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Anonymous wrote:Speed and size are attributes that cannot be trained. That is why they are valued. If you are a slow or undersized player, there is a ceiling. That is true in any sport. It is a bitter pill to swallow if your kid is slow or small but that is the reality.

I agree that slow and undersized are problems. That is also why playing up too many years is such a problem. It makes that player slow in comparison (assuming they are fast when appropriately played). It also makes them tiny in comparison.


BUT, so is a lack of technique. I never see those fast players improve their technique. They just continue on thinking they are doing a good enough job because they keep making teams. An average speed player is more effective if they have excellent technique because they can control the ball. Those fast players as juniors and seniors continue to turn balls over becuase it bounces several feet from their heavy touch.

And the slow midfielders (with many many touches as they try to impress the crowd with their amazing repeated pull backs) lose the ball every single time. It's a one or two touch game people.

Forget about slow anything, and let's not focus on positions. Average speed with great technique versus extremely fast with little technique and poor touch.

By the time the kids get to high school the extremely fast girls have great touches and fabulous technique. They are highly sought after by colleges.

I have never seen a kid with a bad touch develop a great touch and technique. Just not seen it. The highly sought after kids with great touch and technique have always had it. Touch, speed, size, vision, quickness, strength, endurance are things you are born with. You can improve some of these with training but you are starting from a baseline and you have a max line.

lolz, yeah sure they were just born with it. ha ha ha ha
Or maybe they've always had it because their family has a football culture and they started dribbling a ball as soon as they could walk

Yep all those soccer players with a bad touch just do not work at it. It they worked at it they would have a touch like Messi. Hell everyone should have a touch like Messi. Touch is something that can be taught. Every time you see a player with bad touch remember they are just lazy and do not work at it. It’s like shooting in basketball or hitting a baseball. Anyone can do it.

Well you should have told those players earlier to give up since they will NEVER get it.

Yes tell that slow kid he/she can run fast if he/she trains. Tell that fast player with a bad touch he/she can have a great touch if only he/she work at it. It’s not going to happen.

How do you explain kids with great touch when they were young but getting worse when older?

I don't think kids ever really lose their touch but they may not gain the ability to process under pressure. When playing under pressure it is no longer enough to just have great touch your touch has to be either a pass or put in a direction away from pressure. Just settling the ball isn't enough when a defender is collapsing on your right and you need to touch the ball to the left away from pressure. That is the Tactical IQ that is reinforced by excellent technical ability. And that can only improve in increasingly faster and faster environments.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ I disagree. Touch can be learned through deliberate & routine practice. Speed can be fined tuned but it’s 99% hereditary. Soccer IQ can be learned but it’s difficult without dedicated coaching, watching games and lots of in game experience.

My DD has decent first touch, ball skills and can use either foot to kick/dribble because she practiced 2-3 times a week for about 30 minutes besides from her team practices. She was definitely not born with.

The problem for fast kids learning first touch is many of them simply don't need it through their developmental years so they just don't really focus on it or realize that they should. When you can push the ball ahead and always outrun kids to the ball it is hard to imagine ever facing kids who are just as fast.

Yes! First touch and ball skill is critical for below U12. Kids U8-U12 should be developing these skills. Kids that default solely to size and speed in the earliest years are at a disadvantage down the road. It is much harder after U13 to pick up foot skill because of the wiring of the brain and development.

My older one benefited from the birth year from being one of the oldest to moving down to one of the youngest at age U11 (he skipped U11). He was big for calendar year but as he moved up an age group( and we are a family that grows on the later side), he really had to work on his skill and touch to hang in there. He trained a lot to keep up, much more than the physically big/fast teammates that had getting by with their size. At U15 and still isn't one of the biggest (middle' size on the field), but he hasn't had his growth spurt and most of the kids he's playing with that are almost a full year older have reached theirs. He has size 11 feet and if things pan out like the rest of the men in the family, he will be around 6'1". Having that impeccable first touch when the size comes together is something impressive to see. I have seen it with other players. They surge ahead because they end up with both--touch/skill/IQ and size/speed. They have to stay motivated through the shitty years when size/physicality is the divider. Down the road, you need both to succeed.

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speed and size are attributes that cannot be trained. That is why they are valued. If you are a slow or undersized player, there is a ceiling. That is true in any sport. It is a bitter pill to swallow if your kid is slow or small but that is the reality.

I agree that slow and undersized are problems. That is also why playing up too many years is such a problem. It makes that player slow in comparison (assuming they are fast when appropriately played). It also makes them tiny in comparison.


BUT, so is a lack of technique. I never see those fast players improve their technique. They just continue on thinking they are doing a good enough job because they keep making teams. An average speed player is more effective if they have excellent technique because they can control the ball. Those fast players as juniors and seniors continue to turn balls over becuase it bounces several feet from their heavy touch.

And the slow midfielders (with many many touches as they try to impress the crowd with their amazing repeated pull backs) lose the ball every single time. It's a one or two touch game people.

Forget about slow anything, and let's not focus on positions. Average speed with great technique versus extremely fast with little technique and poor touch.

By the time the kids get to high school the extremely fast girls have great touches and fabulous technique. They are highly sought after by colleges.

I have never seen a kid with a bad touch develop a great touch and technique. Just not seen it. The highly sought after kids with great touch and technique have always had it. Touch, speed, size, vision, quickness, strength, endurance are things you are born with. You can improve some of these with training but you are starting from a baseline and you have a max line.

lolz, yeah sure they were just born with it. ha ha ha ha
Or maybe they've always had it because their family has a football culture and they started dribbling a ball as soon as they could walk

Yep all those soccer players with a bad touch just do not work at it. It they worked at it they would have a touch like Messi. Hell everyone should have a touch like Messi. Touch is something that can be taught. Every time you see a player with bad touch remember they are just lazy and do not work at it. It’s like shooting in basketball or hitting a baseball. Anyone can do it.

Well you should have told those players earlier to give up since they will NEVER get it.

Yes tell that slow kid he/she can run fast if he/she trains. Tell that fast player with a bad touch he/she can have a great touch if only he/she work at it. It’s not going to happen.

How do you explain kids with great touch when they were young but getting worse when older?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ I disagree. Touch can be learned through deliberate & routine practice. Speed can be fined tuned but it’s 99% hereditary. Soccer IQ can be learned but it’s difficult without dedicated coaching, watching games and lots of in game experience.

My DD has decent first touch, ball skills and can use either foot to kick/dribble because she practiced 2-3 times a week for about 30 minutes besides from her team practices. She was definitely not born with.

The problem for fast kids learning first touch is many of them simply don't need it through their developmental years so they just don't really focus on it or realize that they should. When you can push the ball ahead and always outrun kids to the ball it is hard to imagine ever facing kids who are just as fast.

I think the bigger question is this: Can a U13 or older player obtain first touch, ball skills, etc with constant practice? I think the answer is a Yes. Whether they want to or not is a completely different problem.

Absolutely they can but there is still no shortcut to do so. It is not dissimilar to learning a language, it is much easier when young but can certainly be done later.

The problem with the athletic players is when they recognize that they need to develop their first touch. By the time it becomes obvious it can be to late. Lots of kids can rely on their speed into high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ I disagree. Touch can be learned through deliberate & routine practice. Speed can be fined tuned but it’s 99% hereditary. Soccer IQ can be learned but it’s difficult without dedicated coaching, watching games and lots of in game experience.

My DD has decent first touch, ball skills and can use either foot to kick/dribble because she practiced 2-3 times a week for about 30 minutes besides from her team practices. She was definitely not born with.

The problem for fast kids learning first touch is many of them simply don't need it through their developmental years so they just don't really focus on it or realize that they should. When you can push the ball ahead and always outrun kids to the ball it is hard to imagine ever facing kids who are just as fast.

I think the bigger question is this: Can a U13 or older player obtain first touch, ball skills, etc with constant practice? I think the answer is a Yes. Whether they want to or not is a completely different problem.

Anonymous wrote:^^ I disagree. Touch can be learned through deliberate & routine practice. Speed can be fined tuned but it’s 99% hereditary. Soccer IQ can be learned but it’s difficult without dedicated coaching, watching games and lots of in game experience.

My DD has decent first touch, ball skills and can use either foot to kick/dribble because she practiced 2-3 times a week for about 30 minutes besides from her team practices. She was definitely not born with.

The problem for fast kids learning first touch is many of them simply don't need it through their developmental years so they just don't really focus on it or realize that they should. When you can push the ball ahead and always outrun kids to the ball it is hard to imagine ever facing kids who are just as fast.

^^ I disagree. Touch can be learned through deliberate & routine practice. Speed can be fined tuned but it’s 99% hereditary. Soccer IQ can be learned but it’s difficult without dedicated coaching, watching games and lots of in game experience.

My DD has decent first touch, ball skills and can use either foot to kick/dribble because she practiced 2-3 times a week for about 30 minutes besides from her team practices. She was definitely not born with.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speed and size are attributes that cannot be trained. That is why they are valued. If you are a slow or undersized player, there is a ceiling. That is true in any sport. It is a bitter pill to swallow if your kid is slow or small but that is the reality.

I agree that slow and undersized are problems. That is also why playing up too many years is such a problem. It makes that player slow in comparison (assuming they are fast when appropriately played). It also makes them tiny in comparison.


BUT, so is a lack of technique. I never see those fast players improve their technique. They just continue on thinking they are doing a good enough job because they keep making teams. An average speed player is more effective if they have excellent technique because they can control the ball. Those fast players as juniors and seniors continue to turn balls over becuase it bounces several feet from their heavy touch.

And the slow midfielders (with many many touches as they try to impress the crowd with their amazing repeated pull backs) lose the ball every single time. It's a one or two touch game people.

Forget about slow anything, and let's not focus on positions. Average speed with great technique versus extremely fast with little technique and poor touch.

By the time the kids get to high school the extremely fast girls have great touches and fabulous technique. They are highly sought after by colleges.

I have never seen a kid with a bad touch develop a great touch and technique. Just not seen it. The highly sought after kids with great touch and technique have always had it. Touch, speed, size, vision, quickness, strength, endurance are things you are born with. You can improve some of these with training but you are starting from a baseline and you have a max line.

lolz, yeah sure they were just born with it. ha ha ha ha
Or maybe they've always had it because their family has a football culture and they started dribbling a ball as soon as they could walk

Yep all those soccer players with a bad touch just do not work at it. It they worked at it they would have a touch like Messi. Hell everyone should have a touch like Messi. Touch is something that can be taught. Every time you see a player with bad touch remember they are just lazy and do not work at it. It’s like shooting in basketball or hitting a baseball. Anyone can do it.

Well you should have told those players earlier to give up since they will NEVER get it.

Yes tell that slow kid he/she can run fast if he/she trains. Tell that fast player with a bad touch he/she can have a great touch if only he/she work at it. It’s not going to happen.

At the top levels you have the good athletes who work hard to improve their skills -- it is not really that hard to figure out.
If you are a great athlete but do not work to improve your skills you will top out. People will give you a look -- think back to the time when pretty much every NBA team had some 7 footer sitting on the end of the bench on the theory that maybe with lots of coaching they could become good. And, Major League baseball teams used to get sprinters to be base stealing specialists. But those days are gone. Simply put there is no one making an EPL first team who does not have very good skills and is a great athlete. At that point, what you are looking at is comparing between folks who are great at everything, but when put with others who are great at everything their athletic ability and skill set gives them different advantages.

Now -- if you have the physical ability then yes you can improvce your skill set and take particular advantage of particular physical assets. I tell this story all the time. One of our good friends' oldest kid was, and still is, the best friend of a guy who he went to school with, and played a variety of sports with growing up. As my daughter was best friends with their daughter, we would see their son and his friend a few times a year at backyard BBQ or walking through the house, and as polite kids do under threat of parental punishment, they always would stop to say hi to the parents' friends. The kid was always nice, polite and obviously an athlete as he played sports with our friend's son who was a good athlete. But, he was nothing special physically. Not big, not small, not super muscular, just a normal sized athletic kid. But, what he did do was work pretty much every single day that he did not have a baseball game, on his baseball skills. Even when playing other sports. Batting cage in the basement. He and his dad basically spent an hour or so every day on something. Every day. For years.

He and his family turned downed being a 3rd round pick out of high school and he went to a very good baseball college. Two years later he could be a low second round pick so he left school. Two more years in the minors where he did well but not -- hey he's a future superstar -- got him onto a major league roster as a utility player. Side story -- after his first major league hit Mark McGuire was playing first base for the opposing team and told him that he could tell it was a just a start -- nice thing to say to a rookie. But, as it turned out, it really was just a start. He's now one of the top players in the major leagues. He's a mid 7 figure a year guy now. His next contract likely will be one of those multi-year 9 figure deals and there's not a team that would kill to have him.

Obviously a guy who has the physical attributes but then he and his dad, for years and years, worked on developing his skills. And, that work ethic continued into college and the pros. And paid off. Yet, if you saw him in high school, as we did, you would not have thought -- hey there's a kid who is headed to be a star player in the major leagues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speed and size are attributes that cannot be trained. That is why they are valued. If you are a slow or undersized player, there is a ceiling. That is true in any sport. It is a bitter pill to swallow if your kid is slow or small but that is the reality.

I agree that slow and undersized are problems. That is also why playing up too many years is such a problem. It makes that player slow in comparison (assuming they are fast when appropriately played). It also makes them tiny in comparison.


BUT, so is a lack of technique. I never see those fast players improve their technique. They just continue on thinking they are doing a good enough job because they keep making teams. An average speed player is more effective if they have excellent technique because they can control the ball. Those fast players as juniors and seniors continue to turn balls over becuase it bounces several feet from their heavy touch.

And the slow midfielders (with many many touches as they try to impress the crowd with their amazing repeated pull backs) lose the ball every single time. It's a one or two touch game people.

Forget about slow anything, and let's not focus on positions. Average speed with great technique versus extremely fast with little technique and poor touch.

By the time the kids get to high school the extremely fast girls have great touches and fabulous technique. They are highly sought after by colleges.

I have never seen a kid with a bad touch develop a great touch and technique. Just not seen it. The highly sought after kids with great touch and technique have always had it. Touch, speed, size, vision, quickness, strength, endurance are things you are born with. You can improve some of these with training but you are starting from a baseline and you have a max line.

lolz, yeah sure they were just born with it. ha ha ha ha
Or maybe they've always had it because their family has a football culture and they started dribbling a ball as soon as they could walk

Yep all those soccer players with a bad touch just do not work at it. It they worked at it they would have a touch like Messi. Hell everyone should have a touch like Messi. Touch is something that can be taught. Every time you see a player with bad touch remember they are just lazy and do not work at it. It’s like shooting in basketball or hitting a baseball. Anyone can do it.

Well you should have told those players earlier to give up since they will NEVER get it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speed and size are attributes that cannot be trained. That is why they are valued. If you are a slow or undersized player, there is a ceiling. That is true in any sport. It is a bitter pill to swallow if your kid is slow or small but that is the reality.

I agree that slow and undersized are problems. That is also why playing up too many years is such a problem. It makes that player slow in comparison (assuming they are fast when appropriately played). It also makes them tiny in comparison.


BUT, so is a lack of technique. I never see those fast players improve their technique. They just continue on thinking they are doing a good enough job because they keep making teams. An average speed player is more effective if they have excellent technique because they can control the ball. Those fast players as juniors and seniors continue to turn balls over becuase it bounces several feet from their heavy touch.

And the slow midfielders (with many many touches as they try to impress the crowd with their amazing repeated pull backs) lose the ball every single time. It's a one or two touch game people.

Forget about slow anything, and let's not focus on positions. Average speed with great technique versus extremely fast with little technique and poor touch.

By the time the kids get to high school the extremely fast girls have great touches and fabulous technique. They are highly sought after by colleges.

I have never seen a kid with a bad touch develop a great touch and technique. Just not seen it. The highly sought after kids with great touch and technique have always had it. Touch, speed, size, vision, quickness, strength, endurance are things you are born with. You can improve some of these with training but you are starting from a baseline and you have a max line.

lolz, yeah sure they were just born with it. ha ha ha ha
Or maybe they've always had it because their family has a football culture and they started dribbling a ball as soon as they could walk

Yep all those soccer players with a bad touch just do not work at it. It they worked at it they would have a touch like Messi. Hell everyone should have a touch like Messi. Touch is something that can be taught. Every time you see a player with bad touch remember they are just lazy and do not work at it. It’s like shooting in basketball or hitting a baseball. Anyone can do it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Arlington girls DA told parents the selection is speed and size. That’s the list and only list.

There is no way Nicci said this to a player or family. And even if someone did say that it's the opposite of the truth. My daughter played for coach Nicci and she is one of the top youth coaches in all DMV and there is no way she would allow that on her watch.

I was there. You were not.

Anonymous wrote:So Arlington girls DA told parents the selection is speed and size. That’s the list and only list.

There is no way Nicci said this to a player or family. And even if someone did say that it's the opposite of the truth. My daughter played for coach Nicci and she is one of the top youth coaches in all DMV and there is no way she would allow that on her watch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speed and size are attributes that cannot be trained. That is why they are valued. If you are a slow or undersized player, there is a ceiling. That is true in any sport. It is a bitter pill to swallow if your kid is slow or small but that is the reality.

I agree that slow and undersized are problems. That is also why playing up too many years is such a problem. It makes that player slow in comparison (assuming they are fast when appropriately played). It also makes them tiny in comparison.


BUT, so is a lack of technique. I never see those fast players improve their technique. They just continue on thinking they are doing a good enough job because they keep making teams. An average speed player is more effective if they have excellent technique because they can control the ball. Those fast players as juniors and seniors continue to turn balls over becuase it bounces several feet from their heavy touch.

And the slow midfielders (with many many touches as they try to impress the crowd with their amazing repeated pull backs) lose the ball every single time. It's a one or two touch game people.

Forget about slow anything, and let's not focus on positions. Average speed with great technique versus extremely fast with little technique and poor touch.

By the time the kids get to high school the extremely fast girls have great touches and fabulous technique. They are highly sought after by colleges.

I have never seen a kid with a bad touch develop a great touch and technique. Just not seen it. The highly sought after kids with great touch and technique have always had it. Touch, speed, size, vision, quickness, strength, endurance are things you are born with. You can improve some of these with training but you are starting from a baseline and you have a max line.

lolz, yeah sure they were just born with it. ha ha ha ha
Or maybe they've always had it because their family has a football culture and they started dribbling a ball as soon as they could walk

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speed and size are attributes that cannot be trained. That is why they are valued. If you are a slow or undersized player, there is a ceiling. That is true in any sport. It is a bitter pill to swallow if your kid is slow or small but that is the reality.

I agree that slow and undersized are problems. That is also why playing up too many years is such a problem. It makes that player slow in comparison (assuming they are fast when appropriately played). It also makes them tiny in comparison.


BUT, so is a lack of technique. I never see those fast players improve their technique. They just continue on thinking they are doing a good enough job because they keep making teams. An average speed player is more effective if they have excellent technique because they can control the ball. Those fast players as juniors and seniors continue to turn balls over becuase it bounces several feet from their heavy touch.

This is my observation. If you are on a “highly” competitive first team and you are there because you are fast and/or big/physical player you are not going to work on technique. You were not selected for your footskills, touch or vision. In the competitive practices and games there is no time to practice on something that will result in failure 95% of the time. It’s like banging your head into a wall. You use what got you there.

A lot of the fast or physical players are barely hanging in there. These kids are know as the rest of the team(anyone below the top 2-4 players). They will work on “their” game. So the technical players get more technical, the physical players get more physical and the fast players rely on speed. Touch and vision is hardwire. A player with good touch likes and enjoys working on technique because it comes nature to them.

Try being fast and physical while trying to control a ball - it requires technique. Don’t fool yourself into believing fast and physical players don’t have technical skills, they are just moving faster than your kid so you observe less precision. Good touch only counts if it is quick enough to make the next decision. Many technical players can’t move quick enough which is why the end up in juggling competitions or futsal.

Most technical players can’t move quick enough?

Omg. This is the dumbest statement I’ve ever read about soccer players.

It’s one of them. I overheard a parent of a DA player saying...”This one touch or first touch thing is so stupid. (Girl’s name) needs a few touches to settle the ball before controlling it...not one touch.”