One of our kids coaches emphasized at almost every practice and game- what’s the point if you aren’t having fun?! And that is what we, as their guiding adults, ought to keep in mind, is this still fun? It is a sport after all and if work doesn’t feel like work they will be at it all day! So for those of you new to the soccer scene the beginning level of skill and cost is called Recreational soccer and where I live the next level is Competitive or Club soccer. Within the Club circuit there are distinctions of different levels. And just know that as you go up in levels so does the cost. (Note ; a higher cost does not always = better coaching see Coach Evaluation is Coming Soon! for more on that topic)
Recreational soccer is coached by volunteers. If you have been voluntold for your child’s team and have no idea what practices should look like there are a ton of links on YouTube for how to run an effective soccer practice.
Your child is ready for competitive soccer when they are no longer being challenged in rec. and if you look around and having your son or daughter play with the older ages won’t challenge him or her either. This is the same as you move up the club hierarchy.
In the meantime you will hear it from the experts it is all about touch touch touch!
Remember above where its mentioned this should be a FUN SPORT 🙂 Getting their feet comfortable on the ball so that they almost move the ball like their feet are another set of hands is the objective. When they can do this it is a beautiful art.
And patience! This game takes time to master. Have I? No, but I have watched our kids in their individually unique development journeys’ and how those personalities play out on the field.
I love to follow the The Soccer Specialist he has this chart about youth development with the game and it is true.
It is important to note how he delineates that there is growth we just may be looking at a dip in a week or a whole season, but the trajectory is improvement.
We have seen so much in our younger son (4th in birth order), he is almost 7 and has been playing since 3.
Pre 2 years into club I thought people were nuts whether financially able to or not to put 5 year olds in club. However, I get it now. Soccer is fun and part of the fun for those who are competitive is competition!
Our oldest, who is 14, had a Coach who followed the Club’s instructions and at 9v9 he was teaching tactics and strategies – great things to learn – but if kids did not have fundamentals – what was the point. All that to say, we moved him from his first club to an environment that taught the basics – foundations at the beginning of every practice, drills that varied each practice, and our kids favorites – scrimmaging each other with very few rules. THIS!! When the U.S. is compared as bottom of the totem pole for producing soccer talent it is because it isn’t embedded in our culture as it is in most of the world.
Creativity in this game comes from kids free play time – older/younger vs parents.
