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**Unregistered** · 03-29-2021, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Some of the best youth soccer players do NOT even try out for RTC. This year, they all tried out for RTC in various locations. Guess what? They all made the ODP list. Unless you pay attention, they also do NOT play on age in the regular season; they play up 1-2 years. So, trying out for RTC and playing on age made them stand out, not because the RTC coaching was good, but because these kids showed up as great soccer players already. Why would they even try RTC? It's just something new for them and COVID happened. Otherwise, they would be on to bigger and better things.

Never said RTC was the reason they were standout players. Just pointing out to everyone who is saying it was a complete waste of time and money that this year, my son was able to train and play with all of these "elite" players that lowered their standards and participated in RTC and it wasn't a bad experience. The pool of talent was good and some of these groups ran some good training sessions. The top players made the ODP pool as they should have. I don't put a lot of stock in the "my player is so good they play up" hype. I have seen plenty of very talented kids who "play up" and can hang just fine with an older team, but are nothing special there.

So is it better to play up and be average among the older players, or play on age and be a standout? Train up, play on age. Build a more complete player. By the time they hit high school, no one will care that they "played up" when they were 10-11.

**Unregistered** · 03-29-2021, 11:04 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

As the parent of multiple kids that are now off playing high level college soccer I can give feedback. We did RTC/ODP for a while. It was large number of kids and the coach wasn't that impressive. The trip to Arizona for the inter-regional tournament was the only positive. That was an enjoyable trip. The training overall was nothing to write home about. The large numbers of kids at trainings made it difficult to manage. My kids all thought they knew more about soccer tactics than their RTC/ODP coaches. They didn't feel like the learned much at all.

Overall, I would not recommend.

All of my kids made leaps and bounds improvements working with a private trainer. You have to find the good ones and they aren't cheap. We got very lucky and found a great one. It was very expensive but the results were excellent.

How high of a level? Professional? Can you share your trainer info?

**Unregistered** · 03-30-2021, 01:33 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

How high of a level? Professional? Can you share your trainer info?

Don't be dumb. OP is a almost certainly personal trainer posting as a parent, anonymously badmouthing any form of group training, including RTC/ODP.

Unless your kid a) loves soccer and spends all his/her free time playing soccer (as opposed to fortnite or whatever video game is popular), b) is a dominant player on the A team of a top club, or has been identified as a prospect by someone who ISN'T looking to be taking your money, and/or c) asks you for personal training... don't waste your time and money.

True story--last summer, dropped off the DS (who plays on the A team for one of the top local clubs) at a local facility to shoot around with teammates. After a while, some dbag with an ipad, a tracksuit, and a bunch of other gear shows up, along with a bunch of teenage boys--including one who plays for the club's B team (and who is technically skilled, but a ballhog with a bad attitude, which is why he's not on the A team). "Coach" announces that he is a personal trainer/pro scout or somesuch, and that he is "evaluating" the players for a potential pro career, and could he pretty please be able to use the goal for a while? (This during Covid restrictions).

DS couldn't stop laughing.

**Unregistered** · 04-01-2021, 07:10 AM

I wasn�t being dumb. I was calling their bluff.

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Don't be dumb. OP is a almost certainly personal trainer posting as a parent, anonymously badmouthing any form of group training, including RTC/ODP.

Unless your kid a) loves soccer and spends all his/her free time playing soccer (as opposed to fortnite or whatever video game is popular), b) is a dominant player on the A team of a top club, or has been identified as a prospect by someone who ISN'T looking to be taking your money, and/or c) asks you for personal training... don't waste your time and money.

True story--last summer, dropped off the DS (who plays on the A team for one of the top local clubs) at a local facility to shoot around with teammates. After a while, some dbag with an ipad, a tracksuit, and a bunch of other gear shows up, along with a bunch of teenage boys--including one who plays for the club's B team (and who is technically skilled, but a ballhog with a bad attitude, which is why he's not on the A team). "Coach" announces that he is a personal trainer/pro scout or somesuch, and that he is "evaluating" the players for a potential pro career, and could he pretty please be able to use the goal for a while? (This during Covid restrictions).

DS couldn't stop laughing.

**Unregistered** · 04-01-2021, 01:19 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

I wasn�t being dumb. I was calling their bluff.

Don't sell yourself short.

**Unregistered** · 04-07-2021, 08:13 AM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

Don't be dumb. OP is a almost certainly personal trainer posting as a parent, anonymously badmouthing any form of group training, including RTC/ODP.

Unless your kid a) loves soccer and spends all his/her free time playing soccer (as opposed to fortnite or whatever video game is popular), b) is a dominant player on the A team of a top club, or has been identified as a prospect by someone who ISN'T looking to be taking your money, and/or c) asks you for personal training... don't waste your time and money.

True story--last summer, dropped off the DS (who plays on the A team for one of the top local clubs) at a local facility to shoot around with teammates. After a while, some dbag with an ipad, a tracksuit, and a bunch of other gear shows up, along with a bunch of teenage boys--including one who plays for the club's B team (and who is technically skilled, but a ballhog with a bad attitude, which is why he's not on the A team). "Coach" announces that he is a personal trainer/pro scout or somesuch, and that he is "evaluating" the players for a potential pro career, and could he pretty please be able to use the goal for a while? (This during Covid restrictions).

DS couldn't stop laughing.

If your kid is quality, you need quality trainer. There is one in town and he is big time.