# Practicing 12 hours -- too much?



## Bananacorner (Jun 9, 2017)

Ok, realize this is an overdone topic, but this may be a new twist.

One of my DD is U13 and coach has set up summer practices.  I was surprised to see not just 4 2-hour practices a week in the evening, but also 2 2-hour practices in the morning as well, meaning the girls will  be doing DOUBLES 2 days a week.  

So I remember doubles being done for some teams during summer in high school, and I certainly am aware that doubles are a common phenomenon for younger kids in sports like swimming, but is this a new trend for soccer?  I have never heard 12-year olds playing twice a day, although certainly at soccer camps they will go for a week or two playing several hours a day.  Have I missed the memo?  In theory I'm not opposed given it is summer and she has not schoolwork or other pressing commitments, but isn't it making the kids prone to over-use injuries?  Should I take my DD to all 6 practices, for a total of 12 hours of team practice every week?  Or should I quietly find a way to miss a few hours each week?

I had already planned to have her continue with her group training (combination injury prevention/strengthening, core work, agility, quickness, individual ball-work), but am I just adding to the problem?

Part of me is in awe of the coach who is willing to put in 12 hours of practice with this team every week over summer, and I'm not paying anything additional, and it really exceeds expectations.  But then what are the consequences?


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## younothat (Jun 9, 2017)

Too Much, Too Soon


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## TangoCity (Jun 9, 2017)

Bananacorner said:


> Ok, realize this is an overdone topic, but this may be a new twist.
> 
> One of my DD is U13 and coach has set up summer practices.  I was surprised to see not just 4 2-hour practices a week in the evening, but also 2 2-hour practices in the morning as well, meaning the girls will  be doing DOUBLES 2 days a week.
> 
> ...


What coach, team, level?


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## Bananacorner (Jun 9, 2017)

It's a "pre-DA" team, the team will transition to a DA next year at U14


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## timbuck (Jun 9, 2017)

Is the expectation that you attend all practices? Or is he giving alternative options for kids that have other stuff going on this summer?


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## Bananacorner (Jun 9, 2017)

timbuck said:


> Is the expectation that you attend all practices? Or is he giving alternative options for kids that have other stuff going on this summer?


That's a very good question timbuck.  It wasn't communicated to my DD or the parents that all practices must be attended (yet), so it may be more of an alternative option situation, given how often people miss during the summer.  But then the reality is that unless coach communicates that not all need be attended, many kids will feel obligated to try and go, particularly if they are concerned about their position on the team.


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## Mystery Train (Jun 9, 2017)

Bananacorner said:


> but isn't it making the kids prone to over-use injuries?


Yeah this is a legit concern.  Especially in the girls 12-14 ages.  Because of how their bones and bodies mature at that age, overuse and lack of recovery time is a BIG deal.  My DD and countless of her friends/teammates experienced ankle/foot/knee problems at that age and coincidentally, I found this to be the age with the most volume of time dedicated to practice and training.  Once they hit HS, with the HS soccer black-out months, it got much lighter.  I guess if this is DA, your kid won't even have that as a refuge.  With that kind of practice load, assuming they will be running and cutting and kicking during all these hours, and assuming that this is not just a one or two week deal, I can guarantee you that this team will end up with a bunch of foot/leg/ankle/knee injuries by Sept. You can quote me on that. 

They're pre-pubescent kids for crying out loud, not full grown professionals.


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## timbuck (Jun 9, 2017)

It's a lot of practice if it's all summer.  As stated above, it does depend on what will be happening at these practices.
Why does he see a reason to train this much?  Is it fitness that your team needs?  Technical work? Tactical work?
If one practice is all tactical walk through/film type of stuff, then it "might" be ok.  But if it's 2x a day, 1980s hellweek football type of stuff, then I'd be very careful.
Soccer cleats are terrible for feet.  I couldn't imagine wearing them for 4 hours across the span of a day.
But if the coach has a very smart and well thought out plan for periodization, this might be ok.  But you don't go from practicing 6 hours a week to 12 hours a week with high intensity just cold turkey.  You need to build up to it. And you need to expect that there is a "peak" of this fitness, which means there is also a diminishing return at some point.

(Sidebar -  I have mentioned before that I used to participate in lots of running races and triathlon.  12 hours of training in a week was near the top end of my training when getting ready for an ironman distance race.  The most I ever trained in a week was about 18 hours.  And that was built up to and 3 weeks prior to the race.  Followed by a 2 week taper to be at "peak performance" for a long day.  Soccer is not triathlon and I don't see a reason to train that much with high intensity)


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## Not_that_Serious (Jun 9, 2017)

I member back in the day,when I was kid... 

Times have changed since I was 11-15 when baseball All-Star practice was 8-12 and 2-dark m-f and 8-1 on saturdays for a month. Didnt think much of it then in the 80s - was just having fun. We wernt being burnt out and baseball has less conditioning aspects then soccer but I rembember going home spent.

My kid does camps and afternoon practices with the club - usually 3 or 4 weeks of the summer m-w. Those weeks if club is practicing he will get 16hrs (they break as well) and in a tournament and you can add about 2-2.5hr extra. He also likes to play outside with friends. He has been okay for last couple summers. The main thing is a kid needs to say "i need a break" or "i need a drink" when they feel any discomfort or hot. 

I know most active kids play at school for at least an hr and/or have PE. Come home pratice and often play outside before and after practice - many swim for hrs as well. If you have an active kid count how many hours they are doing excersice outside of soccer. Youll be surprised how much they are moving. Now id balance it and make sure they are getting enough rest (naps), stay hydrated and have proper nutrition.

Also have see what the coach(es) are doing. At 12-13 a couple hrs a day 2x a day isnt going to kill them BUT shouldnt revolve a schedule around both times if it is a strain on family time. I figure better than them vegging out and tapping buttons on a phone half of the day


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## Not_that_Serious (Jun 9, 2017)

timbuck said:


> It's a lot of practice if it's all summer.  As stated above, it does depend on what will be happening at these practices.
> Why does he see a reason to train this much?  Is it fitness that your team needs?  Technical work? Tactical work?
> If one practice is all tactical walk through/film type of stuff, then it "might" be ok.  But if it's 2x a day, 1980s hellweek football type of stuff, then I'd be very careful.
> Soccer cleats are terrible for feet.  I couldn't imagine wearing them for 4 hours across the span of a day.
> ...


 I agree. As mentioned my kid has gone some weeks with a lot of triaining, not ALL summer but for a few weeks. Wasnt boot camp style. You do make a good point about cleats. My kid is on turf which can be rough but uses comfortable turf shoes. I think ill monitor his feet a little more closley this summer


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## JJP (Jun 9, 2017)

Insane schedule. Only way it can work is if lot of those sessions are juggling or first touch sessions where there's minimal physical activity involved.

But I like the coach's ambition.


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## socalkdg (Jun 11, 2017)

Competitive dancers and gymnast laugh at 12 hours per week.  

Many of the dancers and ballerinas at my daughters previous school were putting in 20-25 hours per week,  ages 10-15.  Very few injuries. These girls have next to no body fat.   Gymnast at the higher levels go 20+ hours as well, but I do know that is tough on their knees.   My 2005 soccer playing daughter swims for an hour plays basketball a couple hours, and puts in a couple hours at soccer practice.   If it is still light out she runs to the courts again after soccer practice.   That is a fun day for her.

If the coach rotates what is being done, say 4 hours per week technique,  3 hours conditioning, and 4 hours small sided scrimmages,  really shouldn't be too much.


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## Real Deal (Jun 11, 2017)

socalkdg said:


> Competitive dancers and gymnast laugh at 12 hours per week.
> 
> Many of the dancers and ballerinas at my daughters previous school were putting in 20-25 hours per week,  ages 10-15.  Very few injuries. These girls have next to no body fat.   Gymnast at the higher levels go 20+ hours as well, but I do know that is tough on their knees.   My 2005 soccer playing daughter swims for an hour plays basketball a couple hours, and puts in a couple hours at soccer practice.   If it is still light out she runs to the courts again after soccer practice.   That is a fun day for her.
> 
> If the coach rotates what is being done, say 4 hours per week technique,  3 hours conditioning, and 4 hours small sided scrimmages,  really shouldn't be too much.


Sports like gymnastics and dance require that players peak at a very young age.  Unfortunately, it seems soccer is moving in that direction also.   Pre-collegiate teens are on the National Team.  Initial YNT's are selected at U15 (Really U14) ... and in the U.S. Soccer press releases, it states that that is the "core group" that will continue on and compete for World Cups-- (2-3  years later).  ODP moved back it's age and started at the 06 age group this year (so... 10/11 years old)?? no doubt to serve as some kind of "elite player" ID.   So, we are ID-ing kids as elite/YNT/college prospects when they are only in elementary school!    Is it any wonder why one might go for "over-training" at young ages??  But it is a shame this is happening.


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## JJP (Jun 11, 2017)

socalkdg said:


> Competitive dancers and gymnast laugh at 12 hours per week.
> 
> Many of the dancers and ballerinas at my daughters previous school were putting in 20-25 hours per week,  ages 10-15.  Very few injuries. These girls have next to no body fat.   Gymnast at the higher levels go 20+ hours as well, but I do know that is tough on their knees.   My 2005 soccer playing daughter swims for an hour plays basketball a couple hours, and puts in a couple hours at soccer practice.   If it is still light out she runs to the courts again after soccer practice.   That is a fun day for her.
> 
> If the coach rotates what is being done, say 4 hours per week technique,  3 hours conditioning, and 4 hours small sided scrimmages,  really shouldn't be too much.


You can't really compare the sports like that.

Soccer is like running a 5k with about 40 50-80 meter sprints, plus about a game per week, which is incredibly demanding.  You can only do so much of that type of running

I'm not a gymnastics expert, but im guessing they spend a lot of time stretching and strength training, and it appears to be more short bursts of activity followed by a good break to recover.  I'm not knocking gymnasts, their strength to weight ratio is superhuman and their combo of strength and flexibility is freakish.

But the combination of endurance running and sprinting in soccer is so punishing on the legs it limits the amount of dynamic training they can do.


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## timbuck (Jun 11, 2017)

Yeah, those 12 year old gymnasts can be amazing. But that's not the life or the body that I want for my kid.  (Partially because of the way my wife and I are built, my kid's won't have a gymnasts body.  And partially because I don't want my kid in a gym 15 hours a week.  And partially because they weren't so great at cartwheels when they were 6).


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## PLSAP (Jun 11, 2017)

socalkdg said:


> Competitive dancers and gymnast laugh at 12 hours per week.
> 
> Many of the dancers and ballerinas at my daughters previous school were putting in 20-25 hours per week,  ages 10-15.  Very few injuries. These girls have next to no body fat.   Gymnast at the higher levels go 20+ hours as well, but I do know that is tough on their knees.   My 2005 soccer playing daughter swims for an hour plays basketball a couple hours, and puts in a couple hours at soccer practice.   If it is still light out she runs to the courts again after soccer practice.   That is a fun day for her.
> 
> If the coach rotates what is being done, say 4 hours per week technique,  3 hours conditioning, and 4 hours small sided scrimmages,  really shouldn't be too much.


Also, sports like dance and gymnastics aren't nearly the same type of wear and tear on the body. They are technique based sports with strength, while in soccer, it is technique, but also sprints, slide tackles, fights for the ball, etc. It is a different, harsher sport to the body. It is the same reason why performances are displays of routine of those hours practicing and putting it together while soccer at the highest level is 90 minutes of a game where everything is constantly changing and therefore requires more movement, more challenges, more contact. Soccer is a contact sport. Gymnastics and dance are not. They are different, so the amount of time for one practice or session will be different. 

However, with that being said, that does not mean (and this does not apply to the original question but, ) that if a kid has a two hour practice, that that same kid will not be going out and juggling or taking touches on the ball on their own later or before. That is the technique side that the kid could probably spend hours doing such as a dancer or gymnast is.


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## Striker17 (Jun 11, 2017)

Real Deal said:


> Sports like gymnastics and dance require that players peak at a very young age.  Unfortunately, it seems soccer is moving in that direction also.   Pre-collegiate teens are on the National Team.  Initial YNT's are selected at U15 (Really U14) ... and in the U.S. Soccer press releases, it states that that is the "core group" that will continue on and compete for World Cups-- (2-3  years later).  ODP moved back it's age and started at the 06 age group this year (so... 10/11 years old)?? no doubt to serve as some kind of "elite player" ID.   So, we are ID-ing kids as elite/YNT/college prospects when they are only in elementary school!    Is it any wonder why one might go for "over-training" at young ages??  But it is a shame this is happening.


and after watching the Norway game today where they got absolutely lucky to even get one goal...my question is to what end?


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## watfly (Jun 11, 2017)

JJP said:


> You can't really compare the sports like that.


Nope you can't.  The level of intensity and quantity of training required for competitive dance is on a whole other level from club soccer, its not even close.  My daughter's training starts at 12 hours a week and easily goes over 20 hours many weeks while always moving on her feet.  There is no room for anything but perfection in dance, the pressure is immense.  The skill sets required in the various disciplines are insane. The abuse to their bodies can be dramatic.  These girls contort their bodies in ways that are not human.  Soccer is child's play comparatively speaking, although you do have contact injuries in soccer.  The girls do it  for the love of the sport, camaraderie and competition...there are effectively no college scholarships for dance.

I can't fathom the skill set my son would have in soccer if he trained like my daughter.


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## JJP (Jun 11, 2017)

Striker17 said:


> and after watching the Norway game today where they got absolutely lucky to even get one goal...my question is to what end?


It shows that the training Europe does for its men, when applied to their women, produces a higher level of soccer than what the USA can presently produce.


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## NoGoal (Jun 11, 2017)

JJP said:


> It shows that the training Europe does for its men, when applied to their women, produces a higher level of soccer than what the USA can presently produce.


I agree real Euro soccer academies where players eat, breath, eat and sleep soccer.


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## soccerobserver (Jun 11, 2017)

socalkdg said:


> Competitive dancers and gymnast laugh at 12 hours per week.
> 
> Many of the dancers and ballerinas at my daughters previous school were putting in 20-25 hours per week,  ages 10-15.  Very few injuries. These girls have next to no body fat.   Gymnast at the higher levels go 20+ hours as well, but I do know that is tough on their knees.   My 2005 soccer playing daughter swims for an hour plays basketball a couple hours, and puts in a couple hours at soccer practice.   If it is still light out she runs to the courts again after soccer practice.   That is a fun day for her.
> 
> If the coach rotates what is being done, say 4 hours per week technique,  3 hours conditioning, and 4 hours small sided scrimmages,  really shouldn't be too much.


Gymnastics wreaks havoc on a girls body. Horrible consequences. Your post is highly Misleading. Their growth is stunted. Menstral cycles are delayed. Devastating on girls. I know that scene and it's devastating effects on girls directly. Lots of broken bones also. They usually retire by age 13. The sport went into total overkill in search of perfect "10's". It does seem like girls youth soccer is mindlessly headed in the same manic direction as girls gymnastics which is sad.


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## JJP (Jun 11, 2017)

watfly said:


> Nope you can't.  The level of intensity and quantity of training required for competitive dance is on a whole other level from club soccer, its not even close.  My daughter's training starts at 12 hours a week and easily goes over 20 hours many weeks while always moving on her feet.  There is no room for anything but perfection in dance, the pressure is immense.  The skill sets required in the various disciplines are insane. The abuse to their bodies can be dramatic.  These girls contort their bodies in ways that are not human.  Soccer is child's play comparatively speaking, although you do have contact injuries in soccer.  The girls do it  for the love of the sport, camaraderie and competition...there are effectively no college scholarships for dance.


Yea, based on what you are saying, there is no comparison.  The dancers work a LOT harder. I consider myself a pretty hard core soccer dad but I'd never put my kid through the schedule you are describing, it sounds insane.

IMO a good schedule is 3 1.5 hr. team practices, 1 game per week, and 1 hr. light self practice consisting of some combo of first touch drills, wall ball, cones, juggling, shooting.  If he misses a team practice or it's less than 3 team practices, I try to get my boy into a group lesson at my local indoor soccer center.

I think it's counterproductive to do much more than this, unless your kid is a Pulisic and has the energy and drive to do more.  The kids have to rest, recover and my kid in particular has to have time to goof around.


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## watfly (Jun 11, 2017)

JJP said:


> Yea, based on what you are saying, there is no comparison.  The dancers work a LOT harder. I consider myself a pretty hard core soccer dad but I'd never put my kid through the schedule you are describing, it sounds insane.


It's completely insane but she puts her self through it.  We have never pushed her, in fact, we've given her every opportunity to scale back.  These girls have a passion for dance and are incredibly disciplined.   While she doesn't mind a night away from dance now and then she never complains about having to go to the studio.


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## Eagle33 (Jun 12, 2017)

Pre-DA with so many hours of practicing does not sound right.
Even DA on a boys side don't have that many training hours.
Sounds like your coach is out of touch of reality.


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## Surfref (Jun 12, 2017)

Too much.

How do working families get their kid to and from the morning practices?  Did the coach also provide van services.


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## socalkdg (Jun 12, 2017)

soccerobserver said:


> Gymnastics wreaks havoc on a girls body. Horrible consequences. Your post is highly Misleading. Their growth is stunted. Menstral cycles are delayed. Devastating on girls. I know that scene and it's devastating effects on girls directly. Lots of broken bones also. They usually retire by age 13. The sport went into total overkill in search of perfect "10's". It does seem like girls youth soccer is mindlessly headed in the same manic direction as girls gymnastics which is sad.


My older daughter is a dancer, and has put in 20 hours a week no problem for the last 5 years, and is in better shape than my younger soccer/basketball playing daughter.  She has great endurance, amazing muscle tone, and as mentioned, zero chance at any type of scholarship.   I just don't see how 12 hours per week is a problem for kids, as long as it is a mix of things that they are doing.  

How many hours are kids from Latin America or Europe putting in per week?


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## socalkdg (Jun 12, 2017)

It is harder today to just go out, find kids, and just play soccer or basketball or baseball.   In that 12 hours I'd include the kids playing some small sided scrimmages vs each other with the coaches just letting them play and have fun.   The last half hour of our practice is always this, and the girls don't want to quit. Always pushing practice past the finish time.   They are just having fun.


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## PLSAP (Jun 12, 2017)

socalkdg said:


> My older daughter is a dancer, and has put in 20 hours a week no problem for the last 5 years, and is in better shape than my younger soccer/basketball playing daughter.  She has great endurance, amazing muscle tone, and as mentioned, zero chance at any type of scholarship.   I just don't see how 12 hours per week is a problem for kids, as long as it is a mix of things that they are doing.
> 
> How many hours are kids from Latin America or Europe putting in per week?


https://www.unigo.com/scholarships/by-major/dance-scholarships

It'll take some good searching through, but there are some in there you might be interested in. There are all types of scholarships all over the place from community service related scholarships to having red hair scholarships. It just takes some looking. Remember, scholarships don't just have to come from the school. Your daughters hard work, dedication, and love for the sport shouldn't go to waste.


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## watfly (Jun 12, 2017)

It's out of the ordinary for soccer, but as far as being too much only you and your child can decide that.  If the passion and commitment are there for your kid and its not a burden to your family, why not give it a shot for summer?  If it becomes too much physically or mentally then you can just scale it back at that point.  Personally, I think the odds are greater that you kid will get in better shape which will prevent injuries, than your kid will incur overuse injuries (that's a non-medical, completely uninformed and only anecdotal opinion).

I do think the coach made a mistake by not assessing the team's interest in this level of training prior to scheduling the practices.  That's a big commitment to expect from families without buy-in first.


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## socalkdg (Jun 12, 2017)

PLSAP said:


> https://www.unigo.com/scholarships/by-major/dance-scholarships
> 
> It'll take some good searching through, but there are some in there you might be interested in. There are all types of scholarships all over the place from community service related scholarships to having red hair scholarships. It just takes some looking. Remember, scholarships don't just have to come from the school. Your daughters hard work, dedication, and love for the sport shouldn't go to waste.


Keeping a 15 year old girl busy all the time and away from boys has made it worthwhile already.   Sending that link to my wife.   Thanks for the info.


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## NoGoal (Jun 12, 2017)

socalkdg said:


> My older daughter is a dancer, and has put in 20 hours a week no problem for the last 5 years, and is in better shape than my younger soccer/basketball playing daughter.  She has great endurance, amazing muscle tone, and as mentioned, zero chance at any type of scholarship.   I just don't see how 12 hours per week is a problem for kids, as long as it is a mix of things that they are doing.
> 
> How many hours are kids from Latin America or Europe putting in per week?


Does New York's Julliard give scholarships?


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## ChipShot (Jun 12, 2017)

Maybe he's trying to get their 10,000 hours in one summer!


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## justneededaname (Jun 12, 2017)

This is second hand, so I am not sure it is right, but on a recent team trip to Spain we got to watch the Man United 2005s play. One of our parents asked one of their parents how often the boys train. They said 4 hours a day, 4 days a week. So 12 doesn't sound like a lot when compared to 16. Summer might be the time to do that since I cannot imagine how players could pull that off during the school year.


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## JJP (Jun 13, 2017)

justneededaname said:


> This is second hand, so I am not sure it is right, but on a recent team trip to Spain we got to watch the Man United 2005s play. One of our parents asked one of their parents how often the boys train. They said *4 hours a day, 4 days a week*. So 12 doesn't sound like a lot when compared to 16. Summer might be the time to do that since I cannot imagine how players could pull that off during the school year.


Did you get a breakdown of the training?  I find it hard to believe they could run hard for 16 hrs per week.  Also, what was the game schedule like.


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## socalkdg (Jun 13, 2017)

Such a wide variety of practice and training types.   One hour of private keeper training for my daughter in 85 degree weather wipes her out.   Put her with 14 other girls and in the evening and she can go 3 hours if  they work on touch, passing, some conditioning, then small sided scrimmages.


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## Not_that_Serious (Jun 13, 2017)

socalkdg said:


> Such a wide variety of practice and training types.   One hour of private keeper training for my daughter in 85 degree weather wipes her out.   Put her with 14 other girls and in the evening and she can go 3 hours if  they work on touch, passing, some conditioning, then small sided scrimmages.


My kiddo was at keeper practice last night. They do two 1hr sessions, 2nd one optional - but he always stays for the 2nd. He is pretty drained (diving, hitting the artificial turf) - more than his regular team practice  where he also plays the field. they also do a lot of breaks for water. Last night one of the coaches asked if my kid wanted to stay after he saw us messing around on the field. my kid looks at me and says  "im kinda tired". The other coach didnt hear him tell me that and says "you should say 'yes', just jump in". So he practices at a higher intensity for an extra 45 minutes. We get something to eat go home and we get a knock on the door "can you come out and play for bit?". I tell him to relax and he says "im not tired anymore".  So he goes out and kicks the ball around with his buddies for another 30 minutes. Active kids have a deep well of energy - sometimes its just a matter of when they WANT to have it.  We have been lucky its been cool - would happen with 90+ weather


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## Not_that_Serious (Jun 13, 2017)

meant to say, i WOULDNT let my kid do what he did last night in 90 degree + weather.


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## Mystery Train (Jun 13, 2017)

Not_that_Serious said:


> My kiddo was at keeper practice last night. They do two 1hr sessions, 2nd one optional - but he always stays for the 2nd. He is pretty drained (diving, hitting the artificial turf) - more than his regular team practice  where he also plays the field. they also do a lot of breaks for water. Last night one of the coaches asked if my kid wanted to stay after he saw us messing around on the field. my kid looks at me and says  "im kinda tired". The other coach didnt hear him tell me that and says "you should say 'yes', just jump in". So he practices at a higher intensity for an extra 45 minutes. We get something to eat go home and we get a knock on the door "can you come out and play for bit?". I tell him to relax and he says "im not tired anymore".  So he goes out and kicks the ball around with his buddies for another 30 minutes. Active kids have a deep well of energy - sometimes its just a matter of when they WANT to have it.  We have been lucky its been cool - would happen with 90+ weather


Yeah, it's not the energy that is the problem with over training.  My daughter is a keeper and has had that exact same scenario play out, too.   As others have said on this thread, active kids can go almost all day long.  I don't know how old your son is, but I'll just tell our experience.  From 9-13, my daughter was an endless well of energy.  Multiple practices and multiple games never bothered her.  We'd do a two tournament games and then she'd guest play in a local league same day.  Played club soccer, middle school soccer, and middle school lacrosse.  Never injured.  Never missed a practice or game.  Year round GK training.  Summer before freshman year, she decides to do HS soccer and HS volleyball on top of club soccer.  The HS soccer tryouts were 3hrs a week every day of brutal running and constant high level effort.  Volleyball tyrouts and summer conditioning were even tougher.  Club season and HS VB overlap, and she's running from one practice to the next.  Plus keeper training.  At this point, she also hits her growth spurt.  To top it off, all four coaches (2 soccer head coaches, 1 GK trainer and 1 VB coach) expect 100% commitment and all have their own very rigorous conditioning drills.  She gives it her all.  But by October, after an entire summer of non-stop activity, she is the walking wounded.  She's got a displaced SI joint requiring weekly chiro visits, a growth plate injury in one foot and is chronically spraining the other ankle.  Important to note that at least 1/4 of her club soccer team and about the same percentage on her HS team all start going down with similar or worse injuries.  To me it was plain and simple.  Too much high intensity, high impact training, not enough recovery time.  Despite being one of the best freshmen on the VB team, she had to drop it for next year.  We learned our lesson, and now we make sure there is always ample recovery when she does marathon training sessions or has multiple games on the weekend.  The weight and power of 14-15 year olds playing soccer is on a different level than 8-10 year olds.  And the violence and impact injuries sustained from 5'8' 150 lb soccer players colliding at full speed is not something 80lb gymnasts or dancers ever have to deal with.  So my advice is not to use your kids' energy level or eagerness as a gauge to decide if it is too much training.  She/he needs to learn to listen to their bodies and if they start experiencing pain, they should not be pressured into playing through it or sucking it up to look good for the coach.  Hopefully the coach in the OP is smart enough to set up training regimens that account for recovery time.  But given my first hand experience with club soccer coaches, I wouldn't count on it.


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## Not_that_Serious (Jun 13, 2017)

Mystery Train said:


> Yeah, it's not the energy that is the problem with over training.  My daughter is a keeper and has had that exact same scenario play out, too.   As others have said on this thread, active kids can go almost all day long.  I don't know how old your son is, but I'll just tell our experience.  From 9-13, my daughter was an endless well of energy.  Multiple practices and multiple games never bothered her.  We'd do a two tournament games and then she'd guest play in a local league same day.  Played club soccer, middle school soccer, and middle school lacrosse.  Never injured.  Never missed a practice or game.  Year round GK training.  Summer before freshman year, she decides to do HS soccer and HS volleyball on top of club soccer.  The HS soccer tryouts were 3hrs a week every day of brutal running and constant high level effort.  Volleyball tyrouts and summer conditioning were even tougher.  Club season and HS VB overlap, and she's running from one practice to the next.  Plus keeper training.  At this point, she also hits her growth spurt.  To top it off, all four coaches (2 soccer head coaches, 1 GK trainer and 1 VB coach) expect 100% commitment and all have their own very rigorous conditioning drills.  She gives it her all.  But by October, after an entire summer of non-stop activity, she is the walking wounded.  She's got a displaced SI joint requiring weekly chiro visits, a growth plate injury in one foot and is chronically spraining the other ankle.  Important to note that at least 1/4 of her club soccer team and about the same percentage on her HS team all start going down with similar or worse injuries.  To me it was plain and simple.  Too much high intensity, high impact training, not enough recovery time.  Despite being one of the best freshmen on the VB team, she had to drop it for next year.  We learned our lesson, and now we make sure there is always ample recovery when she does marathon training sessions or has multiple games on the weekend.  The weight and power of 14-15 year olds playing soccer is on a different level than 8-10 year olds.  And the violence and impact injuries sustained from 5'8' 150 lb soccer players colliding at full speed is not something 80lb gymnasts or dancers ever have to deal with.  So my advice is not to use your kids' energy level or eagerness as a gauge to decide if it is too much training.  She/he needs to learn to listen to their bodies and if they start experiencing pain, they should not be pressured into playing through it or sucking it up to look good for the coach.  Hopefully the coach in the OP is smart enough to set up training regimens that account for recovery time.  But given my first hand experience with club soccer coaches, I wouldn't count on it.


Yes he is just pre-teen. He use to do martial arts as well, that was removed as he started to train more. That schedule you mentioned sounded brutal. Hopefully she finds herself in better health today. This summer the kiddo wont be doing as many camps and limiting him how much he keeps at camps - talked to his coaches. we train on turf, and might catch up to him over the years. As he has grown his flexibility has been diminishing and gets strains. Im quick to pull him from training. You just have to be firm with coaches. If the consequence is they arent on the team, screw them. Kids, and often coaches, dont understand at times - but they arent the ones that deal with the consequences/bills/medical visits/crying etc.


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## Not_that_Serious (Jun 15, 2017)

Jerylkoma said:


> Too much for every kid.
> 2 hours for cardio + 2 hours of gym will be enough.


2hrs at the gym - would even have to break that down further. no need for a kid to go to the gym daily. 2hrs should get you warm up, stretching, weightlifting and cardio/HIIT.  thats a long time at the gym unless you do cardio. back in my bodybuilding time, 2 hrs was a long time unless you use to BS between sets - or you did 30-45 of cardio. that or you go to gym during peak hours and have to baby sit machines. if a kid is training daily, id argue they wouldnt need to do any cardio at the gym and then the 2hrs becomes  waaaaay too long of session.


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