...you might be a rec parent

Very good clues as to identifying a rec parent with at least some experience, but we cannot overlook the most basic of the clues with respect to knowledge of the game. A rec parent outs himself with any of the following utterances:

"Throw it down the line!".
"Don't go backwards!"
"Boot it!"
"Let it go out!"
"Not in the middle!"

upper95 wrote:Very good clues as to identifying a rec parent with at least some experience, but we cannot overlook the most basic of the clues with respect to knowledge of the game.  A rec parent outs himself with any of the following utterances:

"Throw it down the line!".
"Don't go backwards!"
"Boot it!"
"Let it go out!"
"Not in the middle!"

Ha! I wish I had a dollar for every "select" parent I hear on a weekly basis that makes the statements above. Or even worse still is the number of "select" coaches who have instructed a defender facing even the lightest pressure to "kick it out!" Select parents and coaches perceive wins as far more important than their rec counterparts and will rely any "safe" tactic to achieve that end.

As evidenced from this thread, the only difference between a rec parent and a select parent is how much you pay for your DD to play soccer

JustaSport wrote:

upper95 wrote:Very good clues as to identifying a rec parent with at least some experience, but we cannot overlook the most basic of the clues with respect to knowledge of the game.  A rec parent outs himself with any of the following utterances:

"Throw it down the line!".
"Don't go backwards!"
"Boot it!"
"Let it go out!"
"Not in the middle!"

Ha!  I wish I had a dollar for every "select" parent I hear on a weekly basis that makes the statements above.  Or even worse still is the number of "select" coaches who have instructed a defender facing even the lightest pressure to "kick it out!"  Select parents and coaches perceive wins as far more important than their rec counterparts and will rely any "safe" tactic to achieve that end.

I agree- and also, there is "send it!", which I hear at many select games, from parents and coaches.
My favorites from youth coaches: "Don't kick the air- kick the ball!", and, "Don't use the side of your foot- use your toe!"

If you buy your daughter $60 cleats and you think they are "expensive"....you might be a rec parent.

If you don't know what heel cups are...

If your DD thinks playing goalie is fun...

I disagree with 2 of the statements above 1st don't cross the middle, never should you cross the middle  in your 18. The second is if your DD plays more than one sport. I'm sorry if your DD can't handle it but mine can. So can many of her team mates.

When you realize your daughters dominance on the field is no more, her speed is average, she struggles with touch drills and all hopes for earning a club scholarship are abandoned...then time to put in work, you're no longer a rec parent.

turftoe9 wrote:I disagree with 2 of the statements above 1st don't cross the middle, never should you cross the middle  in your 18. The second is if your DD plays more than one sport. I'm sorry if your DD can't handle it but mine can. So can many of her team mates.

This statement is incorrect on so many levels, I wouldn't even know where to start...

I would say atleast 30 to 40 percent of goals that have been scored on us were because they tried to cross with in our 18. So tell me what is incorrect about this. Keep the ball to the outside and this does not happen.

turftoe9 wrote:I disagree with 2 of the statements above 1st don't cross the middle, never should you cross the middle  in your 18. The second is if your DD plays more than one sport. I'm sorry if your DD can't handle it but mine can. So can many of her team mates.

It's not really about if your DD can handle it....can YOU as a parent handle it along with your other children's activities, maternal/paternal duties, being an active dedicated spouse...etc...

2 parents
3 children all athletic or academically active
Hard work...something gotta give.

Yes we can. My DD goes to Leadership Prep, and is doing very well. We let her choose what she wants to do and support her. Again many of her teammates play more than one sport. By the way 4 girls Athletic or academically active. All Doing well!!!!

turftoe9 wrote:Yes we can. My DD goes to Leadership Prep, and is doing very well. We let her choose what she wants to do and support her. Again many of her teammates play more than one sport. By the way 4 girls Athletic or academically active. All Doing well!!!!

It gets tougher to manager the multiple sports once school sports start. It's not impossible, but it would be very difficult to play more than one sport competitively from 7th grade on.

Sorry my older DD's did it well. Don't buy into the coaches that say you can only do one sport. Who knows 2 years down the road what they really want to do. Let your DD's explore and see which sport is really theirs.

turftoe9 wrote:I would say atleast  30 to 40 percent of goals that have been scored on us were because they tried to cross with in our 18. So tell me what is incorrect about this. Keep the ball to the outside and this does not happen.

[Deep breath]. Here goes:

1. The penalty box is not a magic boundary for goal scoring. A strong finisher can register a shot on goal from 20 yards away just as well as she can from 17 yards away (inside the box). While the penalty box represents a good "reminder" for where not to hard-foul an opponent, it's not always a "clear the ball" zone that many coaches and parents believe it to be. It's just another part of the field and should be utilized as such when possible.

2. A defensive player under no pressure or even light pressure can safely make a strong, accurate cross anywhere on their end of the field. "Switching the field", as we call it, can literally set up a goal scoring opportunity on the opposite end. An outside defender draws in a few offensive opponents, drives a hard pass to the opposite defender who carries the ball or passes it up the (now open) line, and delivers a crossing pass to the mids/forward for a shot. This is a common play for a flat-back defense.

3. The hard rule of no-crosses-in-the-18 negates pass-backs to the keeper who is almost always going to be within the confines of the penalty box. This is one of the big weaknesses of how kids are taught to play soccer. The keeper is almost never treated as a field player. Crosses through the keeper can be excellent tactical opportunities.

4. Goal kicks are another great opportunity to cross the ball through the eighteen. At the younger ages, it's risky. But for the older players with strong legs, it can be yet another tactical advantage.

5. And while I certainly empathize with you that goals can be scored when a player attempts to cross the ball in the penalty box under pressure, the mistake is often player error instead of strategic error. We want creative and confident players, right? By telling them things like "clear every ball that comes into the penalty box", "don't cross the ball in the middle", "kick the ball out of bounds if you are under pressure defensively", et cetera, we take away their options for decision making. Mistakes are a fantastic impetus for learning.

Hypothetically...

10 yr old select soccer practice M&F games on Sat
Additional training on Tuesdays
8 yr old soccer practice M&W games on Sat
4 yr old gymnastics Tues....
Yeah I guess we could squeeze a practice in on Thursdays of some other sport...

After all, what parent wants a day to themselves...

BUT....she chooses soccer overall anyways...her passion for tennis didn't compare enough to sacrifice sharing time

I'm not saying if there is no pressure don't cross within the 18, I'm saying it happens to often when there is pressure. I don't like kick ball but if you keep the ball to the outside you do do not give the opposing team a chance to cross the passing lane and have a chance to score.

turftoe9 wrote:Yes we can. My DD goes to Leadership Prep, and is doing very well. We let her choose what she wants to do and support her. Again many of her teammates play more than one sport. By the way 4 girls Athletic or academically active. All Doing well!!!!

Love the tiger moms, Suzy plays soccer, volleyball, drama club, violin, is an A student and loves it, so do the other 2 kids....Suzy is on a path to anorexia or bulimia thanks to her perfect parents who think down time is a waste and all things must be attempted and mastered. Mom can I go to Jill's today? No honey , we have violin at 4' volleyball til 7 then you can eat a protein bar in the car and go to soccer, then once you get home you need to study for Ap calculus....ugh no thanks

silentparent wrote:

turftoe9 wrote:Yes we can. My DD goes to Leadership Prep, and is doing very well. We let her choose what she wants to do and support her. Again many of her teammates play more than one sport. By the way 4 girls Athletic or academically active. All Doing well!!!!

Love the tiger moms, Suzy plays soccer, volleyball, drama club, violin, is an A student and loves it, so do the other 2 kids....Suzy is on a path to anorexia or bulimia thanks to her perfect parents who think down time is a waste and all things must be attempted and mastered. Mom can I go to Jill's today? No honey , we have violin at 4' volleyball til 7 then you can eat a protein bar in the car and go to soccer, then once you get home you need to study for Ap calculus....ugh no thanks

King sized bed with enough space between mom and dad to play 3v3...
More passion into the kids activities than what actually made the kids lol

WHAT A freakin Idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

turftoe9 wrote:WHAT A freakin Idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just jokes man....calm down

kixR4Adults2 wrote:

turftoe9 wrote:WHAT A freakin Idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just jokes man....calm down

lol, you would be stressed out too if you were running kids to multiple events every day...

Had to check which forum this is in before I responded. At this age you most definitely should be exposing your kids to other sports, now is/was the time to see what they like. Soccer starts at a younger age than most of the other sports so almost all little girls that end up playing sports spend at least one season in soccer but I believe that locking them into one sport when they are 9 or 10 is nuts. Sadly they will probably have to make a hard choice sometime later in life about what to give up but it shouldn't be at 9 years old. I always hear people say, "oh but it's what my daughter loves" but is it really? Its probably just as much she likes her friends on the team and playing soccer is just a means to an end for her to get to hang out with her friends. Look around on your team and almost everyone has someone they have been playing with since they were 5 and at 9 years old the thought of leaving someone that you have been friends with for almost half of your life is not something they want to do. It's like they have Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to the really bad coach and playing a sport you don't really love.

That video that someone posted earlier had a great line in it about the kid loving soccer but only picking up a ball while at practice. If that's the case then your child probably enjoys her teammates more than the game. I definitely wouldn't want to end up paying 3k for her to hang out with friends.

Now as far as passing the ball in the 18, Arsenal pretty much nailed it. If you are playing for a coach that is teaching them just to boot it then you are getting taken to the cleaners with your dues. Losing games at this age is really not that big of a deal if they are losing the games while actually attempting to play soccer. The business end of things sadly rears it's ugly head most weekends because heaven forbid a team lose to someone that the parents don't think they should and become unhappy. You have to feel at times for the coaches because on one hand they'd love to probably teach the game of soccer, however if they aren't winning and making the parents happy then they are going to spend all their time recruiting and trying to get players to not leave for greener pastures.

I think soccer can be a good foundation for other sports for the girls. JMO, but at 9/10yrs old playing at this level can say that your DD is definitely capable of competing at a above standard level. Soccer may not require as much dedication as tennis or maybe it could depending on the child but soccer players can easily transition to track, volleyball, and or basketball so I can't see how a parent can say his or her DD ruined her chance to excel at any other sport because she played soccer until she finished 7th grade.

There's plenty of research and articles available showing statistics proving specialization in one sport (at an early age) has a smaller success rate compared to those who play multiple sports.  So, play as many sports as you can. They may not like soccer in a few years anyway and have nothing else to fall back on.

I somewhat agree...expose them to all sports. But, let them play what they say they love...shucks, they may like socializing more than any sport. Different for girls than boys I think. Different possibilities. I mean, in soccer what's the highest pinnacle of success can our DD accomplsh vs our BB?