Conditioning at a young age

I'm curious as to how much a coach should spend during practice on conditioning drills at the the ages of 6 or 7. My dd's coach is spending half the practice on conditioning, and half working on skills. It seems to me more time should be spent on skills at that age. I would like to hear what others think.

Let me guess... an '09 Rush parent who's DD is training with the "legendary" David May???

In all seriousness, the best coaches will incorporate conditioning into their drills. The kids are having a blast working on their skills and don't even realize that the coach is wearing them out while doing it.

No bw, it's not him...but I sure wish I could meet him to see what all the hype is about.
Thanks for the input...I want her to look forward to practice, not dread plyometrics and sprinting drills.

The thought of having to "condition" 6 and 7 year olds is comical. Don't kids that age move constantly anyway?

Any time spent "training" at that age without a ball is a waste of time.

gohuskers wrote:No bw, it's not him...but I sure wish I could meet him to see what all the hype is about.
Thanks for the input...I want her to look forward to practice, not dread plyometrics and sprinting drills.

If the environment is such that your 6 or 7 year old "dreads" going to practice for ANY reason, you need to find a different environment for her ASAP.

The litmus test we have used with ANY activity for all of our kids was simple... are they excited and motivated to go to PRACTICE. If the answer is "Yes", then we have them in a good environment and have minimal fear of them burning out. If the answer was "No", then we either needed to change the environment (coach/team/level of competitiveness), or find a different activity.

...and by the way, that doesn't always mean that the current environment was too challenging or difficult. Sometimes that also means that the environment wasn't challenging enough, and they were ready to take things to a higher level.

Agree with BW. A wise parent once told me that your # one priority as the parent is to make sure she is having fun and looks forward to the training, especially at the younger ages. Fuel the love for the game and the fire will burn for a long time.

I have head coached sports ( football, soccer, baseball etc) for 16 and the only conditioning we ever did for 5-10 yrs old was fast paced drills in practice with short lines and different stations and cycled them thru like circuit training.

Thanks for the replies. Monday was the first time this happened at practice, so I will see how it goes tonight. I wanted to be sure this had not become the norm because that's definitely not what my older dd experienced at that age, or that would have ended her time playing soccer. And of course if I have to Dribble my child to attend practice we would have to move on.

bwgophers wrote:Let me guess... an '09 Rush parent who's DD is training with the "legendary" David May???

In all seriousness, the best coaches will incorporate conditioning into their drills.  The kids are having a blast working on their skills and don't even realize that the coach is wearing them out while doing it.

Wasn't that the question in Fountainhead; "Who is David May?" Wait; no it was John Galt and Atlas Shrugged.

Regardless, the legend of David May lives on.

gohuskers wrote:Thanks for the replies.  Monday was the first time this happened at practice, so I will see how it goes tonight.  I wanted to be sure this had not become the norm because that's definitely not what my older dd experienced at that age, or that would have ended her time playing soccer.  And of course if I have to Dribble my child to attend practice we would have to move on.

You have to trust in your coach a little longer than that. Generally, ball-mastery should be the focus at young ages, but there's nothing wrong with occasional wind sprints.

Plyometrics? Hopefully, your just making a point, because that's foolish at young age.

Kids that age should play, not train. You can get a lot of mileage out of "obstacle course" type warmups or relays that touch on fundamental movements (if you want to assess).

Aerobic capacity can be trained a bit in young kids, but this should be incorporated in structured/conditional SSG games and activities.

Anaerobic capacity is generally not trainable in younger kids. The "stuff" we need to hit that "extra gear" is stored in muscle. Kids don't have as much muscle, and they store the good stuff at a lower rate, so it's a non-starter. They also don't cool efficiently, so if you just line them up and run sprints, they will run until they cry, get sick, or just grind to a halt.

Improving posture, form and mechanics, and agility should be done before any conditioning because inefficiency in these areas is what taxes the aerobic system the most. Otherwise it's like getting a bigger AC unit but still leaving your windows open.

D'feeters at farmers branch has a very good little 09 group that is looking to grow. Come check out a practice or a game to have a feel on what we work on. you can email me at Frank.colon49@gmail.com if you would like more information.

Sho'Nuff wrote:

gohuskers wrote:Thanks for the replies.  Monday was the first time this happened at practice, so I will see how it goes tonight.  I wanted to be sure this had not become the norm because that's definitely not what my older dd experienced at that age, or that would have ended her time playing soccer.  And of course if I have to Dribble my child to attend practice we would have to move on.

You have to trust in your coach a little longer than that.  Generally, ball-mastery should be the focus at young ages, but there's nothing wrong with occasional wind sprints.

Plyometrics? Hopefully, your just making a point, because that's foolish at young age.

It's been continuous, usually the first 10 minutes of practice, but this time was 30 minutes. The next practice was back to the regular 10 minutes. No complaints from my dd, so it's ok for now. Oh, and I was serious about the plyo.

pingo99 wrote:D'feeters at farmers branch has a very good little 09 group that is looking to grow. Come check out a practice or a game to have a feel on what we work on. you can email me at Frank.colon49@gmail.com if you would like more information.  

Thanks, but with multiple kids in multiple sports I can't drive that far for training.

gohuskers wrote:

pingo99 wrote:D'feeters at farmers branch has a very good little 09 group that is looking to grow. Come check out a practice or a game to have a feel on what we work on. you can email me at Frank.colon49@gmail.com if you would like more information.  

Thanks, but with multiple kids in multiple sports I can't drive that far for training.

Geez...first you complain about a little plyo and now you refuse to drive an extra 20 miles for good training? Don't come whining on this board when your kid is washed out at 9! It's all about commitment! I bet she doesn't have the latest version soccer cleat either. Shameful.

The uswnt probably won't hold a spot for her at this rate.

soccerjack wrote:

gohuskers wrote:

pingo99 wrote:D'feeters at farmers branch has a very good little 09 group that is looking to grow. Come check out a practice or a game to have a feel on what we work on. you can email me at Frank.colon49@gmail.com if you would like more information.  

Thanks, but with multiple kids in multiple sports I can't drive that far for training.

Geez...first you complain about a little plyo and now you refuse to drive an extra 20 miles for good training?  Don't come whining on this board when your kid is washed out at 9!  It's all about commitment!  I bet she doesn't have the latest version soccer cleat either. Shameful.

The uswnt probably won't hold a spot for her at this rate.

Actually, she just gets the shaft cause she's the youngest. My first dd, I would have made that drive for sure...I know he's a great coach!

gohuskers wrote:

soccerjack wrote:

gohuskers wrote:

pingo99 wrote:D'feeters at farmers branch has a very good little 09 group that is looking to grow. Come check out a practice or a game to have a feel on what we work on. you can email me at Frank.colon49@gmail.com if you would like more information.  

Thanks, but with multiple kids in multiple sports I can't drive that far for training.

Geez...first you complain about a little plyo and now you refuse to drive an extra 20 miles for good training?  Don't come whining on this board when your kid is washed out at 9!  It's all about commitment!  I bet she doesn't have the latest version soccer cleat either. Shameful.

The uswnt probably won't hold a spot for her at this rate.

Actually, she just gets the shaft cause she's the youngest. My first dd, I would have made that drive for sure...I know he's a great coach!

So she does have the latest cleats.  Good move.  Wind sprints are easy in $150 shoes.

gohuskers wrote:I'm curious as to how much a coach should spend during practice on conditioning drills at the the ages of 6 or 7.  My dd's coach is spending half the practice on conditioning, and half working on skills.  It seems to me more time should be spent on skills at that age.  I would like to hear what others think.

you really should focus more on what training opportunities you as a parent provide for your DD. Messi couldn't fly into DFW twice a week and dramatically affect your childs path. you however, just as you probably do in math and science, can DRAMATICALLY AFFECT her career. you don't have to be good at math to provide tutoring, flash cards and other parent support. Nor do you need to be an athlete or ex soccer player to provide the needed foundation for soccer greatness. google "soccer wall ball drills" and make it fun. if your child gets thousands more fun touches than her peers, she will likely be better. the "spelling b" champion isn't the smartest speller in the competent, he;she is the most prepared.....

So at what age should the DD be picking up the conditioning and what is considered reasonable for still growing bodies? What should be expected and reasonable as they enter select?

SoccerDad2008 wrote:So at what age should the DD be picking up the conditioning and what is considered reasonable for still growing bodies?  What should be expected and reasonable as they enter select?

Great question! My DD is U-14 approaching high school years. Team training usually consist of some skills work, shooting and scrimmages. At this age, do the girls have to be involved in separate conditioning training? Words of wisdom from experienced parents will be very helpful.

SoccerDad2008 wrote:So at what age should the DD be picking up the conditioning and what is considered reasonable for still growing bodies?  What should be expected and reasonable as they enter select?

I've seen a U9 team out running 5Ks.... so.. maybe it starts then.

boilerjoe_96 wrote:

SoccerDad2008 wrote:So at what age should the DD be picking up the conditioning and what is considered reasonable for still growing bodies?  What should be expected and reasonable as they enter select?

I've seen a U9 team out running 5Ks.... so.. maybe it starts then.

So is a U9 team running 5ks normal for a top team or is this the extreme?

I would say that is extreme. I don't think my DD started to do conditioning when she entered select age.

The team did a 5k not for conditioning, but as a fun team-building exercise and to support an 11-year old kid who is fighting cancer.

If that is extreme, so be it.

Gunner9 wrote:The team did a 5k not for conditioning, but as a fun team-building exercise and to support an 11-year old kid who is fighting cancer.

If that is extreme, so be it.

Oh..that's different story. I understood as running 5K on regular basis as part of team training.

I have heard of a team at that age doing it for conditioning and then some. At what point does it go overboard?