Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone found a club like this anywhere in this area:

At the PA Classics, Christian was told to "go out there and express yourself." It meant he could take players on one-on-one or one-on-two again and again, and no one would yell at him to pass. Klein and the other PA Classics coaches allow their youngest kids to play all over the field, letting them find their best position intuitively. "You watch our games, and no one is constantly yelling instructions, no one is joysticking kids around the field or the other behavior you see from some coaches," Klein says.

Our kids' club is constantly directing, yelling to pass and where to pass.

PAC's coaches generally aren't joystick coaches. It's a mixed bag elsewhere. All coaching instruction these days warns against joystick coaching, but the message doesn't always sink in.

Joystick coaching is all over the DMV---even at the places that swear they don't do it.

Let me clarify: that wasn't a jab at PAC. We aren't at PAC--but now several coaches there and my kids have played against many of their teams. We haven't had luck elsewhere. It's pretty coach dependent too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone found a club like this anywhere in this area:

At the PA Classics, Christian was told to "go out there and express yourself." It meant he could take players on one-on-one or one-on-two again and again, and no one would yell at him to pass. Klein and the other PA Classics coaches allow their youngest kids to play all over the field, letting them find their best position intuitively. "You watch our games, and no one is constantly yelling instructions, no one is joysticking kids around the field or the other behavior you see from some coaches," Klein says.

Our kids' club is constantly directing, yelling to pass and where to pass.

PAC's coaches generally aren't joystick coaches. It's a mixed bag elsewhere. All coaching instruction these days warns against joystick coaching, but the message doesn't always sink in.

Joystick coaching is all over the DMV---even at the places that swear they don't do it.

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone found a club like this anywhere in this area:

At the PA Classics, Christian was told to "go out there and express yourself." It meant he could take players on one-on-one or one-on-two again and again, and no one would yell at him to pass. Klein and the other PA Classics coaches allow their youngest kids to play all over the field, letting them find their best position intuitively. "You watch our games, and no one is constantly yelling instructions, no one is joysticking kids around the field or the other behavior you see from some coaches," Klein says.

Our kids' club is constantly directing, yelling to pass and where to pass.

PAC's coaches generally aren't joystick coaches. It's a mixed bag elsewhere. All coaching instruction these days warns against joystick coaching, but the message doesn't always sink in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On some teams the best players are put in the back and the team is built from there. There is no doubt about who the best players are.

Agree. But, anyone can argue that you don't put an 8/9 year old back there exclusively. You develop the whole player.

If your kid isn't regularly getting the chance to play multiple positions at that age, you are in the wrong place.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shine all year long and last 20 minutes of tryouts is what is the determining factor.

Have fun with your losers next year. I watched them all season they couldn't complete a pass and the Striker never scored a single.goal. How can you have a striker that has never scored even when perfect assist after assist after through ball is put on his foot. Bye-buh.

I think we were on your team last year

What age?

I've seen it all. Kids that were never on upper fields or being considered for movement somehow materializing on the rosters in the 11th hour when the Club politicians fail to listen to the coaching staff. Oh well--their teams can continue to suck and keep getting knocked farther and farther down.

Your kid will be better off away from a place like that.

Classic Travel soccer move. The 11th hour politics play.

This I'll never understand. We've been to two places now where they completely ignore the coaching staff. They instead go by someone who has never watched the kids play--or only for 10 minutes over the course of the year.

Anonymous wrote:On some teams the best players are put in the back and the team is built from there. There is no doubt about who the best players are.

Agree. But, anyone can argue that you don't put an 8/9 year old back there exclusively. You develop the whole player.

On some teams the best players are put in the back and the team is built from there. There is no doubt about who the best players are.

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone found a club like this anywhere in this area:

At the PA Classics, Christian was told to "go out there and express yourself." It meant he could take players on one-on-one or one-on-two again and again, and no one would yell at him to pass. Klein and the other PA Classics coaches allow their youngest kids to play all over the field, letting them find their best position intuitively. "You watch our games, and no one is constantly yelling instructions, no one is joysticking kids around the field or the other behavior you see from some coaches," Klein says.

Our kids' club is constantly directing, yelling to pass and where to pass.

mine was stuck at left back at u9 because nobody else on the team would play defense or stop the ball. ironically, the kid is a natural center and usually forward. But--everytime they were getting crushed 'to the back with you'.

Has anyone found a club like this anywhere in this area:

At the PA Classics, Christian was told to "go out there and express yourself." It meant he could take players on one-on-one or one-on-two again and again, and no one would yell at him to pass. Klein and the other PA Classics coaches allow their youngest kids to play all over the field, letting them find their best position intuitively. "You watch our games, and no one is constantly yelling instructions, no one is joysticking kids around the field or the other behavior you see from some coaches," Klein says.

Our kids' club is constantly directing, yelling to pass and where to pass.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shine all year long and last 20 minutes of tryouts is what is the determining factor.

Have fun with your losers next year. I watched them all season they couldn't complete a pass and the Striker never scored a single.goal. How can you have a striker that has never scored even when perfect assist after assist after through ball is put on his foot. Bye-buh.

I think we were on your team last year

What age?

I've seen it all. Kids that were never on upper fields or being considered for movement somehow materializing on the rosters in the 11th hour when the Club politicians fail to listen to the coaching staff. Oh well--their teams can continue to suck and keep getting knocked farther and farther down.

Your kid will be better off away from a place like that.

+100

Things always work out for the best. We've always ended up in a better place in situations like this. Always. Talent always wins out in the end.

I used to not be a believer in this, but it has played out tremendously well for my son over the past few years. Each time we've had "you've got to be f*Cking kidding moment" (including today!!!!) something really amazing gets offered that is a million times better than where he would have been. He works hard so he earns it, but it's like there is a little bit of kismet following him around.

I will never be amazed at what happens in this sport which is why we are always damn well-prepared with options. Turns out the 'options' usually end much better in the long run.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shine all year long and last 20 minutes of tryouts is what is the determining factor.

Have fun with your losers next year. I watched them all season they couldn't complete a pass and the Striker never scored a single.goal. How can you have a striker that has never scored even when perfect assist after assist after through ball is put on his foot. Bye-buh.

I think we were on your team last year

What age?

I've seen it all. Kids that were never on upper fields or being considered for movement somehow materializing on the rosters in the 11th hour when the Club politicians fail to listen to the coaching staff. Oh well--their teams can continue to suck and keep getting knocked farther and farther down.

Your kid will be better off away from a place like that.

Classic Travel soccer move. The 11th hour politics play.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shine all year long and last 20 minutes of tryouts is what is the determining factor.

Have fun with your losers next year. I watched them all season they couldn't complete a pass and the Striker never scored a single.goal. How can you have a striker that has never scored even when perfect assist after assist after through ball is put on his foot. Bye-buh.

I think we were on your team last year

What age?

I've seen it all. Kids that were never on upper fields or being considered for movement somehow materializing on the rosters in the 11th hour when the Club politicians fail to listen to the coaching staff. Oh well--their teams can continue to suck and keep getting knocked farther and farther down.

Your kid will be better off away from a place like that.

+100

Things always work out for the best. We've always ended up in a better place in situations like this. Always. Talent always wins out in the end.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shine all year long and last 20 minutes of tryouts is what is the determining factor.

Have fun with your losers next year. I watched them all season they couldn't complete a pass and the Striker never scored a single.goal. How can you have a striker that has never scored even when perfect assist after assist after through ball is put on his foot. Bye-buh.

I think we were on your team last year

What age?

I've seen it all. Kids that were never on upper fields or being considered for movement somehow materializing on the rosters in the 11th hour when the Club politicians fail to listen to the coaching staff. Oh well--their teams can continue to suck and keep getting knocked farther and farther down.

Your kid will be better off away from a place like that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the disconnect here is that those who say the fall birthday kids lost a year are judging based on the stage their child is right now, where the other camp is looking at the entire possible course of a kid's travel soccer playing career prior to college. A Fall birthday kid who started at U9 and "missed" U10 due to the birth year change will play 10 years of travel soccer if he sticks with it: U9, U11, U12, U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, U18 and U19. His January birthday classmate who started at U9 with him but didn't skip U10 will also play 10 years of travel soccer if he sticks with it: U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18.

Correct, but overall number of playing years was not the discussion. The discussion was the CURRENT disadvantage to kids playing with other kids that ALREADY have that extra year of training.

Retention rates are low and in your example, while correct, the benefit of being able to play as a U19 is not as much of a factor as the disadvantage of a late birthday kid playing with his contemporaries, but who may have had an additional training year.

It seemed that several posters were talking past each other, so I thought it would be helpful to more clearly frame the discussion.

To your point, I'm still not sure it makes sense to claim that there is a current disadvantage for all young Fall birthday kids--certainly it seems overly dramatic to say, as a PP did, that there is "massive difference" because some kids have an extra year of travel team development. Like I said in my post above, this scenario assumes that all kids start travel soccer at U9, which is not the case, and it ignores the fact that a kid starting at U9 or U10 may have as much as 5 years of soccer training at home or as little as none, even if they are in the class above your kid. It also seems to assume that all kids are going to develop at the same rate each year of a travel program, which is not true. Your fall birthday kid in a good program may well have progressed more rapidly in his one year of travel soccer than his new teammate did at another club in his two years there.

As others have said, if you or your kid have any worries about their relative lack of experience, and those concerns motivate your child to work on skills at home for a few hours a week, your kid will progress more rapidly in just a few months than the majority of his teammates regardless of their travel background.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shine all year long and last 20 minutes of tryouts is what is the determining factor.

Have fun with your losers next year. I watched them all season they couldn't complete a pass and the Striker never scored a single.goal. How can you have a striker that has never scored even when perfect assist after assist after through ball is put on his foot. Bye-buh.

I think we were on your team last year

What age?