How to improve speed 12-13 year girls?

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

Be supportive and encouraging. It can be very frustrating. Some clubs and coaches simply favor athletes/size over skills. Some players won't thrive under those coaches but will under others.

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Be supportive and encouraging. It can be very frustrating. Some clubs and coaches simply favor athletes/size over skills. Some players won't thrive under those coaches but will under others.

Thanks! Especially for the kind, non snarky, response. :-)

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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.

This is funny. Thanks for morning laugh.

To OPs question. I have 2 Ds, one entering college and another that is now a U13. Youngest group is following exact same trajectory as oldest. Things change.
By Junior year many of the u-little stars will fade, and some 2nd-stringers will rise.

My observation on the common thread between those that persist or emerge is personal grit. I know, it's a cliché, but it's a real one. I watched and I am watching "gifted and talented" get frustrated by changing bodies and/or next-level coaches that demand they actually work for it.

My other observation is that parents are powerless. By U15 the motivation and attitude comes solely from the girl. So take other posters advice and enjoy the movie, there are some exciting plot twists ahead.

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Speed as a description is a general term.
Speed can be broken down to certain elements that can be worked on individually. As the child's body changes , those elements are addressed as necessary.

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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.

I would ask, to what end? Unlike boys, puberty usually diminishes athleticism in women. The only time puberty positively changes the athletic ability of young women is when they have an unusual growth spurt which lengthens their stride other than that most changes simply add body fat and reduce muscle mass which impacts both agility and power. So if you are worrying about speed at 12-13 it likely means your kid is getting passed by and that is not going to change. If they are getting passed by now, no amount of technical ability is going to make up the difference, so depending upon just how slow they are you should start preparing yourself and her for the end of her soccer career. It's coming. Anyone who will tell you differently is just tying to get their hand in your wallet or the wallet of the next parent looking at a similar issue.

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I would ask, to what end? Unlike boys, puberty usually diminishes athleticism in women. The only time puberty positively changes the athletic ability of young women is when they have an unusual growth spurt which lengthens their stride other than that most changes simply add body fat and reduce muscle mass which impacts both agility and power. So if you are worrying about speed at 12-13 it likely means your kid is getting passed by and that is not going to change. If they are getting passed by now, no amount of technical ability is going to make up the difference, so depending upon just how slow they are you should start preparing yourself and her for the end of her soccer career. It's coming. Anyone who will tell you differently is just tying to get their hand in your wallet or the wallet of the next parent looking at a similar issue.

That is overly dire. No one knows for sure how it all shakes out until most players have gone through puberty - which can happen at vastly different rates. You have a better sense by U15/freshman year in high school for girls. And falling somewhat on the team's speed pecking order doesn't spell the end of a career. There's also footskills and mental toughness that goes into the equation. It might mean a change of position or even possibly a change of teams, but to say this is the beginning of the end? Come on. Finally, some kids have developed quirks or bad habits in their running which can be corrected in a few training sessions with a qualified trainer.

The OP shouldn't worry unnecessarily but I guess you just want him to

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That is overly dire. No one knows for sure how it all shakes out until most players have gone through puberty - which can happen at vastly different rates. You have a better sense by U15/freshman year in high school for girls. And falling somewhat on the team's speed pecking order doesn't spell the end of a career. There's also footskills and mental toughness that goes into the equation. It might mean a change of position or even possibly a change of teams, but to say this is the beginning of the end? Come on. Finally, some kids have developed quirks or bad habits in their running which can be corrected in a few training sessions with a qualified trainer.

The OP shouldn't worry unnecessarily but I guess you just want him to

On the other hand, it's refreshing to hear brutal honesty. That's so rare in pay-to-play soccer because the clubs want your $$$, they blow a ton of smoke. If his dd stays the smallest and doesn't have a big growth spurt & increase in speed, the her "soccer career" isn't over but her anything close to "elite soccer career" is over...

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On the other hand, it's refreshing to hear brutal honesty. That's so rare in pay-to-play soccer because the clubs want your $$$, they blow a ton of smoke. If his dd stays the smallest and doesn't have a big growth spurt & increase in speed, the her "soccer career" isn't over but her anything close to "elite soccer career" is over...

Refreshing? Too funny. That's all we ever hear on TS, that no one will ever be good enough or measure up. Far from refreshing.

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I would ask, to what end? Unlike boys, puberty usually diminishes athleticism in women. The only time puberty positively changes the athletic ability of young women is when they have an unusual growth spurt which lengthens their stride other than that most changes simply add body fat and reduce muscle mass which impacts both agility and power. So if you are worrying about speed at 12-13 it likely means your kid is getting passed by and that is not going to change. If they are getting passed by now, no amount of technical ability is going to make up the difference, so depending upon just how slow they are you should start preparing yourself and her for the end of her soccer career. It's coming. Anyone who will tell you differently is just tying to get their hand in your wallet or the wallet of the next parent looking at a similar issue.

Thanks buddy!

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I would ask, to what end? Unlike boys, puberty usually diminishes athleticism in women. The only time puberty positively changes the athletic ability of young women is when they have an unusual growth spurt which lengthens their stride other than that most changes simply add body fat and reduce muscle mass which impacts both agility and power. So if you are worrying about speed at 12-13 it likely means your kid is getting passed by and that is not going to change. If they are getting passed by now, no amount of technical ability is going to make up the difference, so depending upon just how slow they are you should start preparing yourself and her for the end of her soccer career. It's coming. Anyone who will tell you differently is just tying to get their hand in your wallet or the wallet of the next parent looking at a similar issue.

Total nonsense.

Puberty can increase athleticism in female children, and with proper focus and training, their increased athleticism can continue into young adulthood.

Reduced muscle mass ? Well how about training specifically to address that ?

Speed ? Speed is made up of many elements, quickness, acceleration, , posture , on and on.

What may be lacking in one, may be able to be overcome by increasing the other elements.

Just because someone is " passing you by " , doesn't mean they will win a 50/50 ball.

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That is overly dire. No one knows for sure how it all shakes out until most players have gone through puberty - which can happen at vastly different rates. You have a better sense by U15/freshman year in high school for girls. And falling somewhat on the team's speed pecking order doesn't spell the end of a career. There's also footskills and mental toughness that goes into the equation. It might mean a change of position or even possibly a change of teams, but to say this is the beginning of the end? Come on. Finally, some kids have developed quirks or bad habits in their running which can be corrected in a few training sessions with a qualified trainer.

The OP shouldn't worry unnecessarily but I guess you just want him to

If at 12-13 a parent is astute enough (most aren't) to realize that their kid might be too slow to even ask the original question then it probably IS a moot point. By 15 it will likely be painfully obvious that their kid is just too slow. If that in fact ends up to be the case what that parent will also realize by then is the only chance their kid will have at making a high school roster is if they send their kid a small enough high school where the coach doesn't have much depth to pull from. There is just no way around it, soccer is a game which requires speed and if the player doesn't have any foot skill is going to make up the difference. That's just the way it is.

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Refreshing? Too funny. That's all we ever hear on TS, that no one will ever be good enough or measure up. Far from refreshing.

Clearly others don't see it that way. Your "hope springs eternal, give me all of your money" spiel just doesn't carry as far as it used to. Must really be a bummer. Maybe that explains why you are on here 24/7 ******* and moaning why parents suck. Just a thought though.

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Clearly others don't see it that way. Your "hope springs eternal, give me all of your money" spiel just doesn't carry as far as it used to. Must really be a bummer. Maybe that explains why you are on here 24/7 ******* and moaning why parents suck. Just a thought though.

He's BAAAAACCCCKKKKK!

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he's baaaaacccckkkkk!

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How to improve speed 12-13 year girls?

Put 14 year old boys at the finish line. (preferably from St. Paulss)