Is PDA worth it

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Skills, Speed, quickness - I view all of these as physical attributes that can be improved upon and honed with good training.

Athleticism - I agree. This is something you're born with and can't be taught.

Vision - I think this is something between the above 2 categories of attributes. You can train this to some extent but some just can't grasp the flow.

Speed and quickness is a personal trait (or as most say is in your DNA) that can be improved/honed with good training but again it depends on the individual. Every player has a “ceiling” of improvement. At some point no matter how much good training you hit the “wall”. That ceiling depends on an individual’s athleticism. There those players who are overachievers who know how to maximize their deficiencies such as Carli Lloyd who has defied the odds to become a world class player but she is the exception.

[Unregistered]

Skills, Speed, quickness - I view all of these as physical attributes that can be improved upon and honed with good training.

Athleticism - I agree. This is something you're born with and can't be taught.

Vision - I think this is something between the above 2 categories of attributes. You can train this to some extent but some just can't grasp the flow.

It's hard to take advantage of having good speed, quickness and vision if it takes you 3-4 touches to control the ball and if you have to continually be looking down at the ball as you dribble down the field.

[Unregistered]

They need to be taught the difference. Having players constantly smash into 2-3 players trying to force the ball up field doesn't help anyone while passing off, because they are taught 1-2 touch pass, while in open space doesn't help either. The best players recognize winnable vs unwinnable situations. You should be seeing kids taking more risk in the younger age groups so when they get older they understand this.

Agree that a good player can recognize winnable vs. unwinnable situations. But what is unwinnable to one player might be absolutely winnable to another player depending on their ball-handling skills.

[Unregistered]

No the OP, but he brings up an interesting point. Agree that teamwork is core to the game and that a good team has players who are committed to teamwork. But does good teamwork necessarily help individual player development for youth players? To me, there are three base components to being a "good player": skills, vision and athleticism, and these are the three things a player needs to develop. However, most good teams are coached to "make the easy play", pass the ball when under pressure to a teammate who is in better position (teamwork). This helps a player develop their vision, but it doesn't push them to develop their skills. The players who constantly try to beat pressure, beat double-teams, etc will develop their skills. Maybe they won't develop their vision as well, but the players who are making the easy play and passing the ball when under pressure won't be developing their skills. So what is the best way to develop a good player? Do you teach them teamwork early on and not force them to be better handling the ball? Or do you have them handle the ball more and teach them about teamwork later?

Exactly my point. I have never seen a coach penalize any skilled players who don't play her positions, take the ball all the way up, and score SUCCESSFULLY.

And yes, less capable players are always taught to pass the ball to X or Y all the time. Sure. Great teamwork. How does that help the player who passes the ball?

[Unregistered]

I agree it is an interesting point worth discussing with parents that have no agenda. I agree with your 3 components of skills and technical abilities which comes from good training and players that want to get better with repetition of skills. Vision which is simply being smart on the field and reading the flow of the game instead of just reacting to the other team and then the most important which is athleticism. What separates the best core players from the other 3/4 of the team is speed, quickness and pure athleticism. You cannot teach this component. Either your born with it or not. It is the first thing colleges look for in any player. Those players who have it and those that do not. The speed of play reigns supreme regardless of your technical abilities or skills. That is soccer. The top 20 programs in this country are filled with the best athletes first and foremost. Te speed f play is what separates the top D1 programs from everyone else. Clubs cannot teach this and parents need to understand that is reality. As far as teamwork I agree on its significance as well. When asked before a champions league game what was his game plan the Liverpool coach said I want 11 players playing offense and 11 player playing defense. The best players are those who can exhibit the skills in the confines of playing with 10 other players. That is the answer.

Clubs wants $$$$. They'll never tell parents. "It is what it is. Your daughter can't even be in ECNL."

They'll just keep touting, "She can always improve."

When was the last time you heard any coaches and clubs telling a player about the reality?

[Unregistered]

Exactly my point. I have never seen a coach penalize any skilled players who don't play her positions, take the ball all the way up, and score SUCCESSFULLY.

And yes, less capable players are always taught to pass the ball to X or Y all the time. Sure. Great teamwork. How does that help the player who passes the ball?

who wants a player on the team that cant or wont pass the ball? Ball hogs have destroyed more goal scoring opportunities then any other weakness.

[Unregistered]

who wants a player on the team that cant or wont pass the ball? Ball hogs have destroyed more goal scoring opportunities then any other weakness.

my kids GDA team had them and now ECNL team has them. Right footed players who cant turn any direction but dribble laterally and then go in circles, while not passing. Everyone is all about showcasing his/herself. Is what it is.

[Unregistered]

my kids GDA team had them and now ECNL team has them. Right footed players who cant turn any direction but dribble laterally and then go in circles, while not passing. Everyone is all about showcasing his/herself. Is what it is.

Who is recruiting a player that dribbles and loses the ball instead of making a quality pass that can contribute to an opportunity?

[Unregistered]

my kids GDA team had them and now ECNL team has them. Right footed players who cant turn any direction but dribble laterally and then go in circles, while not passing. Everyone is all about showcasing his/herself. Is what it is.

I get it and agree, but the coach actually does have a job to try to make each player, and the team, as a whole, better. When players consistently do the wrong thing and hurt the team and they can do better, the coach needs to coach them. Talk to them and explain what they are doing and get them to see alternatives that have consistently better outcomes .... and work on it it practices and scrimmages. For the sake of the individual players and the team the coach needs to teach them. It can often be corrected without harsh penalties or benching, but when it comes right down to it, the best and most useful lessons players learn from are being benched, being cut, and not making teams. If players never experience those things, its likely they will never play to the best of their ability. Making the team is usually only the first step and most players treat it as if they have just been commited to the HOF after a long, successful, and productive career.

[Unregistered]

Exactly my point. I have never seen a coach penalize any skilled players who don't play her positions, take the ball all the way up, and score SUCCESSFULLY.

And yes, less capable players are always taught to pass the ball to X or Y all the time. Sure. Great teamwork. How does that help the player who passes the ball?

I don't think it's less capable vs. more capable players. The question is what is the right way to develop players?

[Unregistered]

Clubs wants $$$$. They'll never tell parents. "It is what it is. Your daughter can't even be in ECNL."

They'll just keep touting, "She can always improve."

When was the last time you heard any coaches and clubs telling a player about the reality?

Reality is a “two edged sword”. A parents reality is when they think there daughter has unlimited potential and really see their kid wearing blinders without seeing the big picture. By ninth grade is where you see reality of players hitting puberty and hitting there stride. When they attend showcase tournaments and attend college camps/clinics and do not get identified as potential recruits. Is that the club/team/coach’s fault? Do you really need a club or coach to say that the player is aiming too high? Under those circumstances if a coach told the daughter and parent differently and wasn’t being realistic then do you stay or go elsewhere? When it comes down to soccer reality you do not have to rely on a coach/club. You know by the interest of colleges. Too many people place blame with the clubs.

[Unregistered]

Reality is a “two edged sword”. A parents reality is when they think there daughter has unlimited potential and really see their kid wearing blinders without seeing the big picture. By ninth grade is where you see reality of players hitting puberty and hitting there stride. When they attend showcase tournaments and attend college camps/clinics and do not get identified as potential recruits. Is that the club/team/coach’s fault? Do you really need a club or coach to say that the player is aiming too high? Under those circumstances if a coach told the daughter and parent differently and wasn’t being realistic then do you stay or go elsewhere? When it comes down to soccer reality you do not have to rely on a coach/club. You know by the interest of colleges. Too many people place blame with the clubs.

In complete agreement, if you have a kid that can play and is noticed at an Id camp they will not care what club. By the same token if they are not interested you can get your answer too.

[Unregistered]

They need to be taught the difference. Having players constantly smash into 2-3 players trying to force the ball up field doesn't help anyone while passing off, because they are taught 1-2 touch pass, while in open space doesn't help either. The best players recognize winnable vs unwinnable situations. You should be seeing kids taking more risk in the younger age groups so when they get older they understand this.

The best players dont need to be taught this.

[Unregistered]

The best players dont need to be taught this.

I just don’t understand why people get such a hard on for kids who who look like super stars in small sided games but put them on a 11v11 field and all they are capable of doing is operating in a 10x10 square with too many unnecessary touches on the ball, flailing their arms, and then lose possession, get destroyed on a tackle and/or make a terrible decision. These are the same kids who can’t go on a run or recover during a counter attack because they are too busy juggling and doing toe taps as training, therefore slower than molasses in an open field and are forced to get subbed.

It’s great when you are younger but at a certain point, kids go through puberty and cream rises to the top. People shouldn’t criticize kids for being athletes with size, power, speed, good decision making, technical ability and a willingness to get stuck in. How else do you differentiate? By freshman year, most teams, regardless of A/B/C/D all look very different than they did 2-3 yrs prior.

[Unregistered]

I just don’t understand why people get such a hard on for kids who who look like super stars in small sided games but put them on a 11v11 field and all they are capable of doing is operating in a 10x10 square with too many unnecessary touches on the ball, flailing their arms, and then lose possession, get destroyed on a tackle and/or make a terrible decision. These are the same kids who can’t go on a run or recover during a counter attack because they are too busy juggling and doing toe taps as training, therefore slower than molasses in an open field and are forced to get subbed.

It’s great when you are younger but at a certain point, kids go through puberty and cream rises to the top. People shouldn’t criticize kids for being athletes with size, power, speed, good decision making, technical ability and a willingness to get stuck in. How else do you differentiate? By freshman year, most teams, regardless of A/B/C/D all look very different than they did 2-3 yrs prior.

The other important factor is not just the player’s own IQ and ability but also what they’re surrounded by. One player understsnding tactics and wanting to be creative can struggle on teams where the other players dont understand movement, dont make runs, cant understand combinations and who either smash or over dribble. Players need to be on teams where the tactics are aligned with the way they play the game.