Does your team suddenly have a bunch playing football?

Agreed Real....

Every time I see the parents that believe that the team can't win without their son in the game, i want to run! No one is NOT replaceable...teams adjust without their stars, and oh, shock, sometimes do even better with the workhorses sharing the ball and working together.

Stars don't win championships, teams do!

Soccerinsanity wrote:Agreed Real....

Every time I see the parents that believe that the team can't win without their son in the game, i want to run!  No one is NOT replaceable...teams adjust without their stars, and oh, shock, sometimes do even better with the workhorses sharing the ball and working together.

Stars don't win championships, teams do!

First, I think winning at all cost mentality (especially at this age) is a huge mistake. Coaches should make the right choices to develop their teams- with little regard to wins.

However, I can’t agree with your last statement (unless it is all in wording and how you meant it)…. but the fact is teams without stars rarely win championships and it does not matter what sport you are talking about. May not like it, but it is what it is.

my u11 son (and several others on his team) told the coach (beforehand) exactly what their other obligations are. my son plays 3 sports and if the coach would have given him an ultimatum, he would have had a choice to make. from what i have read and several elite athletes that i have talked with, it is a huge mistake to specialize in 1 sport at such an early age (from an injury and burnout standpoint).

jdever wrote:my u11 son (and several others on his team) told the coach (beforehand) exactly what their other obligations are. my son plays 3 sports and if the coach would have given him an ultimatum, he would have had a choice to make. from what i have read and several elite athletes that i have talked with, it is a huge mistake to specialize in 1 sport at such an early age (from an injury and burnout standpoint).

i bet they werent soccer players though  

Football (soccer)  is a specialized Sport with a lot of nuances for which experience (time) is the solution. Every sport has a learning curve, but some sports have less permutations than others which allow BFS BB's to get up to speed faster and with less rigor. Soccer is not that type of sport and if one wants to be a pro or college level player it will be difficult to play another sport.

The notion that a player is "Gifted" or "Elite" should be tempered with "Trained" or "Skilled". A great athlete without the proper training and the accompanying skills will have a difficult time pushing forward as the BB pool begins to mature and I predict that training will overcome most of a player's shortcomings.

In our sports culture it is an unwritten truth that multi-sport athletes are the best, but I suggest that even though Multi-sport athletes are capable of being excellent in one sport, they may not fully reach their potential by diluting their experience in a multi-sport environment.  

Playing multiple sports develops a jack of all trades, but not always a master of all trades level of sports specific athlete. A player who is committed at all levels in Football (soccer) has the best chance at success and time (experience) will favor those individuals.

looprevil wrote:

Soccerinsanity wrote:Agreed Real....

Every time I see the parents that believe that the team can't win without their son in the game, i want to run!  No one is NOT replaceable...teams adjust without their stars, and oh, shock, sometimes do even better with the workhorses sharing the ball and working together.

Stars don't win championships, teams do!

First, I think winning at all cost mentality (especially at this age) is a huge mistake.  Coaches should make the right choices to develop their teams- with little regard to wins.  

However, I can’t agree with your last statement (unless it is all in wording and how you meant it)…. but the fact is teams without stars rarely win championships and it does not matter what sport you are talking about.  May not like it, but it is what it is.

I think it's the wording. My point was that many parents believe their bb is the star and the team won't survive, or win, without them. In reality, most teams step up and do just fine without the "star" bb. In this sport, many times the "star" has been trained to try to take the ball to the goal every time...You know what happens: the defense knows that the star won't ever pass, easy to defend. It's much more effective to have a team where the players pass and the defense can't guess which one will take the shot.

PremierLeagueFan wrote:Football (soccer)  is a specialized Sport with a lot of nuances for which experience (time) is the solution. Every sport has a learning curve, but some sports have less permutations than others which allow BFS BB's to get up to speed faster and with less rigor. Soccer is not that type of sport and if one wants to be a pro or college level player it will be difficult to play another sport.

The notion that a player is "Gifted" or "Elite" should be tempered with "Trained" or "Skilled". A great athlete without the proper training and the accompanying skills will have a difficult time pushing forward as the BB pool begins to mature and I predict that training will overcome most of a player's shortcomings.

In our sports culture it is an unwritten truth that multi-sport athletes are the best, but I suggest that even though Multi-sport athletes are capable of being excellent in one sport, they may not fully reach their potential by diluting their experience in a multi-sport environment.  

Playing multiple sports develops a jack of all trades, but not always a master of all trades level of sports specific athlete. A player who is committed at all levels in Football (soccer) has the best chance at success and time (experience) will favor those individuals.

Perhaps this should be in a separate thread, but I don't fully agree with your assertion that young soccer players should be limited to a single sport.  Soccer is definitely a skill sport and those skills need to be acquired at an early age and can be without marinoviching the kid.  Unstructured play is the best way to go in my opinion. Unfortunately we don't have that in the U.S.

How Much Soccer is Too Much Soccer?
By Dev K. Mishra, M.D.

How much soccer is too much soccer? From my perspective as a sports medicine specialist, I know when a player has played too much when various types of "overuse" injuries start appearing.

"My heels have been hurting for months."

"It started as soreness in my calf, but now my hamstrings and my lower back hurt, too."

These are unfortunately common problems in my practice, and usually signal that we are about to enter treatment that could keep the athlete off the field for many months.

I am definitely seeing more overuse injuries in my practice now than I did five years ago, and injuries that generally were not seen until an older age group are showing up in much younger players. In speaking with other sports medicine practitioners, these are not isolated incidents -- these injuries are definitely on the rise, and we would be wise to address the problem.

First, some definitions.

An "overuse injury" is one that occurs from repetitive usage, rather than a single event -- we are not talking about a broken ankle that happened after a rough tackle. For youth soccer players, some common overuse injuries would include Sever's Disease (heel pain - injury to the growth plate), Achilles tendonitis, shin splints, calf muscle strains, Osgood-Schlatter Syndrome (knee pain - injury to a growth plate in the front of the knee), hamstring or quadriceps muscle strains, and many others.

I would also include psychological issues such as "burnout" in the category of overuse injury.

Healing an overuse injury almost always requires an extended period of rest, physical therapy, sometimes bracing or casts, and occasionally surgery. No matter the injury, there will be a long time spent off the field. Each of us knows of a player who always seems to have something going wrong physically. That player may get labeled as "injury prone," but I believe it can really be a sign of an overused body.

Why do these injuries occur? From a scientific standpoint, the injuries occur because tissue gets repetitively loaded over time beyond the point at which it is healthy, and tissue failure occurs. Muscle fatigue, unforgiving soccer cleats, hard fields all play a role. But the bigger issue is from a social standpoint -- is there something we are subjecting young athletes to in terms of lifestyle or training that leads to overuse injury?

Many theories abound but most experts point to one main causative factor: year-round training in a single sport. What we are talking about here is structured, organized training.

I cannot recall seeing these injuries in kids playing pickup soccer, hanging out at the park, or even playing several "seasonal" sports.

Soccer's booming popularity among young athletes in the United States, combined with the potential for college scholarships and possible professional careers creates for some athletes an intense hyper-competitive environment where "success" needs to come at earlier and earlier ages. This problem is certainly not isolated to soccer, as pointed out in an excellent book, "Revolution in the Bleachers," by Regan McMahon:

Players will play for club teams (sometimes more than one club team at the same time), participate in ODP programs, and perhaps receive individual training as well. When can this body possibly heal once it has been injured?

This is a problem that has possible solutions. Competitiveness, focus, and drive are not bad things -- indeed they are admirable qualities that will serve one well through life.

But can we find for these young athletes a better balance between organized training and what in many other countries could be called "street soccer"?
The U.S. Soccer Federation recently published their guide called "Best Practices for Coaching Soccer in the United States." The authors point out that Manchester United's U-18 academy team plays a maximum of 30 games per year, with a minimum of 3 months without any games.

The "Best Practices Guide" provides good food for thought regarding age specific recommendations for number of matches, time off, travel, and tournaments. In addition, I would submit the following for your consideration:

* Listen to your body. If you're a player with an overuse injury, understand that proper time to heal will actually shorten the amount of time you're off. If you're a coach or parent, watch for signs of overuse and address these before they lead to chronic problems. If a player is destined for a professional career, time off when they are 12 will not change that.

* Consider the U.S. Soccer Federation recommendations for age specific limits on games, travel, and tournaments, as well as recommendations for time off.

* Encourage multiple sports, at least up until age 14, and as much as possible encourage unstructured "pick up" games or free play in any sport.
With some care and attention, we can lead our kids to be better soccer players and have healthier bodies to show for it.

Dr. Mishra is an orthopedic surgeon in private practice in Burlingame and Walnut Creek, Calif. He is a team physician for U.C. Berkeley, the California Victory USL-1 club, and the U.S. Soccer Federation. Mishra's Web site is www.thesoccerdoc.com.

PremierLeagueFan wrote:Football (soccer)  is a specialized Sport with a lot of nuances for which experience (time) is the solution. Every sport has a learning curve, but some sports have less permutations than others which allow BFS BB's to get up to speed faster and with less rigor. Soccer is not that type of sport and if one wants to be a pro or college level player it will be difficult to play another sport.

The notion that a player is "Gifted" or "Elite" should be tempered with "Trained" or "Skilled". A great athlete without the proper training and the accompanying skills will have a difficult time pushing forward as the BB pool begins to mature and I predict that training will overcome most of a player's shortcomings.

In our sports culture it is an unwritten truth that multi-sport athletes are the best, but I suggest that even though Multi-sport athletes are capable of being excellent in one sport, they may not fully reach their potential by diluting their experience in a multi-sport environment.  

Playing multiple sports develops a jack of all trades, but not always a master of all trades level of sports specific athlete. A player who is committed at all levels in Football (soccer) has the best chance at success and time (experience) will favor those individuals.

Fully agree with this  - as it relates to soccer. And I think you are also saying this, but other sports (such as football) an athlete can be less "skilled/experienced" and still have the ability to catch-up and be successful at the college/pro level...soccer is just not one of those sports.

That said my assumption is that the boys/parents choosing to play other sports conflicting with soccer training (in this case football) are not planning on being college or pro soccer players. That path is not for everyone and is not available to everyone- so a kid/family choosing a more well rounded (all be highly competitive) youth athletic experience in light of this makes sense to me. If the kid/parents plan on a college soccer experience and maybe an outside shot at the pros- well then choosing to play any other sports that conflict with most any soccer training would be a mistake in my opinion.

The advice of not specializing until U14 I think is golden. At U11 and U12 are you really banking on that your son to turn pro or play college on a full ride? If they miss 1 practice a week for 10 weeks or so I don't think it is going to make that much difference in the grand scheme of things. In fact, I bet they will be better.

34blast wrote:The advice of not specializing until U14 I think is golden.  At U11 and U12 are you really banking on that your son to turn pro or play college on a full ride?  If they miss 1 practice a week for 10 weeks or so I don't think it is going to make that much difference in the grand scheme of things.  In fact,  I bet they will be better.  

utter stupidity,easier to take 10 weeks off of football, "mongo go block 79" not too hard...

The Boss wrote:

jdever wrote:my u11 son (and several others on his team) told the coach (beforehand) exactly what their other obligations are. my son plays 3 sports and if the coach would have given him an ultimatum, he would have had a choice to make. from what i have read and several elite athletes that i have talked with, it is a huge mistake to specialize in 1 sport at such an early age (from an injury and burnout standpoint).

i bet they werent soccer players though  

actually, one of the athletes was a college & pro soccer player and played GK for Greece in the Athens Olympics

jdever wrote:

The Boss wrote:

jdever wrote:my u11 son (and several others on his team) told the coach (beforehand) exactly what their other obligations are. my son plays 3 sports and if the coach would have given him an ultimatum, he would have had a choice to make. from what i have read and several elite athletes that i have talked with, it is a huge mistake to specialize in 1 sport at such an early age (from an injury and burnout standpoint).

i bet they werent soccer players though  

actually, one of the athletes was a college & pro soccer player and played GK for Greece in the Athens Olympics

exactly  

we do have unstructured play. it's called; a kid his ball and a wall. i agree there is not enough of it

Perhaps, I am viewing this from too simplistic an eye. Who really cares about others. Worry about your own. If you are bothered because the "football player" happens to start in front or or receives more playing time than your child, that is your issue. The child is likely a better player and your jaded perception and jealousy cannot simply accept it. Every player develops differently. Every child is different. They want different things, value different things and come from different backrounds. Worry about your own...

I agree with Getafe01, the only issue I have with kids playing Football almost happened to our team.

PPL scheduled 2 of our games for Tuesday, in which we have 12 kids playing middle school football(my son only plays soccer). We told the league about the issue before the season even started. The league was able to reschedule our games like we requested but never informed us, the last thing we heard was that the league will not reschedule the games. The coach and most of of thought we would have to forfeit those games since we didn't have enough players to field a team for those games. We were very fortunate, I'm assuming not every team will be as fortunate in this situation.

This is Texas, playing football is a right of passage in most communities. The REAL question should be why there aren't more kids missing soccer practice for football? Again, this IS Texas.

My BB plays football and is on a D1 team. We were VERY upfront with our coach and he took him anyway.

Right now though, the BB is starting to burn out. Football practice starts at 6:40AM. We are encouraging him to hang in there. Almost over, but then again, we will be on to the next sport!

$100 bucks says it really is just this year, 7th grade, where most boys feel the urge to go play. I guarantee that less and less will play multiple 'contact' sports in the years ahead. YES, I consider soccer a contact sport. :-)