Relative age effect

[Unregistered]

What do you mean by technical and why do you suggest being smaller leads to being more technical?

Not looking for a fight. Just been around enough to dislike the generalization that all ecnl player have big hips. Fact is for a smaller player, who typically hits puberty later, they rely heavier on their footwork and touch on the ball. They are not powering through when their opponent outweighs them by 25 pounds. Did not say that being smaller leads to being more technical. Did not say that big player can't be technical. Said that those smaller player who make it to ecnl tend to be more technical. They work with what they have and they don't have size.

[Unregistered]

Not looking for a fight. Just been around enough to dislike the generalization that all ecnl player have big hips. Fact is for a smaller player, who typically hits puberty later, they rely heavier on their footwork and touch on the ball. They are not powering through when their opponent outweighs them by 25 pounds. Did not say that being smaller leads to being more technical. Did not say that big player can't be technical. Said that those smaller player who make it to ecnl tend to be more technical. They work with what they have and they don't have size.

And this was my point in the earlier post hi-lighting the differences in perception for the guy with two kids on each end of the advantage. The older, bigger, faster, and more athletic kids gain a false sense of security because of those factors and rely heavily on them to win their individual matches within a game or practice because it works at younger ages. The smaller kids don't want to get into a wrestling match or race with bigger and fast kids so they learn to have quicker touches, make quicker decisions, and play the ball off and move to look for it back. Just on that alone, regardless of size, which do you think would develop into a better player? I have always said the early bloomers are at a huge disadvantage and when their advantages fizzle (and they almost always do), are they prepared to play the game the correct way when they can no longer outrun their opponents? Most are not. I didn't mean to hammer either of your kids (or anyone else's) but rather to hi-lite how I perceived your views of each of their situations and their current situation. I think many parents are overly happy when their kids are winning (even at younger ages) and many fail to notice that their kids are just fast or strong but are really bad at soccer. How many American clubs would have failed to recognize Messi at younger ages because of his size? Too many!

[Unregistered]

And this was my point in the earlier post hi-lighting the differences in perception for the guy with two kids on each end of the advantage. The older, bigger, faster, and more athletic kids gain a false sense of security because of those factors and rely heavily on them to win their individual matches within a game or practice because it works at younger ages. The smaller kids don't want to get into a wrestling match or race with bigger and fast kids so they learn to have quicker touches, make quicker decisions, and play the ball off and move to look for it back. Just on that alone, regardless of size, which do you think would develop into a better player? I have always said the early bloomers are at a huge disadvantage and when their advantages fizzle (and they almost always do), are they prepared to play the game the correct way when they can no longer outrun their opponents? Most are not. I didn't mean to hammer either of your kids (or anyone else's) but rather to hi-lite how I perceived your views of each of their situations and their current situation. I think many parents are overly happy when their kids are winning (even at younger ages) and many fail to notice that their kids are just fast or strong but are really bad at soccer. How many American clubs would have failed to recognize Messi at younger ages because of his size? Too many!

Messi was a maniac right out of the womb. He was an early bloomer. He is genetically gifted. His birthday is end of June. You either got it or you don't.

[Unregistered]

Not true. Stop by and watch. Some big strong ECNL players, some medium sized players and some smaller players. Smaller typically more technical.

But what is their birth month is the question

[Unregistered]

Messi was a maniac right out of the womb. He was an early bloomer. He is genetically gifted. His birthday is end of June. You either got it or you don't.

And yet, Messi had to move across the Atlantic as a child to get the growth hormone he needed. He overcame great odds as a kid.

[Unregistered]

And yet, Messi had to move across the Atlantic as a child to get the growth hormone he needed. He overcame great odds as a kid.

If Messi were born in CT, he would probably would have been a decent soccer player with a partial scholarship and working in an insurance company right now (or perhaps he would have been a baseball player!).

[Unregistered]

And this was my point in the earlier post hi-lighting the differences in perception for the guy with two kids on each end of the advantage. The older, bigger, faster, and more athletic kids gain a false sense of security because of those factors and rely heavily on them to win their individual matches within a game or practice because it works at younger ages. The smaller kids don't want to get into a wrestling match or race with bigger and fast kids so they learn to have quicker touches, make quicker decisions, and play the ball off and move to look for it back. Just on that alone, regardless of size, which do you think would develop into a better player? I have always said the early bloomers are at a huge disadvantage and when their advantages fizzle (and they almost always do), are they prepared to play the game the correct way when they can no longer outrun their opponents? Most are not. I didn't mean to hammer either of your kids (or anyone else's) but rather to hi-lite how I perceived your views of each of their situations and their current situation. I think many parents are overly happy when their kids are winning (even at younger ages) and many fail to notice that their kids are just fast or strong but are really bad at soccer. How many American clubs would have failed to recognize Messi at younger ages because of his size? Too many!

There is a lot of generalizing in your comments. For girls most important factor is aggressiveness regardless of size. Second most important is technical skill. Third is speed/ agility. Forth is psychological, how she reacts when taking a hit or making a bad play. Last is size. While I agree sizes impacts capabily at younger ages it's not that consistent. A girl that has the first two factors is a good player. A girls that has the first three is a very good player. The one that excels in the first four catagories is a unicorn.

[Unregistered]

And this was my point in the earlier post hi-lighting the differences in perception for the guy with two kids on each end of the advantage. The older, bigger, faster, and more athletic kids gain a false sense of security because of those factors and rely heavily on them to win their individual matches within a game or practice because it works at younger ages. The smaller kids don't want to get into a wrestling match or race with bigger and fast kids so they learn to have quicker touches, make quicker decisions, and play the ball off and move to look for it back. Just on that alone, regardless of size, which do you think would develop into a better player? I have always said the early bloomers are at a huge disadvantage and when their advantages fizzle (and they almost always do), are they prepared to play the game the correct way when they can no longer outrun their opponents? Most are not. I didn't mean to hammer either of your kids (or anyone else's) but rather to hi-lite how I perceived your views of each of their situations and their current situation. I think many parents are overly happy when their kids are winning (even at younger ages) and many fail to notice that their kids are just fast or strong but are really bad at soccer. How many American clubs would have failed to recognize Messi at younger ages because of his size? Too many!

The OP was asking about his D worrying about size and RAE. Don't sugar coat it
like some of the folks here about smaller girls being faster, more technical, etc
and big girls are just raging bulls, but they will get their upcommance when girls get
to their size narrative. Folks are doing a disservice to their Ds telling this bullsh*t. Kids are
not dumb and they will know you are bs-ing them. Smaller kids know that they are at
big disadvantage and rightly so. Somehow, folks are going to tell your D that 6"+ and 40lbs do not matter? In my D's team talking with the parents of smaller kids, that is the #1 concern of all of the smaller girls. How can I overcome this big problem?

Parents of bigger kids like mine are not blind to RAE and to size advantage.
I know that this advantage will fade around 14 when most girls are near full height.
I am having my D focus on developing her technical and tactical skills, try not to do
big girl gun and run tactics. The coach focuses on developing, not just winning at all
costs. So, how does a smaller girl handle a bigger girl who is equally technical, bigger,
stronger, and faster? Not easy, but the girls who can are usually awesome players at
any size. That's something the OP needs to talk and to get buy in from his D.
Otherwise, his D can easily be another static about kids quitting sports at 14.

[Unregistered]

This is how kids, and parents of kids, born in June and July have felt forever.

[Unregistered]

This is how kids, and parents of kids, born in June and July have felt forever.

Yep. Same problem. Rae just shifted. Same solution. Work had on technical skills and soccer IQ. Field will level at older ages. Big fast less skilled will struggle

[Unregistered]

If Messi were born in CT, he would probably would have been a decent soccer player with a partial scholarship and working in an insurance company right now (or perhaps he would have been a baseball player!).

This is an issue everywhere, not just US. The problem is that the people who run leagues and the people who run clubs aren't progressive. Especially clubs - they have players for a few years and then they are off to college. More important to win now with what works no than lose now but develop players for later. Not going to change anytime soon.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sm...mies-tqscjrq25

[Unregistered]

If Messi were born in CT, he would probably would have been a decent soccer player with a partial scholarship and working in an insurance company right now (or perhaps he would have been a baseball player!).

If Messi was born in ct, and he was a girl, he would probably have been in an OW girls development academy Facebook post. His mom would be great at handling a foot long and his dad's car would have chipped paint from the unpaved parking lot at Oakwood.

[Unregistered]

This is an issue everywhere, not just US. The problem is that the people who run leagues and the people who run clubs aren't progressive. Especially clubs - they have players for a few years and then they are off to college. More important to win now with what works no than lose now but develop players for later. Not going to change anytime soon.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sm...mies-tqscjrq25

Good article. Sounds like placement by skeletal age might be the answer to the size bias.

[Unregistered]

If Messi were born in CT, he would probably would have been a decent soccer player with a partial scholarship and working in an insurance company right now (or perhaps he would have been a baseball player!).

Nah, he would have an opiod addiction, driving for Uber and protesting on the weekends.

[Unregistered]

If Messi was born in ct, and he was a girl, he would probably have been in an OW girls development academy Facebook post. His mom would be great at handling a foot long and his dad's car would have chipped paint from the unpaved parking lot at Oakwood.

Truth except for the "foot long" part.