# late bloomers



## Halfskenator (Mar 31, 2017)

Hi all, first time poster here.  Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has witnessed a "late bloomer" that at some point came off the bench to become a starter.  My daughter is u-13, and she recently switched to an ECNL team.  While she is the first to come off the bench, her playing time is still fairly limited.  She is very skilled, but she is also very thin and small, so she loses the physical battle for 50-50 balls, etc.  Right now she is playing against Gigantors.  I am 5'11'', and my wife is 5'8'', but we were both late bloomers.


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## mahrez (Mar 31, 2017)

Happens, depending on where you daughter is in her growth cycles?   Normally when you see the pediatrician they would let you what her projected % size she might be at X age if you ask? 

In either case learning how to play with or vs players of various sizes is part of training and experience gained.   Later bloomers might have to work harder but the experience can benefit them more than others in some cases.  Patience and technical skills is somethings to work on.


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## Grace T. (Mar 31, 2017)

The nice thing about soccer too is that size isn't everything.  Her losing the ball probably has less to do with her size than either her conditioning, maturity or her skill level.  If she's recently traded up, she may still be growing into the role.


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## f1nfutbol fan (Mar 31, 2017)

My DD is/was a late bloomer & it was tough watching her play up a year as well... she knows how to use her skinny butt & bony elbows to create her space.

The goal doesnt know the size of the player, only their desire & ability.

Work on accurate passing with both feet, better 1st touch, improved off the ball positioning (create space), more heads up team awareness & learn to anticipate better to gain / close down the space....

it would be tough to get knocked off the ball, regardless of size... when you release the ball with either foot calmly with confidence.

as you move up in flights, the game happens much quicker.

from what i have seen, 2 kids with similar ability, pace, etc., 1 will be more favored when they head the ball. For me, i didnt / dont mind that my DD rarely head's the ball.... dire situations or going for goal is it.

good luck


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## Halfskenator (Mar 31, 2017)

Thanks for the comments.  In my previous post I meant to say that she switched to a pre-ecnl team, so she is not playing up.  (There are a few in her age group that do play up, but they aren't as skinny as my DD.)  She rarely coughs up the ball, but it is also rare for her to beat opponents to the errant passes.   The player she substitutes for has ELITE speed . . . well, at least for a 12-year-old.  I'm just curious if her skills might eventually outweigh speed, but it will probably be an uphill battle if she is a late bloomer.


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## timbuck (Mar 31, 2017)

Can / Does she play other positions?  Tough to earn playing time when the one player you compete with is insanely fast.


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## Halfskenator (Mar 31, 2017)

She can play other positions, but I'm sure she would run into a similar problem because although the other starting players are not insanely fast, they are better than my DD.  That is why my DD rides the pine for most of the game.  It's frustrating because she used to be a stud against lesser competition.


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## timbuck (Mar 31, 2017)

What level was she playing at before?  As you jump up in levels, the speed of play is one of the biggest difference.  Size might be a big difference too.  On the highest level teams, every kid is fast.  
"Speed of play" and/or "Soccer IQ" is the difference maker and can make you look "faster".  
Are you receving a pass in a great position to make your next move (as opposed to a "good" position).  Is your first touch giving you time to think and react about your next move?
Is she marking and anticipating on defensive or chasing after it's too late. 
It's also not a terrible thing for her to realize where she needs to improve and fight like hell for playing time.


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## Joe Diaz (Apr 1, 2017)

"Is your first touch giving you time to think and react about your next move?"

In my opinion, the player should be thinking about her next move before she gets the ball.


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## timbuck (Apr 1, 2017)

Joe Diaz said:


> "Is your first touch giving you time to think and react about your next move?"
> 
> In my opinion, the player should be thinking about her next move before she gets the ball.


True. But if she donks her first touch, it won't matter.


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## Joe Diaz (Apr 1, 2017)

timbuck said:


> True. But if she donks her first touch, it won't matter.


I'm not talking about the first touch.  I'm just stating that players need to think what their next move is going to be before they get the ball not while they are getting their first touch as you stated.   That's all.  : )


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## Soccer Cat (Apr 1, 2017)

Similar situation here with my late bloomer, same age.  Not too short but very thin and light..she gets knocked around a lot.  I was a late bloomer too, and I've told her she will be taller than most, eventually (we think she will be about 5'9") but she is impatient and frustrated with it all! 

There will be a lot of changes over the next few years or so..players will come and go and some of the stars of today will be caught by some of the late bloomers.


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## rainbow_unicorn (Apr 1, 2017)

Size has NOTHING to do with winning 50/50 balls.  And blaming size for getting knocked off the ball is just an excuse.  A smaller player has quickness to even the odds.  They should work on shielding, getting rid of the ball faster and work on skills to free up space to operate.  I've never seen Messi get cleanly knocked off a ball.

Don't hold your breath and think that once they hit their growth spurt that everything will be ok.  Work on their skills NOW to help their issues.


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## PLSAP (Apr 2, 2017)

Grace T. said:


> The nice thing about soccer too is that size isn't everything.  Her losing the ball probably has less to do with her size than either her conditioning, maturity or her skill level.  If she's recently traded up, she may still be growing into the role.


Also, being small doesn't limit her ability to build muscle, which will take time and special training/and condition like GT mentions here. It's the same way that not all of the tallest goalkeepers are the best and why there can be some (while few who meet the exact description I'm giving) very high level keepers who have made up for their height with technical ability and building strong powerful legs that can jump high (vertical), out (dive), and fast (reflexes). The same applies to any field player. Whether she plays up front, in the back, or in the mid, get her working on her technical skills first off. Make sure she has a good, positive position that allows her to play the ball comfortably. Get her passes to always be strong and on target. Work on vision (I wouldn't say that's as much technical as mental but still), ect. 

But also get her physical ability up to par. Winning balls in the air, once again whether is is up front for a goal scoring opportunity, or at the back to prevents one, is extremely important. This starts with a solid core and building up her leg strength to give a her a good vertical. The core part is important because, especially if she is on the smaller end, no matter how high she can jump, she'll get knocked out the air. Of course, keeping in mind she is U13. If she subbing on for a player with speed, get your player some speed too! She can't be just technical at the ECNL level if/when/should she move up. Also, please please please don't forget upper body strength. If you have her working on her legs, it is so so so important that she is balanced. In addition to being balanced, having arm strength will add to speed and verticals if she has the proper technique, and give her strength to fight off an opposing player when trying to gain possession or win a 50/50 ball on the ground or in the air. 

Having a solid physical ability on the field will only increase how good she is with the ball, and increase her ability and speed to learn technically.
Of course, she is U13, and please keep in mind that this kind of training takes a ton of commitment, and even then, it'll take time.


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## Multi Sport (Apr 2, 2017)

I love late bloomers...

They have to learn skill first because they can't justvrun through people. And it's that skill that will make them better players.

My daughter was always in the front row of here teams pictures, with all the other little ones. I think she finally broke 100 lbs in High School. She was cut from her first club team at U-12. A Presidio AA-C team. Don't laugh,  that team was stacked. By her Junior year in HS she was playing CRL on a really good team. She earned an Academic and Soccer scholarship and has two seasons left to play in College. 

Better to be a late bloomer...


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## NoGoal (Apr 2, 2017)

TCD said:


> How long has your daughter been on her new team? My daughter is an 05 and also a late bloomer (4'6" 67 lbs). She rode the pine A LOT this past year for a very good team (U12). She got cut from her team (tryouts were before National Cup which added salt in the wounds).  It sucked but honestly was probably a good thing. Had the option to play for another good team (not as good as team from last year but still very good) but I was worried that she was going to have to fight for playing time and since her confidence was shot it just didn't seem like the best place for her (and honestly she wasn't enjoying soccer very much by the end of the U12 year). Decided to put her on a lower level team instead (SCDSL flight 2) so she could get a lot of playing time and have fun again.  We won't know about the playing time until spring scrimmages and summer tournaments begin but I can tell you that she is having a lot of fun with her new team and her confidence seems to be returning already. If she decides at some point that she wants to put in the work to make her way back on to a top team, so be it. And if she decides that she's having fun and content to play at a competitive level yet not top tier level, than that works too.


TCD,  I respect what you have done for your DD.  Your story sounds EXACTLY like my daughters at U12.  At U12 she was also about 4'6" 70 lbs wet and playing against some girls already 5'6", a foot taller.  She wasn't playing much and wasn't enjoying soccer.  She was very close to hanging up her cleats.  We decided to have her play on sister/b team.  She ended up starting, playing a lot and her coaches gave her a lot of rope to be as creative as she wanted.  This was the besr decision we ever made as she fell in love playng soccer again.  Eventually, she moved her way onto an ECNL team and the rest is history.  Yes she grew, but to 5'2" only.  The advice I would give,  let her have fun and enjoy playing.  Get her speed, agility training, and make sure she learns to play a technical game, but also a direct game.  Good luck to your family!


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## NoGoal (Apr 3, 2017)

TCD said:


> Thank you @NoGoal. Your daughter's story makes me feel better about our decision. My daughter had stopped privates because she wasn't interested in them anymore but just asked this week to start up again. Also her club offers speed/agility training and she's enjoying that too. She's got the technical skills in spades and she's quick as snot but to say she's lacking confidence is the understatement of the century. (Also she's still too nice on the field lol.) Her MO is to basically play one touch whether that is the best thing to do or not (she's scared of making a mistake if she holds on to the ball). Time will tell if she can jump back to a higher level but as long as she's playing and loving the game, she's winning.


Since she is technical and sounds like she is comfortable on the ball.  Encourage her since she is only 11 yrs old to take players on by blowing by them using her skill and quickness. It will payoff in spades as she gets older.   Her playing one touch was probably ingrained from her previous coach, because she was small and he/she didn't want her losing possession because she would get bumped off the ball.   Same crap my ulittle DD coaches told her, because she was small.


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## mirage (Apr 3, 2017)

First, I don't have a girl playing so I almost didn't say anything (I do have two sons playing).

Read it with a grain of salt how it may apply to girls but I know from having gone through and seen many boys playing to aging out stage that, the best thing you can do is to put the kid into a situation that the player can be successful.

What I mean is that, make sure your kid is in the top 1/3 of the team.  This works regardless of the level (Fit 2, DA, ECNL, Gold, Premier) at the younger ages.  It changes after U15+ or so (I'll explain...).  Being in the top 1/3 ensures the following:

1) playing time
2) starting opportunities
3) leadership opportunities
4) confidence building

You want your player to come to expect those things.  Being in the bottom 1/3 will almost always guarantee that none of those four things will be to the players benefit.  No kid I've ever met likes sitting on the bench and just practicing.  In fact I've seen bottom 1/3 kids used as bodies in a regular team training by the coach, where he/she is focused on the top 2/3 of the team.  Another way to think about the bottom 1/3 players is meeting the financial requirement of the team.

Things change once you get into older ages.  If the kid is still playing, chances are that the player is probably pretty good (most of the lesser players have quit by then).  So even if you're un the bottom 1/3, if that's on a strong team or the right exposure league (DA/ECNL), then at least the player will be exposed to things that otherwise would not.  Even if its just a Flight 1 or Premier/Gold team, they can goto elite tournaments and showcases that lower level teams cannot (or bracketed in the right level).

Sounds like you did the right thing by dropping her down as many have already noted.  Its hard for many parents to set their ego aside and do the right thing for the kid.  Apparently you did - great.


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## chargerfan (Apr 3, 2017)

TCD said:


> Thank you @NoGoal. Your daughter's story makes me feel better about our decision. My daughter had stopped privates because she wasn't interested in them anymore but just asked this week to start up again. Also her club offers speed/agility training and she's enjoying that too. She's got the technical skills in spades and she's quick as snot but to say she's lacking confidence is the understatement of the century. (Also she's still too nice on the field lol.) Her MO is to basically play one touch whether that is the best thing to do or not (she's scared of making a mistake if she holds on to the ball). Time will tell if she can jump back to a higher level but as long as she's playing and loving the game, she's winning.


My opinion is playing at a lower level with help with this. Sounds like a confidence issue to me. And believe me, that growth spurt will come soon.


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