strong defender - which is why a slower, more technical player doesn't typically play on the wing. A winger needs to be fast and able to dribble. It's nice if they can reliably cross the ball too. But there's plenty of room on a soccer field for players who are not blazingly fast - just not on the wings or at fullback.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 11:38     Subject: Re:Playing time expectations
A technical player that is small, weak and slow will get destroyed by the fast/stronger defenders.

Hence, small skilled players needs to be moderately quick/fast, and somewhat strong too. Intelligence is important but having the skills and smarts without the speed/quickness/strength is very limitin


I am the PP you are responding to, and I agree - my point was, it is ok to be moderately quick/fast and strong. You don't have to be the utmost athlete.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 11:36     Subject: Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:A technical player that is small, weak and slow will get destroyed by the fast/stronger defenders.

Hence, small skilled players needs to be moderately quick/fast, and somewhat strong too. Intelligence is important but having the skills and smarts without the speed/quickness/strength is very limiting.


Absolutely. But in real life, the smaller skilled player won't be encouraged to learn how to use his or her body and make intelligent choices because the player will be bumped down to the B or C team or remain on the A team and won't play at all. Trust me.


I agree. Smaller skilled players needs to do some age appropriate strength training.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 11:29     Subject: Re:Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by “world standards”? Not sure I understand. Just that people tend to appreciate athleticism over technical skills?


what’s meant is you look at the top area kids right now let’s say the top 100 in each age. They look great compared to the other area kids but compare them to the same age players in Europe and SA and the are far below the average . Not being a negative Nancy it’s just where we are at this point . Stay positive better times are ahead.


99.9999% of American youth players will only ever play against Americans; why should they care that Europeans of the same age are better?
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 11:24     Subject: Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:A technical player that is small, weak and slow will get destroyed by the fast/stronger defenders.

Hence, small skilled players needs to be moderately quick/fast, and somewhat strong too. Intelligence is important but having the skills and smarts without the speed/quickness/strength is very limiting.


Absolutely. But in real life, the smaller skilled player won't be encouraged to learn how to use his or her body and make intelligent choices because the player will be bumped down to the B or C team or remain on the A team and won't play at all. Trust me.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 11:20     Subject: Playing time expectations
A technical player that is small, weak and slow will get destroyed by the fast/stronger defenders.

Hence, small skilled players needs to be moderately quick/fast, and somewhat strong too. Intelligence is important but having the skills and smarts without the speed/quickness/strength is very limiting.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 11:00     Subject: Re:Playing time expectations
What do you mean by “world standards”? Not sure I understand. Just that people tend to appreciate athleticism over technical skills?


Part of being a good technical player is being athletic enough to preform technical skills under pressure . That means if your smaller and not as strong you must have the ability to navigate around the more athletic kids without being pushed off the ball. Just having technical skills isn’t enough against a stronger faster player just facts


I think you are leaving out a factor - intelligence. My son is small and moderately athletic, but not exceedingly so. He has good technical skills, and he can often get around larger and faster players by making the right decisions, .
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2021 10:31     Subject: Re:Playing time expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by “world standards”? Not sure I understand. Just that people tend to appreciate athleticism over technical skills?


Part of being a good technical player is being athletic enough to preform technical skills under pressure . That means if your smaller and not as strong you must have the ability to navigate around the more athletic kids without being pushed off the ball. Just having technical skills isn’t enough against a stronger faster player just facts


You are making me do this:
*perform
*you're