Open letter to HS and club soccer coaches

I may have asked this in a thread a while ago.
Why not make soccer a spring sport for high school in so cal?
Let Club have fall with state cup wrapping up by end of February.
Play high School soccer from March-June.
 
Arrange a meeting with the coach and principal. Declare to them that for your child's health, he/she will not be particip[ating in this nonsense. If they don't agree, ask for the contact information of the district's lawyer.
 
timbuck said:
I may have asked this in a thread a while ago.
Why not make soccer a spring sport for high school in so cal?
Let Club have fall with state cup wrapping up by end of February.
Play high School soccer from March-June.
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Track and Field and also Lacrosse uses the fields in Spring. Football has the fields in Fall.
 
Let me get this straight ... for the vast amount of H.S. in SoCal, the HS Season doesn't start until December with the first scrimmage sometime in mid-November. My kid's HS will not have tryouts until Mid-October. There are HS teams in SoCal (Southern Section) practicing now? What division or schools are doing this now?

Edit: Central Section explicitly states practices can't start until October 29.
 
Seems like you are bypassing the person with the most skin in the game here, the athlete or the parent. At some point they need to advocate for themselves and talk to the coaches what is going on.

There are some teams where the communication might be possible where there is one team/program feeding into a school (team A feeds into school A) but there are other areas where a team is feeding into multiple schools (team A into school A, B and C) or where you have multiple club teams going into a school (team A, B and C going to school A). THEN you have to consider that HS teams have different levels (Frosh, JV, Varsity) who might have different schedules. It is pretty unrealistic for use to expect that the coaches would have a pow wow each week to ensure your child isn't over training.

Also, whomever said that running in a straight line "never" happens it full of BS. How many recovery runs or overlaps are done in the game w/o the ball? I'm not advocating for track workouts every day but there it a reason that the national teams have conditioning workouts without the ball. (
).
 
MWN said:
Let me get this straight ... for the vast amount of H.S. in SoCal, the HS Season doesn't start until December with the first scrimmage sometime in mid-November. My kid's HS will not have tryouts until Mid-October. There are HS teams in SoCal (Southern Section) practicing now? What division or schools are doing this now?

Edit: Central Section explicitly states practices can't start until October 29.
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Most schools offer a PE class for each sport. In this case you take the PE Class for soccer. Then the coach is free with work with the team as much as they want during that timeframe.
 
sweeperkeeper said:
Seems like you are bypassing the person with the most skin in the game here, the athlete or the parent. At some point they need to advocate for themselves and talk to the coaches what is going on.

There are some teams where the communication might be possible where there is one team/program feeding into a school (team A feeds into school A) but there are other areas where a team is feeding into multiple schools (team A into school A, B and C) or where you have multiple club teams going into a school (team A, B and C going to school A). THEN you have to consider that HS teams have different levels (Frosh, JV, Varsity) who might have different schedules. It is pretty unrealistic for use to expect that the coaches would have a pow wow each week to ensure your child isn't over training.

Also, whomever said that running in a straight line "never" happens it full of BS. How many recovery runs or overlaps are done in the game w/o the ball? I'm not advocating for track workouts every day but there it a reason that the national teams have conditioning workouts without the ball. (
).
Click to expand...

National teams and pros have the luxury of having significantly more training time than youth soccer players. Running laps or even wind sprints is an inefficient use of a youth's team practice time. A decent coach should be capable of incorporating conditioning and touches in the same drill.

While were on the subject of running, it's mind boggling to me that soccer coaches don't correct the running technique of players with poor form. I see way too many floppy armed kids on the pitch these days. Balls are won and lost (as are games) by a half-step all the time.
 
MWN said:
Let me get this straight ... for the vast amount of H.S. in SoCal, the HS Season doesn't start until December with the first scrimmage sometime in mid-November. My kid's HS will not have tryouts until Mid-October. There are HS teams in SoCal (Southern Section) practicing now? What division or schools are doing this now?

Edit: Central Section explicitly states practices can't start until October 29.
Click to expand...

Son at a major CIFSS D1 HS program which doesn't mean they do it right but this is what they do. They have had results so they must be doing something right for the HS. For the player ??? I know he is spent and burnt out at certain times of the year with the 4-5 days a week on top of this regiment.

Summer
2 weeks of 2 hour a day training
~8 weeks of weightlifting
1 1/2 months of summer league games

Fall
5 days a week 7th period training
4 days a week weightlifting after training

Winter
5-6 days a week training and games

Spring
5 days a week 7th period training
4 days a week weightlifting after training

Not much time to ever not be on the field with the club schedule on top of it. The HS coach and the club coach are definitely at odds and each believe their program is what matters most.
 
watfly said:
While were on the subject of running, it's mind boggling to me that soccer coaches don't correct the running technique of players with poor form. I see way too many floppy armed kids on the pitch these days. Balls are won and lost (as are games) by a half-step all the time.
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My DD runs cross country and she is a pretty talented runner, but her cross country coaches are forever frustrated by her “soccer arms” . They encourage her to tuck her elbows in to help increase her speed, but her elbows are always out.
 
Mom Taxi said:
My DD runs cross country and she is a pretty talented runner, but her cross country coaches are forever frustrated by her “soccer arms” . They encourage her to tuck her elbows in to help increase her speed, but her elbows are always out.
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Ha, ha, I guess it works both ways. At least your daughter is still driving her arms even though her elbows are out. I'm talking about those kids who don't drive their arms and one or both arms are either flopping at their side or they have T-Rex arms.

Apparently its not a well known fact that your arms propel your legs and the faster your arms swing the faster your legs move.
 
MWN said:
Let me get this straight ... for the vast amount of H.S. in SoCal, the HS Season doesn't start until December with the first scrimmage sometime in mid-November. My kid's HS will not have tryouts until Mid-October. There are HS teams in SoCal (Southern Section) practicing now? What division or schools are doing this now?

Edit: Central Section explicitly states practices can't start until October 29.
Click to expand...

But, players can take soccer as their PE class and last class of the day. They can legally do that and it is not considered practicing as a team before the official start of tryouts and practices. There are ways around everything.
 
sweeperkeeper said:
Seems like you are bypassing the person with the most skin in the game here, the athlete or the parent. At some point they need to advocate for themselves and talk to the coaches what is going on.

There are some teams where the communication might be possible where there is one team/program feeding into a school (team A feeds into school A) but there are other areas where a team is feeding into multiple schools (team A into school A, B and C) or where you have multiple club teams going into a school (team A, B and C going to school A). THEN you have to consider that HS teams have different levels (Frosh, JV, Varsity) who might have different schedules. It is pretty unrealistic for use to expect that the coaches would have a pow wow each week to ensure your child isn't over training.

Also, whomever said that running in a straight line "never" happens it full of BS. How many recovery runs or overlaps are done in the game w/o the ball? I'm not advocating for track workouts every day but there it a reason that the national teams have conditioning workouts without the ball. (
).
Click to expand...

Yep and you give them the ball once in while during training then maybe they can play in the World Cup.
 
E Dykes said:
Its time to team up and work together. I currently work with both a So Cal HS and a So Cal club and what I'm hearing going on within some programs is breaking our kids so lets get to it.

HS coaches- lay off the conditioning on Thurs & Fridays until the club season is over. As a club coach I have kids running 4/5 miles on Friday with their HS team and then they are asked to play top tier soccer with some playing 2 game that weekend. Not healthy for kids. I'm in charge of strength and condition at the HS I work at. I go light with mainly upper body work and mobility late in the week.

Club coaches- Be aware that MANY HS teams are running heavily right now in prep for their season. Don't run them again. Train tactics. Most HS coaches aren't even touching a ball right now.
- I'm not a fan of running them for miles at a time but its happening and its happening a bunch- so don't make it worse.

HS coaches- Many of your training methods are hurting your kids ability to play the game and are causing injuries. Old school methods are not a good way to train today's year round soccer players. Running their butts off 5 days a week is easy for you as you stand around and yell that them but it is not healthy. You have access to weights, build strength, mobility and SOME conditioning. Know many of these kids are training 3 night a week for another 6 hours. They are running at their practice too even if its not conditioning. When they are dragging at your practice it doesn't mean they are out of shape its more often they are over training and breaking down.

Club coaches leave your ego at the door. Know its easier for you to adapt your training instead of asking coaches from a dozen high schools to adapt to you.

Coaches- communicate with each other. You care about your kids but you are inadvertently over training the kids and hurting their bodies in the long run. Coordinate the best you can.

I'm proud of our our HS and the team I work with effort but is rare and kids are getting injured and burnt out
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I completely agree with all of this. Unfortunately ego gets in the way for many coaches because they have to win. As a club and HS coach I always tell my players to be honest with their coaches about how they are feeling. Everyone recovers different and if they feel burned out or tired they need to speak up. If they are upfront with a coach, usually the coach is understanding ( should be anyway)

As far as club players being in shape already once they get into the high school season isn't always true. Especially at the older age where teams carry 20-25 players and certain clubs will scratch some of those (healthy) players for guest players in league games so they can get another win. I also frequently get my varsity team back from club with multiple injuries because their club coaches run them even more towards the end of club fall season because they want to finish at the top or getting ready for national league and last couple years final games of CRL.

Our HS tryouts still wont be for another month and once we have teams selected the majority of our program is in club even at the frosh level.

That's why we will do yoga on Mondays to recover from weekend club games. Mix in strength training during the week along with some study hall, and some light soccer training. Knowing they will have club practice that night there really is no reason to run them to the ground because is increases injuries and they don't recover and they are not able to perform for either team.
 
Sheriff Joe said:
Her coach lets her ski/snowboard?
My daughters team has had games every weekend from the middle of july through early december, including labor day and thanksgiving weekends, as well as 2 out of state tournaments.
Crazy how much they play and train.
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College coach lets them ski or snowboard.
 
Surfref said:
But, players can take soccer as their PE class and last class of the day. They can legally do that and it is not considered practicing as a team before the official start of tryouts and practices. There are ways around everything.
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Only at some schools. My kids school only has basketball PE due to the need for PE coaches to have teaching credentials and they do not have a PE coach that is qualified to coach soccer. It is not like soccer matters or anything.
 
espola said:
Arrange a meeting with the coach and principal. Declare to them that for your child's health, he/she will not be particip[ating in this nonsense. If they don't agree, ask for the contact information of the district's lawyer.
Click to expand...
Really? Might as well just not play HS then.
 
MFranco said:
I completely agree with all of this. Unfortunately ego gets in the way for many coaches because they have to win. As a club and HS coach I always tell my players to be honest with their coaches about how they are feeling. Everyone recovers different and if they feel burned out or tired they need to speak up. If they are upfront with a coach, usually the coach is understanding ( should be anyway)

As far as club players being in shape already once they get into the high school season isn't always true. Especially at the older age where teams carry 20-25 players and certain clubs will scratch some of those (healthy) players for guest players in league games so they can get another win. I also frequently get my varsity team back from club with multiple injuries because their club coaches run them even more towards the end of club fall season because they want to finish at the top or getting ready for national league and last couple years final games of CRL.

Our HS tryouts still wont be for another month and once we have teams selected the majority of our program is in club even at the frosh level.

That's why we will do yoga on Mondays to recover from weekend club games. Mix in strength training during the week along with some study hall, and some light soccer training. Knowing they will have club practice that night there really is no reason to run them to the ground because is increases injuries and they don't recover and they are not able to perform for either team.
Click to expand...
Just started doing Yoga w/ my kid at home. It ain't easy...
 
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