Mom with soccer questions.

Does anyone know where my son can play soccer with actual soccer goals? I hope I called it the right thing. We live close to down town Dallas. Last time we tried Kiest Park in the OC area, we got kicked out.

Also, he has weak kicks. Any suggestions to help improve his leg strength?

He's 9 years old.

purosoccer wrote:Does anyone know where my son can play soccer with actual soccer goals? I hope I called it the right thing. We live close to down town Dallas. Last time we tried Kiest Park in the OC area, we got kicked out.

Also, he has weak kicks. Any suggestions to help improve his leg strength?

He's 9 years old.

Fajitas and frijoles

Haha maybe that might work. I can’t get him away from Pizza.

don't worry about leg strength. Technique is more important, everybody grows

purosoccer wrote:Does anyone know where my son can play soccer with actual soccer goals? I hope I called it the right thing. We live close to down town Dallas. Last time we tried Kiest Park in the OC area, we got kicked out.

Also, he has weak kicks. Any suggestions to help improve his leg strength?

He's 9 years old.

Soccer goals are not going to help your boy get better.

All you need is two cones and a solid wall with no windows. Have him kick the ball against the wall in between the cones from different angles. This will build up his leg strength and aim.

Make sure he is locking his ankle...a lot of weak kicks come from floppy feet
He could do calf raises (going on to tip toes), I think that would strengthen both the calf and muscles in the ankle. Stay away from weight trainging at that age.

Thank you!

I wanted the goals so he can at least aim in the right direction. I just replaced 3 broken windows

Most of the time the ball rolls in so slow into the goal from a distance. I get a bit worried. I tried to ask the question of the proper way to kick the ball and I received different answers.

I want him to start with the basics. He loves to play but I would like for him to practice somewhere else other than our home on non team practice days.

purosoccer wrote:Does anyone know where my son can play soccer with actual soccer goals? I hope I called it the right thing. We live close to down town Dallas. Last time we tried Kiest Park in the OC area, we got kicked out.

Also, he has weak kicks. Any suggestions to help improve his leg strength?

He's 9 years old.

I'm not going to say that these are the issues with your son because I haven't seen him. I will say that, generally, when I see a player that isn't getting much power on the ball the cause isn't usually leg strength. It is usually caused by bad technique.

Is he hitting the ball on the correct spot to make it do what he wants? On the lower half or middle? Is he hitting the ball on the correct part of his foot or is it getting too close to his heel? Is he focusing on the ball when he hits it or is he lifting his head up? How is he leaning? Are his shoulders forward or are they knocked backward? If he is leaning too far back he may be slowing himself down before making contact with the ball. Is he slowing himself down before or as he's kicking? He shouldn't be, he should be pushing his body weight through the ball and slowing down after the contact is complete.

The other common problem I see in young players without power is in the step next to the ball.... a.k.a. his plant foot. Is he stepping too close to the ball and that’s forcing bad technique on the kicking foot? Is the toe of his plant foot pointed at his target? If not, he may be swinging his leg across his body which will drain power. Is his plant foot toe parallel to the middle of the ball or a little behind the middle or is he stepping too far forward on that plant step? If your son isn't taking a correct step with his plant foot, if he's taking a weak step or ignoring that step completely, that’ll absolutely drain power from his shots.

How is his approach? He shouldn't start immediately behind the ball to get good power. I usually tell my kids to start at the back of their ball and take 3 big steps back and then 1 1/2 step to their side. That's about where he should approach the ball from. If he wants big power he needs that room to build momentum up during his approach.

I agree with indyfc, put him in front of a brick wall and let him blast away. He should figure a lot of these things out naturally and realize what is most comfortable for him. If he doesn't, you need to find him a coach that's willing to invest some time for diagnosing the issues.

bigtex75081 wrote:

purosoccer wrote:Does anyone know where my son can play soccer with actual soccer goals? I hope I called it the right thing. We live close to down town Dallas. Last time we tried Kiest Park in the OC area, we got kicked out.

Also, he has weak kicks. Any suggestions to help improve his leg strength?

He's 9 years old.

I'm not going to say that these are the issues with your son because I haven't seen him. I will say that, generally, when I see a player that isn't getting much power on the ball the cause isn't usually leg strength. It is usually caused by bad technique.

Is he hitting the ball on the correct spot to make it do what he wants? On the lower half or middle? Is he hitting the ball on the correct part of his foot or is it getting too close to his heel? Is he focusing on the ball when he hits it or is he lifting his head up? How is he leaning? Are his shoulders forward or are they knocked backward? If he is leaning too far back he may be slowing himself down before making contact with the ball. Is he slowing himself down before or as he's kicking? He shouldn't be, he should be pushing his body weight through the ball and slowing down after the contact is complete.

The other common problem I see in young players without power is in the step next to the ball.... a.k.a. his plant foot. Is he stepping too close to the ball and that’s forcing bad technique on the kicking foot? Is the toe of his plant foot pointed at his target? If not, he may be swinging his leg across his body which will drain power. Is his plant foot toe parallel to the middle of the ball or a little behind the middle or is he stepping too far forward on that plant step? If your son isn't taking a correct step with his plant foot, if he's taking a weak step or ignoring that step completely, that’ll absolutely drain power from his shots.

How is his approach? He shouldn't start immediately behind the ball to get good power. I usually tell my kids to start at the back of their ball and take 3 big steps back and then 1 1/2 step to their side. That's about where he should approach the ball from. If he wants big power he needs that room to build momentum up during his approach.

I agree with indyfc, put him in front of a brick wall and let him blast away. He should figure a lot of these things out naturally and realize what is most comfortable for him. If he doesn't, you need to find him a coach that's willing to invest some time for diagnosing the issues.

Thanks bigtex75081!

Weird but you answered a few questions I would ask myself when I would watch him outside. He would come running towards the ball and then stops and kicks. He would do this when he would make a pass to the kid who would be a center forward. I heard one coach tell him to stop kicking with his toes. I think I need to search for a one on one coach to work with him.

[quote="Riquelme"][quote="purosoccer"]Does anyone know where my son can play soccer with actual soccer goals? I hope I called it the right thing. We live close to down town Dallas. Last time we tried Kiest Park in the OC area, we got kicked out.

Also, he has weak kicks. Any suggestions to help improve his leg strength?

He's 9 years old. [/quote]

Fajitas and frijoles [/quote]

Try Freddy Field near Love Field, close to downtown. Specifically, at Maple Lawn Elementary School near Inwood and Lemmon. It's free.

It's a community field constructed with sponsor money. It's futsal sized on artificial carpet. There are always a TON of kids and grown-ups playing pick-up soccer there. Weekend afternoons the place is packed.

Whenever the weather is good and we have a free day, I take my 11 year old and as many buddies as we can round up to play at Freddy Field.

http://www.bigdsoccer.com/2011/10/20/2502675/freddy-field-opening-kickoff-and-dedication-this-saturday

http://www.freddyfund.com/

PG-Boy wrote:Try Freddy Field near Love Field, close to downtown. Specifically, at Maple Lawn Elementary School near Inwood and Lemmon. It's free.

It's a community field constructed with sponsor money. It's futsal sized on artificial carpet. There are always a TON of kids and grown-ups playing pick-up soccer there. Weekend afternoons the place is packed.

Whenever the weather is good and we have a free day, I take my 11 year old and as many buddies as we can round up to play at Freddy Field.

http://www.bigdsoccer.com/2011/10/20/2502675/freddy-field-opening-kickoff-and-dedication-this-saturday

http://www.freddyfund.com/

Awesome! Thank you PG-Boy! I will try and go by there this sunday!

PG-Boy wrote:Try Freddy Field near Love Field, close to downtown. Specifically, at Maple Lawn Elementary School near Inwood and Lemmon. It's free.

It's a community field constructed with sponsor money. It's futsal sized on artificial carpet. There are always a TON of kids and grown-ups playing pick-up soccer there. Weekend afternoons the place is packed.

Whenever the weather is good and we have a free day, I take my 11 year old and as many buddies as we can round up to play at Freddy Field.

http://www.bigdsoccer.com/2011/10/20/2502675/freddy-field-opening-kickoff-and-dedication-this-saturday

http://www.freddyfund.com/

Very good suggestion. Freddy Garcia is a local tailor (DanielTaylor Clothiers) who played professional soccer and even at over 60 continues to stay in shape reffing and playing. His son, who grew up in the FCD academy and played for the reserves while attending UNT, died unexpectedly while studying for finals several years ago. His friends and former teammates sponsored the development of the local fields to provide for the west Dallas community. I hope that it remains in good condition and is enjoyed by many. Freddy is a wonderful human being and close friend.

purosoccer wrote:Does anyone know where my son can play soccer with actual soccer goals? I hope I called it the right thing. We live close to down town Dallas. Last time we tried Kiest Park in the OC area, we got kicked out.

Also, he has weak kicks. Any suggestions to help improve his leg strength?

He's 9 years old.

Try an approach off his shoulder of his dominant foot . Also look at the foot work in the approach . It's kind of a timing thing he will develope . Agree w/GO reinforce the correct technic the power will come ..