Soccer tournaments and League Play - Learn the game vs. Win today

Coach&Ref wrote:

bwgophers wrote:

Coach&Ref wrote: When the kids that were not early bloomers and had to work very hard on their first touch and other skills start to catch up around 14, then they will be picked over the girls who were successful as younger kids and relied on their athleticism to win games but never worked on their touch.

Am I the only one out here who keeps hearing the "mantra" above, but not seeing it???

Granted, I haven't been on the scene as long as many of the "pundits" around here, but my observation is that the overwhelming majority of starting players on top teams at the later ages were, top players at the earlier ages, mainly because they are pure and simple better athletes - quicker, faster, more agile, and most importantly, more coordinated.

To me, I'd say the "late-bloomers" who don't emerge until 14+ are far more the exception than the rule, like <10% of the players on top teams.

Maybe I just put a big 'ol target on my back, but I'm just not seeing what everyone is preaching...

Nah Gophers. It's just what you are seeing and your opinion. Nothing wrong with that. It is just a discussion after all.

My opinion just comes from the many girls I have both coached and observed. Even though I am NOT one of the "win now" coaches who have had super athletes on my teams, I cannot avoid this issue with these players. No mater what the amount of cajoling could get those girls to train on their own. I would give them homework that might take them 15mins per day, but they would go home, watch TV, etc.

It's unrealistic to think that a girl will improve from two 1.5hr practices per week with one game on the weekend. 90% of the necessary work a kid can do, can be done at home.

My observations are simply that those girls who worked hard to compete at younger ages, will replace the early successful athletes who don't think they need to work on their own.

Could it also be that with the relatively recent advent of academy soccer at the younger ages, that the increased "intensity" of coaching and competition at the younger ages weeds out the players that are skating by on athleticism only at a younger age, so that even by the time they are 10-11, the better athletes that are also willing to work hard at developing skill have risen to the top and stay there?

Maybe this is a bit a of a paradigm shift from even 5-10 years ago?

My question is this "how many of the girls who outwork and outshine their teammates at 10 are still in the game by say age 14 or 15? Do they reach burnout because of the intensity quicker?

Maybe this is the better way!

http://www.cbc.ca/thisisthat/blog/2013/09/03/to-ensure-every-child-wins-ontario-athletic-association-removes-ball-from-soccer/  /satire

Few observations from the thread, compiled as a brief summary. Thanks for all your insight.

A)  Club soccer is all about business, coaches are under pressure from paying customers to win, sometimes at the cost of not developing their own kids.  Yes we pay money to watch team superstars play.  Myopic but true, at least that is what clubs and coaches are saying and doing. Winning today is the mantra..


B)  Kids who are superstars and who are just relying on athletic skills and not focusing on improving soccer skills, will be dumped in favor of the new superstars, who may be athletic, technical etc.  Today's superstars potentially are not necessarily tomorrow's.


C)  If your kids are neither athletic superstars nor yet advanced, continue to develop your DDs soccer skills.  Do not expect to get lot of league or tournament time, as coach will be focusing on winning today.


D)  Sometimes, coaches will pigeonhole kids and put kids in same or wrong positions to win today, rather than expose kids to learn different positions.  They sometimes teach to kick the ball and hope for the best.  So if your kid is already advanced and still being sacrificed in the spirit of winning.  Look at the long term picture, focus on practice, skills.  Lower your expectations of the games, league, tournaments.  Game time is really much small than the overall soccer time your kids is spending or should be spending.  

E)  Tournaments lineups and style of coaching are good indication of what your coach thinks of the team (unless he communicates beforehand the goal for the tournament).  Lineup that he puts is all about winning.  As every game is showcase for the team, club less to do with your dd. In other wards, tournament is not about your kid.  It is more about the club and the coach.  Pressure, pressure to win.
 

F)  With all being said, you want your team to win, coach to be producing wins, club to be healthy.  Hopefully with some player development intermixed in it.  You do not want teams to implode every year, because we did not win enough.


G)  If parents do not speak to their clubs and coaches, and leave the issue to the clubs, clubs will assume parents want to win at the cost of our DDs skills.  So try to make your case to your DDs coach or to the club director.  6-12 years is the golden age of learning, focus on DDs development, demand it from coach and club, you are paying for it.


H)  Support your coach, club during tough times when it makes sense.  Team that has parents and coaches having similar philosophy is a good thing.  Not that it is easy.