My wife and I have noticed our middle school daughter seems very tired and less interested in going to practice but claims she still loves her team. She plays ECNL on a national team. She has been playing and training it seems for years. There’s always a lot of pressure at this age, not only in soccer but at school. This winter seems to be as good of a time to just take a step back from soccer for a bit. Take a break so she’s refreshed for the spring. As I said no interest in quitting just showing signs of burn out. How much time can an ECNL level player take off over the winter to rest and regroup without risk of falling behind?
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as long as it takes to get her passion back. the moment that goes, she’s on borrowed time anyway. -
The maniacal, year long, obsessive single sport craze is good only for those who benefit from it financially. It is well proven that playing multiple sports and taking breaks is much healthier.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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Some players need a bit more attention in middle school from their coaches. When they feel they are constantly working hoping for a bit of praise from a coach, to feel valued it’s exhausting. Coaches should check in with themselves too. Maybe take a couple weeks off. They may be favoring some players while unintentionally ignoring other players who need to be noticed. Taking a break a few weeks over Xmas through MLK or even until end of Jan won’t set a player back.Comment
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If you play on scorpions or stars white, you won’t fall behind at all. If you play on Stars Blue, you won’t be next season. Those people are maniacs.Originally posted by Guest View Post
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She probanly "loves her team" for the social aspects, but her interest in playing at the same level may be waning. It happens. Talk with her, in depth, about where she wants to take this. Some kids get on the hamster wheel early and are on it so long they're not sure how to get off. Some are afraid they will disappoint their parents. If she is burning out now college soccer, especially D1, is not going to be for her. These discussions are important to have now, not later.
The tricky thing is she may need a longer break than just a few weeks but staying out too long could hurt her standing with the coach and teammates. Obviously lying isn't a good idea, but an "injury " would be preferable.Comment
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2 weeks totally off. You can take off a couple weeks more time from the everyday grind but need to be mixing in soccer training at home.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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Take your kid skiing, or anything physical that's completely different than soccer.
Burnout happens because you're doing the same things over and over. Sometimes you need to break things up + give the mind a new challenge.Comment
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Not the op but taking breaks, rotating sports helps rest over used muscles (injury prevention) and helps develop ones that aren't used as often in a different sport. It's also very good for mental health. In the case of the thread op's daughter she's experiencing mental burnout so a break is warranted. She may even decide she doesn't miss it that much, or does some soul searching and decides to either stop or play at less intense level.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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I’m glad this is being discussed as I think this happens to all high level year round athletes. Truth is, we as parents need to say it’s time for a rest. It’s hard to do when we are paying money. I do wish that clubs would give the middle school kids off the month of January to just rest. But there’s pressure on those coaches to offer practices in the winter.Comment
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Just curious: does she take the summers off? Or does she do some kind of summer select or other training then?Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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She'll fall behind the players not taking time off. That's how training works. It's no fun, but it's the truth.Comment
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"Loving your team" at this age is nice but if you are at a truly top club, the likelihood of 50-75% turnover between 7th - 9th grade is really high. Things get really serious as more and more players show up to make those precious top spots.
If a player in 7th or 8th grade is burning out to the point of needing a break, you should consider why you are at that type of club. If a 2-3 week winter break suffices, go for it and see what happens. If a 13 year old needs a 2 month break, you are on borrowed time anyway.
Why not take the time to go skiing or snowboarding a few times between now and February, don't talk about soccer at home, go to what she has to go for the practices but also be content to miss if something else fun comes up and then see how things are as the season ramps up by end of Feb/early March?Comment
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