Player development

[Unregistered]

It's called YouTube. My kid has excellent footskills due to exactly what the poster above pointed out, hours and hours in the backyard with the ball trying out moves executed by his favorite professionals that he watches on the myriad highlight clips out there. There are a bunch of other YouTube channels with all sorts of technical drills, which he does some of, but he likes to create his own drills. Get some cones and you're good to go. His club certainly didn't help, all tactical, even at the youngest ages.

Well maybe if that's the only resource available but as someone who has actually trained children for many years, it is not a replacement for a dedicated coach/trainer. Practicing something 10,000 times like you see on a screen may fall short for many, many reasons.

Sure, it is better than not doing it, but it also presents additional issues regarding technique and application.

[Unregistered]

Ahh, so your kid is the one that doesn’t know how to deliver a pass under pressure or an insightful ball that breaks the lines of the opposition. But he knows how to go 1v1 and hold the ball too long until he gets dispossessed while he’s got 3 open options. Good old YouTube, flicks and tricks!

This type of response is not productive. You are criticizing a kid who is making extra effort to improve at one part of their game. SMH.

[Unregistered]

Well maybe if that's the only resource available but as someone who has actually trained children for many years, it is not a replacement for a dedicated coach/trainer. Practicing something 10,000 times like you see on a screen may fall short for many, many reasons.

Sure, it is better than not doing it, but it also presents additional issues regarding technique and application.

Coming from a trainer no doubt. How much do you charge per hour? Team coaches by and large are not dedicated and even when they are there's only so much time to work on the basics. Trainers come at a steep cost. They can serve a purpose some times, but there are plenty of online resources out there (use a variety to mix It up) and watching pro games can be done for free. Find some friends to play with in the park. Free play is sorely lacking here in the US. Everything is structured and scheduled.

[Unregistered]

Coming from a trainer no doubt. How much do you charge per hour? Team coaches by and large are not dedicated and even when they are there's only so much time to work on the basics. Trainers come at a steep cost. They can serve a purpose some times, but there are plenty of online resources out there (use a variety to mix It up) and watching pro games can be done for free. Find some friends to play with in the park. Free play is sorely lacking here in the US. Everything is structured and scheduled.

You are correct to some degree that " everything is structured and scheduled" , but that is clearly the path paved by the herd that believes the current system is the only way to go.
There are alternatives. There are other pathways to success even with participation in the current environment at the same time. Free play is encouraged and can be great , however there are limits to the levels of proficiency that can be achieved.

What I am saying is that if your desire is to maximize the potential of the individual child regarding an endeavor, a dedicated coach /trainer with personal interaction is the superior method and gives the best opportunity for successful results.

[Unregistered]

OW is the place to be!

no freaking way. Find a good coach that cares. They don't care at oakwood.

[Unregistered]

How are you defining development? That's a pretty broad term

Is it teaching players foot skills and basic tactics? Or are we talking about the progression from learning the game in small sided, progression to the larger field,movement off of the ball and s eventually teaching players to really understand the details and responsibilities of a position on the field. This would ultimately culminate with the player being recruited to the collegiate level and helping them to prepare for success at that level.

I'd say CFC Arsenal and Oakwood are the two places that do a good job with development. OW can take their players through the entire track while Arsenal would push their better players onto the United platform and U14 and up.

Teams like Wrona, Academica and Ginga are basically high school JV teams by U15. Might be a good place to start locally and learn the game but a dead end from there. The better players in the areas of those clubs don't play there and they drive to better options.

So if the intent of the post was to find a good place to learn the basics of the game at an early age, there are plenty of those options. I'd actually be looking for the best coaches if that was my criteria. True player development that actually takes your kid through the high school years is tough to come by.

I agree and disagree with this. I'd say CFC Arsenal and Oakwood do a good job of being able to take talent and work them into a good team.

Bigger clubs will get the better players, but doesn't mean they are the best coaches. If you take Everson or Wrona and had them coaching at OW, FSA or top CFC team, they would be one of the best coaches at those programs.

If you are talking just developing as a player, there are great coaches at the clubs the above poster describes as JV by age 15. I'd be better inclined to say some of the coaches at that level do a better job at developing players, mainly because they have to. Bigger clubs can pick and choose better players and form teams that way, doesn't mean they develop them.

Not sure what the criteria of "best coaches" is that poster is talking about though, because I've seen plenty of bad coaches at the big clubs as well as the small. Your mileage might vary.

[Unregistered]

I agree and disagree with this. I'd say CFC Arsenal and Oakwood do a good job of being able to take talent and work them into a good team.

Bigger clubs will get the better players, but doesn't mean they are the best coaches. If you take Everson or Wrona and had them coaching at OW, FSA or top CFC team, they would be one of the best coaches at those programs.

If you are talking just developing as a player, there are great coaches at the clubs the above poster describes as JV by age 15. I'd be better inclined to say some of the coaches at that level do a better job at developing players, mainly because they have to. Bigger clubs can pick and choose better players and form teams that way, doesn't mean they develop them.

Not sure what the criteria of "best coaches" is that poster is talking about though, because I've seen plenty of bad coaches at the big clubs as well as the small. Your mileage might vary.

Couldn’t agree less with what you say. At the younger ages, players don’t come pre-developed. Lol. Those clubs don’t get the better players. They help make them INTO better players. Those coaches you mention above are just fine, but if they were great, they’d have had more success and the CFC’s of the world wouldn’t exist. They all lack something. Drive. Business savvy. Communication skills. Ability to teach the game as individuals and then apply it to a team game. They do a nice job, but we really need to stop confusing losing with development. It is possible to do both. One could argue that learning to win is the hardest and most crucial piece of development to learn. Does that mean that every coach at the big clubs is amazing for your kid? Of course not. But they have a track record of success over the years and it isn’t because they collect talent. Plenty of talented teams that go nowhere.

[Unregistered]

Ahh, so your kid is the one that doesn’t know how to deliver a pass under pressure or an insightful ball that breaks the lines of the opposition. But he knows how to go 1v1 and hold the ball too long until he gets dispossessed while he’s got 3 open options. Good old YouTube, flicks and tricks!

The OP specifically mentioned footskills, so that's what I was focusing on. Believe it or not, watching professional soccer games and highlights, whether Live or on YouTube, does wonders for a kid's ability to see a pass, understand movement off the ball, and overall soccer IQ development. As I said, my kid's club does an excellent job with this part of his development. It's the technical aspect that he takes care of on his own and I don't believe personal trainers are really necessary for this. People are free to disagree, just my opinion.

[Unregistered]

The OP specifically mentioned footskills, so that's what I was focusing on. Believe it or not, watching professional soccer games and highlights, whether Live or on YouTube, does wonders for a kid's ability to see a pass, understand movement off the ball, and overall soccer IQ development. As I said, my kid's club does an excellent job with this part of his development. It's the technical aspect that he takes care of on his own and I don't believe personal trainers are really necessary for this. People are free to disagree, just my opinion.

It is specifically that " technical aspect" that may be an area that might need constructive analysis and adjustments for improvement. Mimicking alone may not be enough to get to the next levels of proficiency for some children.

[Unregistered]

I agree and disagree with this. I'd say CFC Arsenal and Oakwood do a good job of being able to take talent and work them into a good team.

Bigger clubs will get the better players, but doesn't mean they are the best coaches. If you take Everson or Wrona and had them coaching at OW, FSA or top CFC team, they would be one of the best coaches at those programs.

If you are talking just developing as a player, there are great coaches at the clubs the above poster describes as JV by age 15. I'd be better inclined to say some of the coaches at that level do a better job at developing players, mainly because they have to. Bigger clubs can pick and choose better players and form teams that way, doesn't mean they develop them.

Not sure what the criteria of "best coaches" is that poster is talking about though, because I've seen plenty of bad coaches at the big clubs as well as the small. Your mileage might vary.

Everson gets a bit too much credit. He's highly organized and has a lot of energy. The players are I've seen come out of there in recent years are technically behind their peers that came from Arsenal and Oakwood. Everson's teams play a modified kick and run at the young ages, it doesn't work at 15 and above. Very few opportunities to run onto long balls in high level club soccer

[Unregistered]

Couldn’t agree less with what you say. At the younger ages, players don’t come pre-developed. Lol. Those clubs don’t get the better players. They help make them INTO better players. Those coaches you mention above are just fine, but if they were great, they’d have had more success and the CFC’s of the world wouldn’t exist. They all lack something. Drive. Business savvy. Communication skills. Ability to teach the game as individuals and then apply it to a team game. They do a nice job, but we really need to stop confusing losing with development. It is possible to do both. One could argue that learning to win is the hardest and most crucial piece of development to learn. Does that mean that every coach at the big clubs is amazing for your kid? Of course not. But they have a track record of success over the years and it isn’t because they collect talent. Plenty of talented teams that go nowhere.

I don't disagree with you, but, how many of those bigger clubs teams are the same from u10 to even u14. Maybe U10 they develop a few, but within a few years most of those teams turnover into picking the best players, where those players come from all over.

How many kids do training at the smaller clubs when they are 5,6,7. Do you give credit to Everson doing futsal at those ages, that he helped develop and then that kid goes to CFC or FSA, or do you say that kid learned/developed at the bigger club? 3 years of training with Everson teaching foot skills from those really little ages are the real formidable years of developing to make the top clubs. If a kid plays on a smaller club from U10-14 then leaves to go to the big club and plays u15-18, shouldn't the smaller club get the recognition of developing?

I don't think Everson or Wrona or the other small clubs that have been around for years really lack too much, they are actually really smart people if you think about it. They own their own clubs, have their own facilities. They are making all the cash themselves, have a few coaches each. Seems business savvy to me. They have their own niche market, and provide a service where if the kids don't go there they will go elsewhere. Have you thought that maybe they don't want to be CFC, FSA, OW?

I think it'd be interesting to see a swap of some of the coaches at the bigger clubs swap with the coaches at smaller clubs. You say track record of success, and I will argue that you could take top coaches at smaller clubs and have similar success at the bigger club. I say this because if they are successful with "JV" level kids, then with "Varsity" level kids, they'd be just fine. Not sure if it would be the same in reverse though.

The lack of the small club compared to bigger club would be facilities as the first major thing, and the next thing would be marketing, selling the dream of we will get your kid to the highest level because we have college coaches. It is smoke and mirrors though if you aren't on the highest level team in their program though.

Developing is a mix of having a good coach that can fix mistakes, encourage the kids to build on what they are teaching, get the most of their kids, and the kids own desire to learn, try, duplicate, and keep repeating on their own.

[Unregistered]

I don't disagree with you, but, how many of those bigger clubs teams are the same from u10 to even u14. Maybe U10 they develop a few, but within a few years most of those teams turnover into picking the best players, where those players come from all over.

How many kids do training at the smaller clubs when they are 5,6,7. Do you give credit to Everson doing futsal at those ages, that he helped develop and then that kid goes to CFC or FSA, or do you say that kid learned/developed at the bigger club? 3 years of training with Everson teaching foot skills from those really little ages are the real formidable years of developing to make the top clubs. If a kid plays on a smaller club from U10-14 then leaves to go to the big club and plays u15-18, shouldn't the smaller club get the recognition of developing?

I don't think Everson or Wrona or the other small clubs that have been around for years really lack too much, they are actually really smart people if you think about it. They own their own clubs, have their own facilities. They are making all the cash themselves, have a few coaches each. Seems business savvy to me. They have their own niche market, and provide a service where if the kids don't go there they will go elsewhere. Have you thought that maybe they don't want to be CFC, FSA, OW?

I think it'd be interesting to see a swap of some of the coaches at the bigger clubs swap with the coaches at smaller clubs. You say track record of success, and I will argue that you could take top coaches at smaller clubs and have similar success at the bigger club. I say this because if they are successful with "JV" level kids, then with "Varsity" level kids, they'd be just fine. Not sure if it would be the same in reverse though.

The lack of the small club compared to bigger club would be facilities as the first major thing, and the next thing would be marketing, selling the dream of we will get your kid to the highest level because we have college coaches. It is smoke and mirrors though if you aren't on the highest level team in their program though.

Developing is a mix of having a good coach that can fix mistakes, encourage the kids to build on what they are teaching, get the most of their kids, and the kids own desire to learn, try, duplicate, and keep repeating on their own.

Something people often forget is that CFC started as a small club. 1-2 teams at Arsenal. Had some success as they grew. Merged with another similar small club in Wolves. Became CFC. Those coaches all started coaching HS I believe.