How much soccer is too much soccer?

[Unregistered]

Typical american mindset..."work on athleticism"...that's the problem with players from this country...very athletic with no or little skills....

Lol. What a biased stooge. Do you honestly think that players from other countries aren't working on their athleticism or conditioning? Do you honestly think that players in foreign Academies have a soccer ball at their feet 24/7/365? Get a clue.

[Unregistered]

We are talking about an 11-year old kid with an undeveloped body. No, soccer should not be a job at this stage.

I'm not suggesting eliminating all the club activity that takes up 5-6 days a week, but for that other 1-2 days, she should be having fun. If that's playing XBOX, watching TV, etc. I guess that's OK. Prefer she's reading a book. But, if she wants to go down and knock a ball around and try rainbows and the crossbar challenge and try to nutmeg the dog, have at it.

I'm not running a sweatshop out of my house.

I know exactly what we are talking about. Folks like you are apt to want to shelter kids from hard work and failure so you throw stupid logic like this up. No one is talking about turning soccer into some sort of slave labor endeavor like they do over in China but if you want your kid to be able to play a lot of soccer they need to be in the proper shape for it and there is absolutely nothing wrong with an 11 year being physically fit enough to be able to run more than 10 yards at a clip.

[Unregistered]

I know exactly what we are talking about. Folks like you are apt to want to shelter kids from hard work and failure so you throw stupid logic like this up. No one is talking about turning soccer into some sort of slave labor endeavor like they do over in China but if you want your kid to be able to play a lot of soccer they need to be in the proper shape for it and there is absolutely nothing wrong with an 11 year being physically fit enough to be able to run more than 10 yards at a clip.

"Folks like you"...

You know absolutely ZERO about me. You are so off-base it's borderline hilarious.

In your mind, it would be more beneficial for a child to run laps than it is to practice on her own and enjoy the game. Most of the physical activity many of think is beneficial is virtually worthless. Running laps, jogging...waste of time. I'd rather see them doing 60 minutes of exercise with a ball at their feet, pretending to be Messi or Carly or insertnamehere than push ups and giggling. You can't even understand that you can do both.

I feel like I'm talking to a tool from the PlanetFitness commercials: "I pick things up and put them down". Comedy.

[Unregistered]

"Folks like you"...

You know absolutely ZERO about me. You are so off-base it's borderline hilarious.

In your mind, it would be more beneficial for a child to run laps than it is to practice on her own and enjoy the game. Most of the physical activity many of think is beneficial is virtually worthless. Running laps, jogging...waste of time. I'd rather see them doing 60 minutes of exercise with a ball at their feet, pretending to be Messi or Carly or insertnamehere than push ups and giggling. You can't even understand that you can do both.

I feel like I'm talking to a tool from the PlanetFitness commercials: "I pick things up and put them down". Comedy.

Your post just screams out ignorance but unfortunately is fairly typical for the know it all "rec" coaches that frequent this site. Why doesn't everyone do a little research and look into what the typical soccer schedule is for a D1 college player. Even in season they typically have S&C mixed in and during the off season they spend as much if not more time doing that than working with a ball at their feet. S&C is a big part of what it takes to prevent injuries and here this poster is basically saying that it is waste of time. Hope to god he only coach Ulittles where he can't do any permanent damage.

[Unregistered]

Your post just screams out ignorance but unfortunately is fairly typical for the know it all "rec" coaches that frequent this site. Why doesn't everyone do a little research and look into what the typical soccer schedule is for a D1 college player. Even in season they typically have S&C mixed in and during the off season they spend as much if not more time doing that than working with a ball at their feet. S&C is a big part of what it takes to prevent injuries and here this poster is basically saying that it is waste of time. Hope to god he only coach Ulittles where he can't do any permanent damage.

"Rec" soccer coach. Or, a former D1 player who does not coach at all.

I think I'll follow my experience vs. the lords of the boards.

Comedy.

[Unregistered]

"Rec" soccer coach. Or, a former D1 player who does not coach at all.

I think I'll follow my experience vs. the lords of the boards.

Comedy.

Let me guess what was it, tennis or was it baseball and more than 30 years ago in a very low level program? In any event not terribly relevant to what is going on today.

[Unregistered]

Let me guess what was it, tennis or was it baseball and more than 30 years ago in a very low level program? In any event not terribly relevant to what is going on today.

No, knucklehead. It was D1 soccer, but you are close...20 years ago.

So, I'd venture to say my experience is much more applicable than yours.

Have a nice day trolling the boards.

[Unregistered]

Your post just screams out ignorance but unfortunately is fairly typical for the know it all "rec" coaches that frequent this site. Why doesn't everyone do a little research and look into what the typical soccer schedule is for a D1 college player. Even in season they typically have S&C mixed in and during the off season they spend as much if not more time doing that than working with a ball at their feet. S&C is a big part of what it takes to prevent injuries and here this poster is basically saying that it is waste of time. Hope to god he only coach Ulittles where he can't do any permanent damage.

No wonder American women are lacking creativity on the field. We have people like the poster above telling 11 year olds to spend their time outside of structured practices doing structured strength and conditioning training, instead of messing around with the ball, trying out new tricks and learning from friends.

[Unregistered]

"Rec" soccer coach. Or, a former D1 player who does not coach at all.

I think I'll follow my experience vs. the lords of the boards.

Comedy.

Yours is the sort of advice I myself would offer if I looked at a kid and realized that they didn't have "IT". Off course most parents should chill but that doesn't mean that every parent should. You should realize that your advice is actually bad advice for that small segment of the kids in the youth soccer population that wants a future playing soccer and actually has the talent to realize that dream.

[Unregistered]

Yours is the sort of advice I myself would offer if I looked at a kid and realized that they didn't have "IT". Off course most parents should chill but that doesn't mean that every parent should. You should realize that your advice is actually bad advice for that small segment of the kids in the youth soccer population that wants a future playing soccer and actually has the talent to realize that dream.

last I checked there is 1 or 2 players from New England on all the WNTs so you realize you are talking about like .0001% of kids playing soccer in MA.

[Unregistered]

Wayne Rooney Says Pick-Up Soccer Improved His Game

http://www.soccer-training-info.com/..._up_soccer.asp

"I was very fortunate. At the back of my house there was a small five-a-side pitch that belonged to the local youth club. I’d only have to climb over my garden fence and there I was. There were other places too, we’d find a pitch in most spots but it was that pitch behind my house that me and my mates would play on for hours."



Freestyle “let the kids play” versus Formal Structured Competitive

http://blog.3four3.com/2013/02/07/pi...e-club-soccer/

"Much, if not most, individual technique, creativity, and needed swagger are shaped here."



The Lowest Level: Pickup Soccer in America

https://theother87.wordpress.com/201...er-in-america/

"The origin stories of great baseball players detail how that player learned his craft hitting roses off the bushes or swinging at bottle caps with a stick. Football players drill in the backyard with their fathers and an old tire throughout childhood before emerging onto field as a fully-formed freshman, dominating the competition and looking ready to lead a pro team to the promised land. Basketball stars spend hours in the gym or on the court down the block, making a thousand jump shots a day, 500 with each hand. This is how American players develop: hard work and perseverance, practice makes perfect, all that stuff.

Except in soccer, where one of the commonly given reasons for why the U.S. doesn’t produce as many or as high-quality soccer players as other nations is because our kids practice too much, and too early on, as opposed to just going out and playing. We hear of Zidane learning his close control in the housing projects of Marseille, Ronaldo lying to his mother about going to school, of players in Italy, Argentina, or Ghana who wake up and go play with their friends in the street until dinner, or until they’re scooped up and signed to a local club’s youth team by a sharp-eyed scout passing through town, whichever comes first.

In America, some bemoan what I’ve seen called “adult intervention,” the habit of coaches and parents pulling kids into regimented programs too early, draining a player’s love of the game and stunting his or her creativity before it can be developed. This is what the pickup advocates denounce."

[Unregistered]

No wonder American women are lacking creativity on the field. We have people like the poster above telling 11 year olds to spend their time outside of structured practices doing structured strength and conditioning training, instead of messing around with the ball, trying out new tricks and learning from friends.

Certainly didn't see a whole lot of creativity on display by the Women during the Olympics that is unless you think packing it in is an example of creative. Did you happen to notice that Brazil is seriously scaling back their support for their women's program? So much for Marta and her creativity sweeping over the world of women's soccer. Several of the countries (like France) in the Olympics were obviously built with athleticism in mind so you can't just ignore the athletic component.

[Unregistered]

Yours is the sort of advice I myself would offer if I looked at a kid and realized that they didn't have "IT". Off course most parents should chill but that doesn't mean that every parent should. You should realize that your advice is actually bad advice for that small segment of the kids in the youth soccer population that wants a future playing soccer and actually has the talent to realize that dream.

So, pick up soccer is OK for the greatest of the greats, and for the lowest of the lows, but not for those aspiring for "D1".

This just gets more hilarious as we go.

[Unregistered]

Wayne Rooney Says Pick-Up Soccer Improved His Game

http://www.soccer-training-info.com/..._up_soccer.asp

"I was very fortunate. At the back of my house there was a small five-a-side pitch that belonged to the local youth club. I’d only have to climb over my garden fence and there I was. There were other places too, we’d find a pitch in most spots but it was that pitch behind my house that me and my mates would play on for hours."



Freestyle “let the kids play” versus Formal Structured Competitive

http://blog.3four3.com/2013/02/07/pi...e-club-soccer/

"Much, if not most, individual technique, creativity, and needed swagger are shaped here."



The Lowest Level: Pickup Soccer in America

https://theother87.wordpress.com/201...er-in-america/

"The origin stories of great baseball players detail how that player learned his craft hitting roses off the bushes or swinging at bottle caps with a stick. Football players drill in the backyard with their fathers and an old tire throughout childhood before emerging onto field as a fully-formed freshman, dominating the competition and looking ready to lead a pro team to the promised land. Basketball stars spend hours in the gym or on the court down the block, making a thousand jump shots a day, 500 with each hand. This is how American players develop: hard work and perseverance, practice makes perfect, all that stuff.

Except in soccer, where one of the commonly given reasons for why the U.S. doesn’t produce as many or as high-quality soccer players as other nations is because our kids practice too much, and too early on, as opposed to just going out and playing. We hear of Zidane learning his close control in the housing projects of Marseille, Ronaldo lying to his mother about going to school, of players in Italy, Argentina, or Ghana who wake up and go play with their friends in the street until dinner, or until they’re scooped up and signed to a local club’s youth team by a sharp-eyed scout passing through town, whichever comes first.

In America, some bemoan what I’ve seen called “adult intervention,” the habit of coaches and parents pulling kids into regimented programs too early, draining a player’s love of the game and stunting his or her creativity before it can be developed. This is what the pickup advocates denounce."

What does Wayne Rooney or any 30 yo professional athlete from another country have to do with the current club soccer environment in this country? The days of just rolling a ball out in the street so all the kids can play are long gone so you can't look at how players like him made it and use that as the roadmap today. Another example of the typical bad advice you get from the "rec" coaches on this site.

[Unregistered]

Certainly didn't see a whole lot of creativity on display by the Women during the Olympics that is unless you think packing it in is an example of creative. Did you happen to notice that Brazil is seriously scaling back their support for their women's program? So much for Marta and her creativity sweeping over the world of women's soccer. Several of the countries (like France) in the Olympics were obviously built with athleticism in mind so you can't just ignore the athletic component.

I think you just proved how wrong you are. Yes, as they move away from creativity and concentrate on athleticism, the game (especially the women's game) takes a hit.

Bring back the joy of the game!!