Long Time North Texas Soccer family who moved out west

What's more important in your opinion?

soccerdad1969 wrote:What's more important in your opinion?

I believe the coach should develop a great team where the girls work together well and they can run plays in sync and understand the tactics and dynamics as they are fluid. Or high IQ development. So primarily team development.

I think its primarily up to the player to develop themselves and their individual skill level, especially as they hit that U15/U16 level. If a player needs individual skill development, it should primarily be up to the player and their parents to put in the extra training, practice, camps, etc.

Great question. Soccer is a team sport, but a team is limited by the weakest link (weakest skills). AT U14 and down, I would say individual skills, then team becomes more important at U15 and above.

soccerdad1969 wrote:What's more important in your opinion?

In all honesty, I think what separates great teams and great players from the rest of the pack is game IQ. Based purely on conversations with parents over the years, it seems to be the one thing few players "work" on. And I don't mean a player knowing her team's system and how she fits into the scheme. I mean being able to recognize what her opponent is doing and anticipating the play as it develops. I liken it to the best QBs in the NFL being those who are able to read opposing defenses quickly and adjust accordingly and vice versa.

How many DD's watch professional games on a regular basis? And I don't mean sitting in front of the tv while a game is on and simultaneously scrolling through Instagram and Twitter, only to look up after a big play is made to watch the replay. How many watch highlight reels of top players on YouTube? Studying the game, watching how professional players position themselves either to mount an attack or to defend against one IMO is more important than being able to juggle 100 times.

Taking another side to this post....is it possible that the coaches who are recruiting you now "out west" or in Houston or from any other area for that matter, didn't notice your DD's in NTX because the there is too much talent and the DD's get lost in the crowd?

This thought can be backed up by the data presented showing more D1 scholarships are earned by Texas DD's than any other state's DD's.

Maybe we should all ship our DD's out to other areas of the country so our DD's can shine.   

tex_gator wrote:Taking another side to this post....is it possible that the coaches who are recruiting you now "out west" or in Houston or from any other area for that matter, didn't notice your DD's in NTX because the there is too much talent and the DD's get lost in the crowd?

This thought can be backed up by the data presented showing more D1 scholarships are earned by Texas DD's than any other state's DD's.

Maybe we should all ship our DD's out to other areas of the country so our DD's can shine.   

Keep drinking the Kool-Aid.

Exactly. I've seen highly touted Cali standouts made to look absolutely mediocre by a solid NT defense.

Some of these retrospectives are every bit as credible as the people who used to claim aliens warned them that our nuclear weapons are a threat to the universe.

Parents expect far too much from coaches. They expect that in three to four hours a week, the coach should be able to transform little Suzie into little Mia while simultaneously turning their rec team into an EPL team.

The reality is if a coach ends up with a bunch of players who cannot connect a ten foot pass, who look at their feet while dribbling, who have such a horrific first touch that a goal kick from their own box can suddenly turn into a shot on their own goal, then of course that coach has to spend those three to four hours a week teaching individual skills.

Shotshagger We have only recently moved to STX and haven't gone through formal tryouts as of yet so there's no real telling where we'll end up. But I can say that when I contacted coaches here and told them my DD was a defensive player out of NTX (also club and league info), they didn't waste any time inviting her out to practice with their top squads. So while other places might complain about NTX teams, it would seem they sure don't mind getting their players.

txtransplant wrote:

soccerdad1969 wrote:What's more important in your opinion?

In all honesty, I think what separates great teams and great players from the rest of the pack is game IQ. Based purely on conversations with parents over the years, it seems to be the one thing few players "work" on. And I don't mean a player knowing her team's system and how she fits into the scheme. I mean being able to recognize what her opponent is doing and anticipating the play as it develops. I liken it to the best QBs in the NFL being those who are able to read opposing defenses quickly and adjust accordingly and vice versa.

How many DD's watch professional games on a regular basis? And I don't mean sitting in front of the tv while a game is on and simultaneously scrolling through Instagram and Twitter, only to look up after a big play is made to watch the replay. How many watch highlight reels of top players on YouTube? Studying the game, watching how professional players position themselves either to mount an attack or to defend against one IMO is more important than being able to juggle 100 times.

Great points here, Our DD is a U8 and we game play at least 4 times a week. We go to ECNL games and many high school games and we will observe good play and bad play. My DD is good at picking out the problem and giving alternatives. She uses this in her own game play. She will tell me when she makes a mistake and what she can do next time. We feel it is our responsibility to build her soccerQ to help her be a better player. I think coaches need to be team building form the point they start soccer. It's what I gave done with my DD since 4 and she plays smart. Granted, I'm not sure she understood at 4, but at 8, she is analyzing game play on her own, and using me as a sounding board.

A less skilled, smart player can be effective against a more skilled player by knowing that players weaknesses and taking advantage of that.

Tiki-taka wrote:Great question.  Soccer is a team sport, but a team is limited by the weakest link (weakest skills).  AT U14 and down, I would say individual skills, then team becomes more important at U15 and above.  

totally agree with Tiki-taka