Getting Better vs. Getting Seen

[Guest]

how do you practice or learn speed of play?

You can only learn and improve speed of play by being in an environment where the speed is fast. This is the biggest part of why being with better players will work to improve the player.

[Guest]

You can only learn and improve speed of play by being in an environment where the speed is fast. This is the biggest part of why being with better players will work to improve the player.

Semantics, but you can only see IF you can play in a fast environment by being exposed to one and with as many competing leagues and teams, its more relative than absolute. My question should have been how do you learn and then practice speed of play. What is speed of play to you?

[Guest]

Semantics, but you can only see IF you can play in a fast environment by being exposed to one and with as many competing leagues and teams, its more relative than absolute. My question should have been how do you learn and then practice speed of play. What is speed of play to you?

Speed of play IMHO is about how much/little time you have to make decisions based on pressure, windows of opportunity, speed/quickness of players, etc. To play fast, you need skills to be able to see the opportunities (open spaces, passing lanes, shot opportunities, etc), properly act on those decisions with the appropriate ability to handle the ball (1st touch, ball control, passing accuracy, etc) under pressure, and so on. You cannot play fast if your first touch is sloppy/heavy, you can't keep your head up and control the ball at the same time, etc.

[Guest]

Speed of play IMHO is about how much/little time you have to make decisions based on pressure, windows of opportunity, speed/quickness of players, etc. To play fast, you need skills to be able to see the opportunities (open spaces, passing lanes, shot opportunities, etc), properly act on those decisions with the appropriate ability to handle the ball (1st touch, ball control, passing accuracy, etc) under pressure, and so on. You cannot play fast if your first touch is sloppy/heavy, you can't keep your head up and control the ball at the same time, etc.

IMO this is a good answer. Good of you to post it.

It's how fast they can think, how fast they can make a play, and a consistent level of play at that speed. The only way to see if a player can do that is to play on a team that trains and plays that way.

The defense is also much more challenging on higher level teams. Speed is part of what makes it possible to accomplish something against that. Defense will double and triple team a player on a higher level team too, and they will do it better. I can't think of any way in which playing against a lower-level defense actually makes someone a better player, once they are already doing fairly well against it.

None of which is to say a kid needs to change teams. And certainly don't buy into the BS about how joining a team that travels hundreds of miles for league games will get your kid "exposure" towards the mostly mythical college soccer commitment. But even if the goal is just to be a very strong HS player, a middling club might not get them there.

I'd recommend every U12 or so player and their parents go watch some high level games. Lok for a couple top U15 or U16 teams playing each other, maybe in the Memorial Day tournaments. This fall, watch some high school games between top varsity teams, if HS soccer is part of the plan. It will illustrate where your player needs to be in a few years.

[Guest]

Also - that's of course all soccer focused. There's a great deal of value a player can get out of a team in terms of friendship, leadership, etc. And soccer should only be the top priority for about 100 kids in Massachusetts.

It also doesn't mean look for any particular badge. Some of the RL teams don't manage to do this well, some of the teams outside ECNL and GA do a better job.