This is NOT a Pro / Con debate (please excuse the errors in my grammar and syntax etc. Im not a journalist just a soccer dad)
Me: Im a AYSO coach 2yrs (son/daughter) /AYSO ref 2 yrs/ and participate in some AYSO administration I believe in the organization and support it. This thread is to only point out my experience in my sons 09' 2018 youth soccer development process.
My son (2009) was playing AYSO Core in 2017/18, he had a great coach, and developed at a very acceptable pace. (but not the best player on his team) he was not invited for extras but played on the All-star Team where all things possible were/went bad concerning development in youth soccer.
-info-insert-
1.The Ayso all star coach didnt show up for the 1st two practices, as well as many other practices/games. He was laxed, and never had a game-plan for practice, unorganized, and visibly all over the place. (parents were very concerned from the start)
2. He favored his two players from his core team who went undefeated but were a older, very lazy, privileged and never showed any signs of working hard. (doing step overs in you own box, vs. clearing the ball etc.)
3.The team lost every game, the coach was not dedicated and easily frustrated.
4. practices were unproductive , every kid wants to be striker, no one wants to be keeper. or play hard. players fought for throw ins, played defense on eachother rather than the opponents. (Bad News Bears x50)
5. The Pinnacle of pitty was this coach pulling this all Star team from a tourney mid game because the kids were losing.....BAD , literally forfeiting the game while it was being played. And watching another team on the adjacent field play with his back to his own players during the game.
Just the worst thing for child soccer development.
6. all the kids except 4,, have chosen not to play soccer anymore.......ever!!!
Now.. During this all star season
My sons personal dedication was,, he made every practice, came 30min early / stayed 30 late etc. But, at the end of the ALLSTAR season he did not want to play soccer ever again, as well as 10 other players on the team based on the coach. (who self admittedly took responsibility for the faults.)
Ill mention that i ended up being the Assistant coach 2/3rds of the way in,, based on the actual coach and assistant never showing up,, and then quiting when the team began losing bye double digits. I somehow screamed at them loud enough and got the team to play harder,,play defense, and the Goal differential came down to 1. for a few games
then the assistant coach came back.. ha ha ha.... I quickly gave back the duties. I was on the verge of quiting, and taking my son to play another sport.
-now to my point-
After the All Star team season finale (may) , I immediately took my son to a (top bronze division ) club team in which he began working out and practicing,, he was given a 30 day trial (mid may-june) ,, and made the team, but was at the bottom end of the roster. The coach was/is an ex-pro and the team/players were very well developed and had played with eachother for a year or two. Thees kids were also VERY well conditioned 08 scrimmaged with 09's and friendly matches were against bigger and better competition. My son struggled initially , but then started doing ok in friendlies but was down on the depth chart, I knew his game playing time would be limited while playing for this team.
So i put him on a Core AYSO team also, with the understanding that on any given gameday he would get the playing time needed to develop, exercise leadership skills , and play games with no pressure. Also to enjoy the perks of AYSO skills Days and extra cirricular events they had to offer.. 2 halfs on two separate teams = one full game. (my thinking) Practices /Games were in the same vicinity so logistics were not an issue. His primary goal was to work his way into the starting line-up for the club team then stop playing in AYSO.
Club practice 2xs weekly / AYSO was 1x weekly but we couldnt make it on time most times for AYSO. but we would still do something to help develop his game. (it paid off)
Fortunately the game schedules were advantageous between the two series, with ample time for rest in between Club/AYSO games on game days. Ayso even offered him to change teams based on some schedule / roster issues they had, but we remained steadfast.
For Ayso, my son volunteered to sitout 1st quarter , play Goalkeeper for 1 quarter to be fair about not coming to practice , and to just play for two quarters. (coach was cool with that) in two games we had to leave the team at half just to make it on time to the Club game 5-10 min away. (a-la Deoin Sanders).
Obvious signs of development first showed early in AYSO games he became dominant, and became a team leader. The confidence and assertion that he put forth was exciting to see. Also the pressure from the club environment kept him focused. In Coast League, his team went 11-1 / 28-3 with friendlies and tourneys..(look at the amount of games)..AYSO 8-4 no friendly games. .My son didnt miss a club practice and his growth curve increased 10 fold, and althou he didnt start, his minutes were increasing and soon became more playing time than players that started the game. His team won the championship in his division. Then came Coast League Cup.. first couple of rounds went very well, and then, without warning the coach decides to start him at the front, in the quarter finals and he froze up (nerves),, he was pulled out the game after the first 1:14 seconds never to see the field again. His club team lost, and they were bounced from the league cup tournament. Id drove 90 mins, spent the night in a yucky motel just to see my kid play 1 minute!!
I released my anger at him for 90 minutes all the way back home, and upon reaching the house made him change uniforms and go play with his AYSO team that day. He played incredible , and what seemed like pressure-less perfection. (lesson learned, never choke on your first start because you may never start again, and your dads gonna go berserk) And next time set your goals higher!!
Goal accomplished!! now 2018 winter break and on to 2019 state cup. The winter break was devastating and no games/ practices really hurt players. Soccer was replaced bye Fortnite, and motivation became a struggle. But as the 2019 Cal South State Cup tournament started the training and focus became more intense. Without the AYSO games the additional effort was placed on the Run for the Cup. There were many Rain Delays which pushed back the Cup several weeks. It gave the players some extra time to get back to optimal playing form and play a few friendly matches. My son had solidified his position as a full-time -all game starter/player at defender and midfield. The comrade and parental support was immense, as he was the most improved player on the team working his way up to the upper half of the roster, and being more of a well rounded player than even the best players on the team. (incredible growth). As the Cup Started, my sons growth improved with each touch, he played an almost flawless performance in the firs round As the next two rounds kicked off it was clear the kid was putting ALL of the time/dedication to use, accounting for many assist , shots on goal, and great solid defense. I believe its the pressure of letting down your team that helped him focus.
At this stage the team makes it to the State Cup Finals for his age/division. They play well but they lost to a hybrid
Academy / Hired guns for the Cup Team. But the experience from going 0-22 and bad coaching in AYSO,, to being coast league champs , State Cup Finalist and being visibly ALOT better is my idea of growth. My son is very happy with his progress and development, as am I. I was a great run that laid down a foundation of/for dedication for future progress.
Ill conclude by saying his progress in Club would not have been possible without the AYSO experience. But regardless of anything, the possibilities of growth are greater with dedication in general. To any parents who would want to increase the speed of the development cycle,,I encourage a multi-factor saturation for 6 months ( soccer/futsal, parks recs aka "taco circuit aka mexican leagues"/ AYSO, AYSO / club) I personally experienced a childs growth / dedication elevate tremendously.
twice the dedication , twice the play, twice the friendships, twice the running around to soccer games. A true saturation from may till December for 1 season.
My advice, is the better your kid adheres to dedication, the better he/she will play, the better they play , the more fun they have, the more they want to continue playing, and the more options they have going forward. My honest opinion, Club IS better than AySo based on competing against players who are more competitive. But, you can get the same experience on the park rec leagues / and AYSO extras/AllStars combining the two.
If you cant be on the top half of the roster on a club team,,this is a great alternative. Probably a better choice
Some people look for other clubs,,when in actuality the kid just needs more game minutes. (with / without the club)
Crucial Notes:
dedication can close the gap to a deficit in skill in 3 months (90 days) if the kid touches/play with the ball 60 of those 90 days.
Winter Breaks / spring breaks / summer breaks are a great time to increase your dedication and close the gaps in the competition. (go private for 1 -2week , do something extra)
Repetition of tasks, and training / practicing doing things at full speed make a big difference in games.
quality over quantity,,, but over a length of time quantity will develop a player more. (more reps)
AYSO is a great tool for "assisting" development.
thanks for reading , i hope this helps anyone / everyone. Again forgive my grammar.
Me: Im a AYSO coach 2yrs (son/daughter) /AYSO ref 2 yrs/ and participate in some AYSO administration I believe in the organization and support it. This thread is to only point out my experience in my sons 09' 2018 youth soccer development process.
My son (2009) was playing AYSO Core in 2017/18, he had a great coach, and developed at a very acceptable pace. (but not the best player on his team) he was not invited for extras but played on the All-star Team where all things possible were/went bad concerning development in youth soccer.
-info-insert-
1.The Ayso all star coach didnt show up for the 1st two practices, as well as many other practices/games. He was laxed, and never had a game-plan for practice, unorganized, and visibly all over the place. (parents were very concerned from the start)
2. He favored his two players from his core team who went undefeated but were a older, very lazy, privileged and never showed any signs of working hard. (doing step overs in you own box, vs. clearing the ball etc.)
3.The team lost every game, the coach was not dedicated and easily frustrated.
4. practices were unproductive , every kid wants to be striker, no one wants to be keeper. or play hard. players fought for throw ins, played defense on eachother rather than the opponents. (Bad News Bears x50)
5. The Pinnacle of pitty was this coach pulling this all Star team from a tourney mid game because the kids were losing.....BAD , literally forfeiting the game while it was being played. And watching another team on the adjacent field play with his back to his own players during the game.
Just the worst thing for child soccer development.
6. all the kids except 4,, have chosen not to play soccer anymore.......ever!!!
Now.. During this all star season
My sons personal dedication was,, he made every practice, came 30min early / stayed 30 late etc. But, at the end of the ALLSTAR season he did not want to play soccer ever again, as well as 10 other players on the team based on the coach. (who self admittedly took responsibility for the faults.)
Ill mention that i ended up being the Assistant coach 2/3rds of the way in,, based on the actual coach and assistant never showing up,, and then quiting when the team began losing bye double digits. I somehow screamed at them loud enough and got the team to play harder,,play defense, and the Goal differential came down to 1. for a few games
then the assistant coach came back.. ha ha ha.... I quickly gave back the duties. I was on the verge of quiting, and taking my son to play another sport.
-now to my point-
After the All Star team season finale (may) , I immediately took my son to a (top bronze division ) club team in which he began working out and practicing,, he was given a 30 day trial (mid may-june) ,, and made the team, but was at the bottom end of the roster. The coach was/is an ex-pro and the team/players were very well developed and had played with eachother for a year or two. Thees kids were also VERY well conditioned 08 scrimmaged with 09's and friendly matches were against bigger and better competition. My son struggled initially , but then started doing ok in friendlies but was down on the depth chart, I knew his game playing time would be limited while playing for this team.
So i put him on a Core AYSO team also, with the understanding that on any given gameday he would get the playing time needed to develop, exercise leadership skills , and play games with no pressure. Also to enjoy the perks of AYSO skills Days and extra cirricular events they had to offer.. 2 halfs on two separate teams = one full game. (my thinking) Practices /Games were in the same vicinity so logistics were not an issue. His primary goal was to work his way into the starting line-up for the club team then stop playing in AYSO.
Club practice 2xs weekly / AYSO was 1x weekly but we couldnt make it on time most times for AYSO. but we would still do something to help develop his game. (it paid off)
Fortunately the game schedules were advantageous between the two series, with ample time for rest in between Club/AYSO games on game days. Ayso even offered him to change teams based on some schedule / roster issues they had, but we remained steadfast.
For Ayso, my son volunteered to sitout 1st quarter , play Goalkeeper for 1 quarter to be fair about not coming to practice , and to just play for two quarters. (coach was cool with that) in two games we had to leave the team at half just to make it on time to the Club game 5-10 min away. (a-la Deoin Sanders).
Obvious signs of development first showed early in AYSO games he became dominant, and became a team leader. The confidence and assertion that he put forth was exciting to see. Also the pressure from the club environment kept him focused. In Coast League, his team went 11-1 / 28-3 with friendlies and tourneys..(look at the amount of games)..AYSO 8-4 no friendly games. .My son didnt miss a club practice and his growth curve increased 10 fold, and althou he didnt start, his minutes were increasing and soon became more playing time than players that started the game. His team won the championship in his division. Then came Coast League Cup.. first couple of rounds went very well, and then, without warning the coach decides to start him at the front, in the quarter finals and he froze up (nerves),, he was pulled out the game after the first 1:14 seconds never to see the field again. His club team lost, and they were bounced from the league cup tournament. Id drove 90 mins, spent the night in a yucky motel just to see my kid play 1 minute!!
I released my anger at him for 90 minutes all the way back home, and upon reaching the house made him change uniforms and go play with his AYSO team that day. He played incredible , and what seemed like pressure-less perfection. (lesson learned, never choke on your first start because you may never start again, and your dads gonna go berserk) And next time set your goals higher!!
Goal accomplished!! now 2018 winter break and on to 2019 state cup. The winter break was devastating and no games/ practices really hurt players. Soccer was replaced bye Fortnite, and motivation became a struggle. But as the 2019 Cal South State Cup tournament started the training and focus became more intense. Without the AYSO games the additional effort was placed on the Run for the Cup. There were many Rain Delays which pushed back the Cup several weeks. It gave the players some extra time to get back to optimal playing form and play a few friendly matches. My son had solidified his position as a full-time -all game starter/player at defender and midfield. The comrade and parental support was immense, as he was the most improved player on the team working his way up to the upper half of the roster, and being more of a well rounded player than even the best players on the team. (incredible growth). As the Cup Started, my sons growth improved with each touch, he played an almost flawless performance in the firs round As the next two rounds kicked off it was clear the kid was putting ALL of the time/dedication to use, accounting for many assist , shots on goal, and great solid defense. I believe its the pressure of letting down your team that helped him focus.
At this stage the team makes it to the State Cup Finals for his age/division. They play well but they lost to a hybrid
Academy / Hired guns for the Cup Team. But the experience from going 0-22 and bad coaching in AYSO,, to being coast league champs , State Cup Finalist and being visibly ALOT better is my idea of growth. My son is very happy with his progress and development, as am I. I was a great run that laid down a foundation of/for dedication for future progress.
Ill conclude by saying his progress in Club would not have been possible without the AYSO experience. But regardless of anything, the possibilities of growth are greater with dedication in general. To any parents who would want to increase the speed of the development cycle,,I encourage a multi-factor saturation for 6 months ( soccer/futsal, parks recs aka "taco circuit aka mexican leagues"/ AYSO, AYSO / club) I personally experienced a childs growth / dedication elevate tremendously.
twice the dedication , twice the play, twice the friendships, twice the running around to soccer games. A true saturation from may till December for 1 season.
My advice, is the better your kid adheres to dedication, the better he/she will play, the better they play , the more fun they have, the more they want to continue playing, and the more options they have going forward. My honest opinion, Club IS better than AySo based on competing against players who are more competitive. But, you can get the same experience on the park rec leagues / and AYSO extras/AllStars combining the two.
If you cant be on the top half of the roster on a club team,,this is a great alternative. Probably a better choice
Some people look for other clubs,,when in actuality the kid just needs more game minutes. (with / without the club)
Crucial Notes:
dedication can close the gap to a deficit in skill in 3 months (90 days) if the kid touches/play with the ball 60 of those 90 days.
Winter Breaks / spring breaks / summer breaks are a great time to increase your dedication and close the gaps in the competition. (go private for 1 -2week , do something extra)
Repetition of tasks, and training / practicing doing things at full speed make a big difference in games.
quality over quantity,,, but over a length of time quantity will develop a player more. (more reps)
AYSO is a great tool for "assisting" development.
thanks for reading , i hope this helps anyone / everyone. Again forgive my grammar.