How Important is High School Soccer???

[Sheriff Joe]

6th period. It's not practice, it's their PE Class. Semantics.

Plus zero period footsal.

 

[MakeAPlay]

Many schools doing training right now. Some trying to get ahead and some trying to make this a whole year experience.
For example my kid doing pre-season soccer (September-November), regular season (November-Feb/March), post season (March-June), Summer League (June-July). August is the only off month.

That is a lot of soccer. Mine never participated in the offseason stuff and usually showed up the second week of practice. Honestly with most elite club players the preseason is a waste of time other than the coach building the gameplan around his/her elite club players as they return.

 

[Eagle33]

6th period. It's not practice, it's their PE Class. Semantics.

It depends on training and who is coaching

 

[CaliKlines]

That is a lot of soccer. Mine never participated in the offseason stuff and usually showed up the second week of practice. Honestly with most elite club players the preseason is a waste of time other than the coach building the gameplan around his/her elite club players as they return.

They get a grade. If they are not there, how can the coach/teacher give them a grade?

 

[CaliKlines]

It depends on training and who is coaching

Not sure what that means. It is a class. They get a grade. What they do during that time is dependent upon the teacher/coach. Sometimes they will do conditioning. Sometimes weights. Sometimes some field activities.

 

[sandshark]

High school is a time for low pressure soccer. Friends from other teams, clubs and areas all come together and play the game for school pride, new friendships and lots of great memories! And beleave it or not skill, maybe a different skill set requiring your player to conform to a slower pace and low level style of play but in the end they get a great lesson on how to fit into a diverse team.
Of course most clubs want our kids to skip HS soccer or other sports because they want the missed revenue. Let's be honest most clubs would rob you and your family of time, money and memories if they can profit from it. This is your DD childhood make it as fun as possible! Our kids will have to join the real world soon enough. Im sure she will cherish those HS memories later in life. High school memories and friendships last a life time, club soccer for the most part is over and done when you graduate from HS.

 

[MakeAPlay]

They get a grade. If they are not there, how can the coach/teacher give them a grade?

Okay. I hear you it's a class but it sounds like they are scrimmaging. I they are and it is supervised then that is considered extra practice and against the rules. I also thing that it is too much soccer considering that the girls are already playing club and practicing 3-4 times a week plus two games on the weekend. Too much soccer.

 

[charlie murphy]

was really just reading the thread for entertainment. But now a little to add from first hand experience. My son's high school team has not hit the field yet. They are running the track , they are working speed work and I think they are playing basketball ( that seems like Class) . Some of the kids on the club team have been playing "with the high school soccer team thru the summer: in tournaments and local scrimmages and continue to have 6th period PE that seems to be more like "'practice'.....practice we're talkin' bout practice" I got concerned that their team was not practicing after hearing about the other boys on the team. So on the way home on Sunday we talked about HS soccer . Their response was "well they go to D1 schools" . Now personally, I am glad the school where my boys go does not start soccer until after thanksgiving and here is the reason. HS soccer has decimated the club team with injuries currently : 2 boys out with ankle injuries , 2 boys out with knee injuries , 2 boys out with lumbar stains. 18 roster - 6 injury = 12 ( that's one sub). All injuries were the result of high school soccer. At premier level that is ridiculous , playing with one sub! If one can not play club level during HS season (CIS rule) then HS should not be playing during club. Granted the boys on the club team are all freshman and sophomores trying to make varsity, so I image they are going 120 % , 100% of the time. I also believe that at that age they would never do anything to jeopardize the possibility of making the varsity squad, thus trying to play with injury until they can't play, so some coach and play responsibility there. But , more realistically I think the high school coach ( PE teacher) has a different agenda then the boys well being. So, bottom line...... be careful with HS soccer.

 

[mirage]

Majority of HS uses 6th period PE to keep the team together during off season. The primary motivation is to build chemistry between the players and get strength exercises in. That said, plenty of injuries occur and who knows how their 5v5s or alike are considered "practice", or not, but it goes on.

Luckily, my kid's HS coach is a local university head coach and all the lower level coaches (JV and Frosh) are his college players earning extra money during HS season, which means there is nothing going on currently (the college soccer season is now).

Soccer at my kid's HS is a 7th period activity. While a grade is issued, if a kid has another PE period and wishes to keep both, then he/she can get two PE period credits done in one fall semester.

The preseason has more intense game schedule than the regular season, since most schools do couple of tournaments and scrimmages in December. I recall CIF limits total number of games to 20 for the entire season, including preseason games (outside of CIF playoffs).

 

[Mystery Train]

Thank you, everyone for your candor and experiences. The only reason I ask is because my DD would love to play HS but the coach is being a true A$$ to her. So she may have to forgo HS and it's bumming her out. But she was worry if it will affect her potential of college play but by reading everyone's post, not really. The sad part is that her HS coach really doesn't know soccer very well (who is a Biology teacher, who claims he played back in the day) and gives directions that contradict what her club coaches teach. So she is constantly looking confused because she's trying to play the way she has been taught by club coaches then he tries to correct her....for example...during practice, my DD is a CB, so she ran into the goal box to clear the ball because they were playing with no goalies...he told her you shouldn't be in the box, she ran into the box to clear the ball...so she looked at him with a confused look, so she was thinking... what should I have done...let the other team score and not defend my goal?? As much as she wants to play with her friends in HS, she is having a hard time dealing with the HS coach's soccer logic and she isn't the only one on the team who thinks he is an idiot.

Yeah, if she's just worried about college coaches and recruitment, it won't be an issue if she skips HS soccer. Plus it will give her more time to really work on skills, let her body recover and grow, and of course, study!

 

[charlie murphy]

Majority of HS uses 6th period PE to keep the team together during off season. The primary motivation is to build chemistry between the players and get strength exercises in. That said, plenty of injuries occur and who knows how their 5v5s or alike are considered "practice", or not, but it goes on.

Luckily, my kid's HS coach is a local university head coach and all the lower level coaches (JV and Frosh) are his college players earning extra money during HS season, which means there is nothing going on currently (the college soccer season is now).

Soccer at my kid's HS is a 7th period activity. While a grade is issued, if a kid has another PE period and wishes to keep both, then he/she can get two PE period credits done in one fall semester.

The preseason has more intense game schedule than the regular season, since most schools do couple of tournaments and scrimmages in December. I recall CIF limits total number of games to 20 for the entire season, including preseason games (outside of CIF playoffs).

can players coach ? and not violate NCAA rules.

 

[twoclubpapa]

I recall CIF limits total number of games to 20 for the entire season, including preseason games (outside of CIF playoffs).

The CIF Southern Section limit is 20 games or "contests" (CIF term). Tournaments count as 2 contests even though up to 5 games are allowed. Teams are allowed to enter up to 3 tournaments so that is a maximum of 29 actual games. Note that tournament games will typically be shorter than 80 minutes but some tournaments do have full length championship matches.