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**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 04:44 PM

Maybe

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

DD was always fast and small. Her speed and athleticism made her a great forward. She's 12 years old and on the brink of puberty. At least I think she is. Still one of the smallest on her team, her speed isn't what it used to be. This plays U13 and this is the first year she's not smoking past defenders. Watching her, her speed has gone from being super fast to slightly above average.

For those of you with daughters, can you tell me if her speed slowing down is a reflection of body changes happening? Will get speed return? Or, should she be doing speed training so she doesn't further lose anymore speed.

Maybe she's not slowing down. Kids are probably developing and getting faster as they get stronger. Don't worry about it. Lots of changes 12-14. Enjoy watching her play and relax.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 04:57 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Maybe she's not slowing down. Kids are probably developing and getting faster as they get stronger. Don't worry about it. Lots of changes 12-14. Enjoy watching her play and relax.

If other girls are already further into puberty, they have probably just caught up and surpassed her speed. After she gets further into puberty her speed will pick up also!

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 05:22 PM

Running is one skill that can be best enhanced just by doing it. If she has good technique then run. No need to pay for training. Sprints 40s, set of 6-10 three times a week. .2 to .3 faster after a few months. If she has bad mechanics pay for a trainer.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 05:26 PM

Op here. Great advice. Thank you!

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 05:46 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

If other girls are already further into puberty, they have probably just caught up and surpassed her speed. After she gets further into puberty her speed will pick up also!

Not necessarily. Body type has a lot to do with it. Puberty can radically change a girls body type, sometimes not for the better. And it's almost impossible to predict. Focus on skills and technique and she will be fine. The speed of play will increase as she gets older but the speed demons of little u will be fewer.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 05:53 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Not necessarily. Body type has a lot to do with it. Puberty can radically change a girls body type, sometimes not for the better. And it's almost impossible to predict. Focus on skills and technique and she will be fine. The speed of play will increase as she gets older but the speed demons of little u will be fewer.

And just to follow up, and I don't mean this to be negative or creepy in any way, it's simply the truth. The fastest kid my D played with when she was young now at 17 has wide hips, a big but and chest and is one of the slowest on the team. But she is fundamentally sound in her game, so the point is, loss of speed is not necessarily the end of the world. Focus on fundamentals.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 06:17 PM

Focus on good movement off the ball. It's more important than individual speed.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 06:39 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Focus on good movement off the ball. It's more important than individual speed.

At what age?

Not to derail the post but my son is U12 with average speed. However, his technical skills and tactical awareness are above average.

Our club favors the speedy kids who will fly down the field and sometimes win the ball only to lose it with a horrible pass bc they are dribbling head down.

I'm waiting to see if puberty evens the playing field.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 07:03 PM

time

The best advice from these threads is to relax and concentrate on ball handling and personal skills above that of team play and specific conditioning.
Kids may take as late at 16-18 to peak physically, and most are really just starting between 13-15.
This said, there is nothing wrong with general training, however, this is where some education is helpful, but not enough is harmful. Weights are certainly not necessary but core exercises and general conditioning and flexibility will always be helpful, especially during off-season periods.

Age 13/14 is not a bad time to start. I would, for the money that we are paying, have liked to see clubs have three soccer practices per week and another 1 or 2 days of general conditioning all included in the fee.

As for running/speed, in season, the training during soccer practices should be enough as soccer is not a jog here/jog there game.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 07:08 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

At what age?

Not to derail the post but my son is U12 with average speed. However, his technical skills and tactical awareness are above average.

Our club favors the speedy kids who will fly down the field and sometimes win the ball only to lose it with a horrible pass bc they are dribbling head down.

I'm waiting to see if puberty evens the playing field.

They hope a few of them retain the speed when they age and are willing to sacrifice now in that pursuit.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 07:25 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

At what age?

Not to derail the post but my son is U12 with average speed. However, his technical skills and tactical awareness are above average.

Our club favors the speedy kids who will fly down the field and sometimes win the ball only to lose it with a horrible pass bc they are dribbling head down.

I'm waiting to see if puberty evens the playing field.

Puberty can change up the mix for sure. Suddenly the fastest kid is now getting beaten to the ball. A player who was once only little smaller than his/her teammates is now a full head shorter. It can be tough for smaller players and those who blossom later. If the parents are average or taller it will come eventually. Boys are slower than girls too - girls are pretty much done growing by freshman year of high school while many boys grow throughout HS. Keep him working on the technical skills. In the end that matters more. And those drills are more fun than running sprints - if he isn't having fun none of it matters

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 07:33 PM

I use dogs. My daughter hates dogs. The trick is finding dogs that are just a bit slower than your daughter. We learned that the hard way.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 07:55 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Puberty can change up the mix for sure. Suddenly the fastest kid is now getting beaten to the ball. A player who was once only little smaller than his/her teammates is now a full head shorter. It can be tough for smaller players and those who blossom later. If the parents are average or taller it will come eventually. Boys are slower than girls too - girls are pretty much done growing by freshman year of high school while many boys grow throughout HS. Keep him working on the technical skills. In the end that matters more. And those drills are more fun than running sprints - if he isn't having fun none of it matters

Thanks. We are doing the above. Just hard to watch the less skilled speed demons get special treatment. For him and me.

**Unregistered** · 08-27-2015, 07:57 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

The best advice from these threads is to relax and concentrate on ball handling and personal skills above that of team play and specific conditioning.
Kids may take as late at 16-18 to peak physically, and most are really just starting between 13-15.
This said, there is nothing wrong with general training, however, this is where some education is helpful, but not enough is harmful. Weights are certainly not necessary but core exercises and general conditioning and flexibility will always be helpful, especially during off-season periods.

Age 13/14 is not a bad time to start. I would, for the money that we are paying, have liked to see clubs have three soccer practices per week and another 1 or 2 days of general conditioning all included in the fee.

As for running/speed, in season, the training during soccer practices should be enough as soccer is not a jog here/jog there game.

Thanks for the response. Sometimes one needs the reminder to relax. Often hard to do when reading threads here. :-)