Pre-Academy vs Classic

Hi all,

My BB has been playing in classic for the last few years and is now seriously considering Pre-Academy. He birthday allows him to be in the group where he can still play high school this year.

My son (and his parents for that matter) have been encouraged and excited about what Pre-Academy has to offer in terms of the focus on development. However, I want to go into this new world with my eyes wide open.

I know many people on this thread have experience with Pre-Academy which I would love to hear.

What kind of things should I be aware of in the likely event that we will be taking the plunge into a travel-based league?

I'm not that familiar with preacademy. But I am familiar with classic and certainly heavy travel.

Let me preface by saying that it is my firm belief that no coach, team, club or league is going to make or break a player's individual development. (That's the myth that so many parents tend to buy into..especially in North Texas.)

Personally, I don't see a huge difference. Essentially you are talking about the same coaches. And probably the same training. With PA, you get what 3 days a week...instead of two?

While I believe in more training and fewer meaningless games, a self motivated player is going to train (in some aspect) on his own 5-7 days a week anyway. The more they can improve their technique (and I don't just mean dribbling either) the better they will end up. Add in some speed/strength/agility training and he will be far ahead of the curve.

But the athletic training shouldn't come at the expense of technical work.

If you spend more time driving (unless you absolutely have to) to training and games more than the kid spends time with a ball at his feet.....I say it isn't worth it.

As far as I know...there are no true academy/pa programs that even come close to replicating the 8-12 hrs per week that kids in overseas academies are getting. So the simple answer is you have to make up the difference on your own.

That said, you need to ask yourself some tough questions:

1. Will he start and be an impact player?
2. What is his 'best' position? (Strikers at this age still need the satisfaction of consistently scoring goals.)
3. Is he physically mature for his age? (If he is a 'manchild' then he should probably be competing with/against his physical and ability peers.....assuming he is also exceptional technically and tactically.)
4. What are his ambitions as an individual player? (Hint: the amount of time he spends on his own playing and watching/studying the game should reveal his true hopes and dreams.)
5. What kind of success has he had as an individual player? (State/regional teams, etc. Team tournament and league titles are essentially meaningless. You have to take the parent goggles off here. In short, has he always made an impact?)

The key variables are how much he enjoys the game, how hard he works and the group of players he trains with.

While I believe in more training and fewer meaningless games, a self motivated player is going to train (in some aspect) on his own 5-7 days a week anyway.

out of curiosity,,in 100 plus temps and stifling humidity isn't that a stretch to say work on your game 5-7 days a week? what does someone do to "work" on their game that much? juggle? run? kick a ball against a wall? . i agree about practicing on your own but texas weather is just not conducive to being outside "working on your game" 7 days a week. just my thoughts...

Sure, weather is a factor. You have to either find shade, or work in the mornings or late evenings.

It's just as hot (hotter with humidity) where I am than anywhere in NTX.

Besides, do all these da/pa clubs have indoor training facilities? If so, great.

If not, they have to endure the heat too.

It's just as hot (hotter with humidity) where I am than anywhere in NTX

My condolences, I didn't realize you had passed on and were living in hell. that's the only place i can think of hotter than texas in july and august...

soccerisgood123 wrote:While I believe in more training and fewer meaningless games, a self motivated player is going to train (in some aspect) on his own 5-7 days a week anyway.

out of curiosity,,in 100 plus temps and stifling humidity isn't that a stretch to say work on your game 5-7 days a week? what does someone do to "work" on their game that much? juggle? run? kick a ball against a wall? . i agree about practicing on your own but texas weather is just not conducive to being outside "working on your game" 7 days a week. just my thoughts...

My kids are outside playing soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming,trampoline,etc.,, everyday year-round unless it is raining. They usually avoid the late afternoon heat but not always; that is why they can play soccer in this heat. If you don't train in it how do you expect to play in it. Your body does acclimate. IMO the biggest impediment to working out on their own though is the decline of the traditional neighorhood. Most now are a series of little fortresses with their 6' fences and have no yards for kids to have a game of ball of any sort.

Did it just now get hot in texas? I remeber spending the summer running and biking all over the neigborhood as a kid. Now all of a sudden our poor precious kids will melt in a little heat.

go99 wrote:Did it just now get hot in texas? I remeber spending the summer running and biking all over the neigborhood as a kid. Now all of a sudden our poor precious kids will melt in a little heat.

In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, high temperatures exceeded 100 °F (38 °C) a total of 69 times, including a record 42 consecutive days from June 23 to August 3. Dallas/Fort Worth reached an all-time high when the temperature hit 113 °F (45 °C) on three consecutive days on June 26–28. In all, the Dallas/Fort Worth area saw 29 days in which the previous record high temperature was either broken or tied. Dallas also had 28 days above 105 and five days above 110. Some of the DFW records were eclipsed by the 2011 heat wave, but 1980 still stands out for its extreme heat.

I recall my boys playing soccer against some Russians and Germans in Greece. The Europeans couldn't take the heat and kept taking breaks all the time. My boys couldn't believe they thought it was hot, with the cool sea breeze blowing. Can't wait until they play the World Cup in the desert!

Laimport wrote:I'm not that familiar with preacademy. But I am familiar with classic and certainly heavy travel.

Let me preface by saying that it is my firm belief that no coach, team, club or league is going to make or break a player's individual development. (That's the myth that so many parents tend to buy into..especially in North Texas.)

Personally, I don't see a huge difference. Essentially you are talking about the same coaches. And probably the same training. With PA, you get what 3 days a week...instead of two?

While I believe in more training and fewer meaningless games, a self motivated player is going to train (in some aspect) on his own 5-7 days a week anyway. The more they can improve their technique (and I don't just mean dribbling either) the better they will end up. Add in some speed/strength/agility training and he will be far ahead of the curve.

But the athletic training shouldn't come at the expense of technical work.

If you spend more time driving (unless you absolutely have to) to training and games more than the kid spends time with a ball at his feet.....I say it isn't worth it.

As far as I know...there are no true academy/pa programs that even come close to replicating the 8-12 hrs per week that kids in overseas academies are getting. So the simple answer is you have to make up the difference on your own.

That said, you need to ask yourself some tough questions:

1. Will he start and be an impact player?
2. What is his 'best' position? (Strikers at this age still need the satisfaction of consistently scoring goals.)
3. Is he physically mature for his age? (If he is a 'manchild' then he should probably be competing with/against his physical and ability peers.....assuming he is also exceptional technically and tactically.)
4. What are his ambitions as an individual player? (Hint: the amount of time he spends on his own playing and watching/studying the game should reveal his true hopes and dreams.)
5. What kind of success has he had as an individual player? (State/regional teams, etc. Team tournament and league titles are essentially meaningless. You have to take the parent goggles off here. In short, has he always made an impact?)

The key variables are how much he enjoys the game, how hard he works and the group of players he trains with.

I'd say this is a pretty good assessment although i do think coaching can and will have an impact on a players development. Thats not myth in my opinion. In the end though its about what your son does outside of the regular practices. The players that will excel are those who have a ball at their feet every day in some capacity. The one constant you will find from the best players is they worked on their game daily. Kids today don't want to do that and most don't want to work on the small technical stuff that is the difference between the merely good adult players and the great ones.

soccerisgood123 wrote:While I believe in more training and fewer meaningless games, a self motivated player is going to train (in some aspect) on his own 5-7 days a week anyway.

out of curiosity,,in 100 plus temps and stifling humidity isn't that a stretch to say work on your game 5-7 days a week? what does someone do to "work" on their game that much? juggle? run? kick a ball against a wall? . i agree about practicing on your own but texas weather is just not conducive to being outside "working on your game" 7 days a week. just my thoughts...

simple answer is they go outside and get acclimated to it. The game doesn't stop because its hot. having played both in cold weather cities (england) and warm weather cities (florida) I can tell you that you can and will get used to it and in my youth the games were played regardless.

indyfc wrote:

go99 wrote:Did it just now get hot in texas? I remeber spending the summer running and biking all over the neigborhood as a kid. Now all of a sudden our poor precious kids will melt in a little heat.

In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, high temperatures exceeded 100 °F (38 °C) a total of 69 times, including a record 42 consecutive days from June 23 to August 3. Dallas/Fort Worth reached an all-time high when the temperature hit 113 °F (45 °C) on three consecutive days on June 26–28. In all, the Dallas/Fort Worth area saw 29 days in which the previous record high temperature was either broken or tied. Dallas also had 28 days above 105 and five days above 110. Some of the DFW records were eclipsed by the 2011 heat wave, but 1980 still stands out for its extreme heat.

I recall playing outside in 1980. I am shocked I am still alive and was able to survive it

Weather definitely plays a factor in style of play. The Scandinavian countries tend to play very direct.

In Brazil and other warm climates...they play slower. More of a methodical buildup.

Easier to run all out when it's cold...

I didn't mean to imply coaching isn't important. Just not a 'make or break' proposition.

Tactics are stressed at too early an age. Due to the 'demand' on coaches for results.

80% of it is up to the player.

I read one of the problems developing a style for US soccer is the differences in regional play styles. Were the warm weather states are able to have short grass that lends itself to a faster ball. The cold weather states must have a longer grass so it survives the winter. This lends itself to longer balls and more arial play.

I've been to some midwestern tournaments. They definitely play a lot of long ball.

I think we need more players who can:

1. Control the ball/first touch.

2. Know how to keep the ball and otherwise have higher game intelligence.

Laimport, I'm gonna have to disagree with you. Assuming your kid has the ambition to train hard and often (which is quite rare), the right coach can be a huge factor for various reasons.

Additionally, we've been lucky enough to be a part of the FCD PA program, and the boys will train 5 days a week from 3 - 5 pm plus. They will also have easier access to additional training to work on specific weaknesses and other programs that will not be as readily available to others not in the program.

Is it a perfect system, that remains to be seen, but I think it's a step in the right direction. If you have the opportunity to join PA, I wouldn't think twice and with time the programs should only get better.

If he can make the FCD team it's a no brainer, you should get him on it's free!!!

If you are talking about any of the other 3, then the bottom line is this.....

If YOU as the parent, have the money and time to get into it, then you should do it. Being on any of the other 3 teams of his age group wiill not hurt him one bit. All have solid coaching and will be playing versus very good competition.

If you are doing it expecting a return on investment, then that's where the debate starts. As you have seen from the rest of the posts some think it's the best thing you can do and others think you don't have to do it.

If you are in the latter, you need to sit down and with your bb and really figure it out as a family. You will need to make sure that his goal is to continue to play soccer and aspire for bigger things. Whether it be college or pro, you have to make sure he is committed to giving it his all.

Axxman, FCD program is the exception to the general rule. Remember I stated a while back that their foreign counterparts were training anywhere from 8-12 hours per week.

I think coaching CAN make a huge difference under those circumstances. Because that is truly a 'professional' system.

Without going into great detail, I brought my son over to train with an FCD PA team. I was very impressed with the level of professionalism of not only the coach but the players themselves.

Unfortunately, we live too far away to be able to participate...for now.

Now, are the other DA/PA clubs offering the same level/amount of training and coaching? Honestly, I don't know. However, knowing what I know about club soccer...my guess is 'no'.

I could be wrong. Honestly, I'd like to hear in detail what the other clubs offer.

All that said, I don't really feel pa is a necessity for a player either. Especially below U14. It's still about the basics at that age.

Now if someone wants to open a La Masia/Ajax type of academy...then that's different.

But it would have to be self funded...and really about getting the most talented players.

Which it rarely is...

I am gonna agree with AXX the FCD PA system is a big step in the right direction. It's not perfect and has many flaws but it is generally a better option than CL as far a producing players goes

I would like to see our clubs and academies teaching our players to possess the ball. This is a local club team that focused on technical development of the player. It does pay off but takes an educated parent and years of proper development. Without proper training, the players are left to chase the ball around most the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv7PZO_K3aw&feature=relmfu

How about this sequence of players making runs in tight spaces controlling possession of the ball eventually getting dangerous shot on goal. Your club/program should be teaching your player how to have the technical skills and soccer smarts to play this way. If your team is not able to connect 10 passes in a row routinely without loosing possession of the ball then one might ask what kind of training and technical development is my player getting in club or Pre-Academy programs? It is not about winning it is about technical development of the player at U-17 and below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMc3jCXLZ5w&feature=relmfu

Thanks all for the great responses.
I actually expected to hear a few horror stories associated with Pre-Academy. Thankfully I did not hear of any. That tells me that any of the non-FCD PA teams are fairly well run. Clearly the FCD PA is a step above.

My experience up, until this point, is that almost-all coaches my son has played for has placed my son in role that exploits his strengths and hides his weaknesses. While this may help win games, my gear is that it may not fully develop a player. This could lead to a very one-dimensional player who may not be able to adapt different styles of play in the future (HS Varsity, College etc).

I do understand that practicing at home is the real place to improve on weaknesses (He does that today), however, some weaknesses can only be improved upon in a multi-player setting such as practices.

Overall, I have been satisfied with my son's previous coaches/teams and I may just be splitting hairs on this small issue.

We will give Pre-Academy a go and see if the experience is any different. If the Pre-Academy experience ends up being on par with my experience in classic, I will not be that upset. Although, I am optimistic that things will be slightly better.

Thanks again!

Remember the Pre-Academy rosters can be up to 26 players with no playing time guarantee other than what the coach may or may not tell players/parents.

Good luck

Forgot to include only 18 players can be rostered for a match.

U14 has re-entry but U15 does not. Once you are out, you are out.