Multi-Sports or just Soccer

go99 wrote:

Zizou wrote:I hope that's not the case. Track is a excellent cross training sport. It is also a individual sport, so hopefully a track coach is not stupid enough to make a kid choose.

Definitely the case.  quickest kid in his class and didn't get to run

That is a shame that a middle school coach made a poor decision for a young athlete. I would have had a little to say about that. Track is a individual sport where anyone who wants to run can. Whether you come in first or dead last a lap down.

go99 wrote:

Lefty wrote:Depends on you DD's reasons for playing and goals.  If her plan is to be on the US National team then 1 sport.

If she has other goals in life she will probably be fine playing multiple sports until high school when the time commitment would probably make her choose.  

I know of several D1 college scholarship players that played multiple sports for at least part of high school.

Here is one problem.  If you are just as good as a D1 scholorship soccer player today then as a kid you will not be good enough to play when you are their age.  Times are changing and just being a outstanding athlete and a reasonably good soccer player is not enough.  You will be left to compete with kids who are both.

The ones I know were both and made time to do multiple sports for part of their HS years. Probably helps that that most were also very strong academically.

go99 wrote:

Lefty wrote:Depends on you DD's reasons for playing and goals.  If her plan is to be on the US National team then 1 sport.

If she has other goals in life she will probably be fine playing multiple sports until high school when the time commitment would probably make her choose.  

I know of several D1 college scholarship players that played multiple sports for at least part of high school.

Here is one problem.  If you are just as good as a D1 scholorship soccer player today then as a kid you will not be good enough to play when you are their age.  Times are changing and just being a outstanding athlete and a reasonably good soccer player is not enough.  You will be left to compete with kids who are both.

So Go... is this problem isolated to soccer only or other sports as well?

Interesting that you quote Bo Jackson (Football/Baseball) on this... Wonder how he would explain Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, (or on a more local note) Kyler Murray... (not to mention all 3 are QB's, which takes just a tad more work to perfect your craft than being a running-back)...

When Elena Delle Donne got temporarily burnt out on b-ball, she walked-on to a D1 NCAA Volleyball program and became a starter...

If your kid is a special athlete, your kid is a special athlete. Pure and simple.

bwgophers wrote:

If your kid is a special athlete, your kid is a special athlete.  Pure and simple.  

and most aren't... facts we must face.

actually when asked the question Bo jackson was talking about russel wilson. He was going on about how he could have done it because of the time that he was in and that sports are more difficult and talent pool are deeper so wilson would not be able too. He is not saying he was better than those players only that during his time it was easier. And the point he was making is that the time of just being a special athlete (which he was) is dissapearing. A better one would have been a basketball player who burned out and then walked on to a volleyball team. Womans volleyball is more developed than basketball so just pure athleticism will have less of an impact. And again you are bringing up someone from 1989. When I came up if you could kick a round object without falling over you could probably play soccer in college. If my kids are as good as I was they will be finding other activities.

go99 wrote:actually when asked the question Bo jackson was talking about russel wilson.  He was going on about how he could have done it because of the time that he was in and that sports are more difficult and talent pool are deeper so wilson would not be able too.  He is not saying he was better than those players only that during his time it was easier.  And the point he was making is that the time of just being a special athlete (which he was) is dissapearing.  A better one would have been a basketball player who burned out and then walked on to a volleyball team.  Womans volleyball is more developed than basketball so just pure athleticism will have less of an impact.  And again you are bringing up someone from 1989.  When I came up if you could kick a round object without falling over you could probably play soccer in college.  If my kids are as good as I was they will be finding other activities.

Confused here... are you still talking about Bo here with the 1989 comment, or Delle Donne?  Delle Donne was BORN in 1989.

Donne. she was born in 89. What it took for her to be successful is no longer good enough. If your kids do not surpass their idols they will not be good enough. I have seen with my kids who are 4yrs apart. The level and quality of coaching change. The amount of training and the age they started be completely different. I am seeing academy coaching at an age where it didn't exist for him. Now add 10 yrs to that and imagine the difference

Nailed it GO. I look at my 06 and my 09. My 09 started with futsal as his intro to the sport. His control of a ball in tight space with both feet... just silly. The futsal in DFW hadnt really gotten off the ground when my 06 started... constantly evolving.

In the end it depends on what the kid wants.

boilerjoe_96 wrote:

bwgophers wrote:

If your kid is a special athlete, your kid is a special athlete.  Pure and simple.  

and most aren't... facts we must face.

And no amount of work or passion will change that.  

Their potential is what it is.  All the work and passion is what is necessary to maximize and reach that potential.

...and the #1 over-riding pre-requisite for playing a sport at a D1 College level is being a special athlete.  

While I will agree that sports are becoming more and more specialized at an exponential pace, athleticism (size, speed, balance, agility, coordination) still, and always will, reign supreme, and a large number of D1 level college athletes could drop their #1 sport today, and make a D1 roster in a different sport (and if not D1, then almost certainly D2 or D3).

bwgophers wrote:...and the #1 over-riding pre-requisite for playing a sport at a D1 College level is being a special athlete.  

While I will agree that sports are becoming more and more specialized at an exponential pace, athleticism (size, speed, balance, agility, coordination) still, and always will, reign supreme, and a large number of D1 level college athletes could drop their #1 sport today, and make a D1 roster in a different sport (and if not D1, then almost certainly D2 or D3).

Because they played more than 1 sport as a youth. Not because they could just suddenly hit three pointers or slam a volleyball at 10 foot line with little/no training. I guess the girl mentioned above played a bit of volleyball in high school.

boilerjoe_96 wrote:

bwgophers wrote:...and the #1 over-riding pre-requisite for playing a sport at a D1 College level is being a special athlete.  

While I will agree that sports are becoming more and more specialized at an exponential pace, athleticism (size, speed, balance, agility, coordination) still, and always will, reign supreme, and a large number of D1 level college athletes could drop their #1 sport today, and make a D1 roster in a different sport (and if not D1, then almost certainly D2 or D3).

Because they played more than 1 sport as a youth.  Not because they could just suddenly hit three pointers or slam a volleyball at 10 foot line with little/no training.  I guess the girl mentioned above played a bit of volleyball in high school.

Correct... and the best athletes will continue to play multiple sports, because at the youth levels, they will still be able to be dominate due to their athleticism, and there will always be a coach/team/club that will be willing to work around mutli-sport conflicts for the dominant athlete who can help them win. So the best will continue to get the opportunities...

yes at youth level and that works until the jack of all trades is surpassed by the master of one

I agree on the player and their positions on the field and it cross helping. For ex my dd is a goal keeper on her soccer team (club and MS) and she is a softball player (catcher). I think both sports help each other out. She has to have good hand/eye coordination to play both positions. Both sports also help her reaction time and field awareness.

She is also a cross country runner. This helps with her endurance in both sports.

I think it beneficial to all sports players to play multiple sports if possible. I also want my dd to have an outlet away from the high demands of club soccer and reduce the chance of burn out.

Cool, old Bo made our soccer forum. I'm one of the few survivors who's actually tackled Bo Jackson (and Thurman Thomas too), and my ears are still ringing and my speech is slightly impaired now (it really is).

Bringing it from Coach Go's elite level back down to the common masses – Even though one played in college, we are not expecting our 4 girls to become super star collegiate or professional soccer players, but only to give best effort and to maximize their personal development and joy of their youth. As such we are big fans of multi-sport kids, to the extent that the kid wants it and that time and money allow. We tried simultaneous multi-clubs per kid in the past but the time and financial constraints made it impractical and virtually impossible, especially when you throw in other music, drama and academic activities x4. But rec, for fun, with friends, was never a problem. Neither were school sports. We’ve heard stories about our friends’ inflexible coaches, but we found our middle and high school coaches to be accommodating regarding other sports; they had a much bigger issue with band, which sucks the life right out of the entire family. Basketball practice helped with agility, conditioning and reflexes. Track, which had the least conflicts, was great for conditioning and was even encouraged by some of the other coaches. DD#3 played school volleyball which came in handy because at age 15 she recently decided to hang up her LH cleats and switch to club volleyball only (and school track). You never know what path of interests these kids are going to take. Our 03’s first love is soccer, but enjoys rec basketball and volleyball and is looking forward to trying out for her middle school teams in 7th grade. She has good sleepover pals on SRSA, Sting G, LP Rush and others who also enjoy rec sports along with her. So anyway, pro multi-sport family here, as long as individual variables allow. But if your kid loves soccer and soccer only then bless you, and your calendar will thank you.

Just my observation with my older DD:

Club Vball during Jr High years had a positive impact on certain parts of her game.
I noticed her throw-ins really improved. (She can throw-in a ball up to 20 + yds on a laser, still - and that is a great MF offensive tool). Also her aerial game improved. She plays the ball in the air very well (headers, judging bounces, angles, spacing in traffic) because she had repeated exposure to balls in the air (another great "in-the-box" MF tool).

As others stated, the time constraints finally caught up and she is strictly soccer now but she is a better overall soccer player because of another sport.