# Private sessions



## zebrafish (Feb 4, 2017)

I have a couple questions for those with more experience-- considering a short trial of private sessions for my 10-ish year old kid to work on some things that need reinforcement.

A couple of questions:

1. How much is going rate? Is it normal to be charged more (total) to run a session for 2 kids vs 1 kid?

2. Is it better to go 1 hour? 30 minutes? 45 minutes?

3. Is 3-4 sessions enough as first go? Was thinking of trying this and seeing if there was any improvement. Perhaps do it again down the road.

4. Was thinking of doubling up with another kid from her team who is good friend and plays same position (forward). Seems like there could be advantage to having 2 kids in such a thing. Have you done it as 1 on 1 or 2 on 1?

5. How often have you done this? Did you think it made a difference?

Any other advice?

Thanks!


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## MyDaughtersAKeeper (Feb 4, 2017)

zebrafish said:


> I have a couple questions for those with more experience-- considering a short trial of private sessions for my 10-ish year old kid to work on some things that need reinforcement.
> 
> A couple of questions:
> 
> ...


1 - $60 an hour for private keeper lessons (North San Diego County).  Less for a group or mini-group; price depends on the coach.
2 - My daughter always does hour sessions so I can't speak to shorter sessions.
3 - Yes, the kid and the coach need to connect.  This is your kid's trainer, not her coach; different roles.  3-4 sessions won't probably make a huge difference in your kid's play.  Development comes slowly. 
4 - They all have their pros & cons, depends on which allows your kid to get the most from the session.
5 - Weekly.  For years. 

Good luck.


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## CopaMundial (Feb 4, 2017)

1. How much is going rate? Is it normal to be charged more (total) to run a session for 2 kids vs 1 kid?

*We've paid $40-50 for private 1 hour sessions with top trainers and $30-35 with small groups. This is both in SD and south OC*

2. Is it better to go 1 hour? 30 minutes? 45 minutes?

*1 hour minimum*

3. Is 3-4 sessions enough as first go? Was thinking of trying this and seeing if there was any improvement. Perhaps do it again down the road.

*It's fine to try, but depending on your daughter and desires, most top level players have a permanent session once a week with their trainers, either doing privates or semi. It is really beneficial if you can afford it and they enjoy it. It has to be a good fit. My kiddo prefers semi/small group trainings, but with hard working players only. Privates have only been good when she was coming off injury or maybe working on something very specific. *

4. Was thinking of doubling up with another kid from her team who is good friend and plays same position (forward). Seems like there could be advantage to having 2 kids in such a thing. Have you done it as 1 on 1 or 2 on 1?

*This is great to do!! Just make sure they are on the same level of play and commitment. It's no fun doing privates if the other person isn't serious or doesn't want to be there or is a lot better or a lot worse. When my DD found a small group of hard working kiddos, she loved every minute!!!*

5. How often have you done this? Did you think it made a difference?

*DD has had a few trainers. Mostly because convenience and different needs. They have all been great and added different value. Honestly, I feel it's made a huge difference in her development, but again, it depends on what the child wants and what level they play. In a perfect world, practice would be enough, but it's not. On top of training, privates, etc., make sure she just goes to the park and reinforces her skills.*

Any other advice?
*
Give it a try and maybe even try a few, but don't think of it as a one time thing. It's something to do regularly, even if every other week.

GOOD LUCK!*


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## outside! (Feb 5, 2017)

Also have her juggle on her own. Many private sessions involve juggling like skills and she will be happier with her performance. Find a trainer that makes it fun and has good energy with your kid. Where are you located?


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## futboldad1 (Feb 5, 2017)

1. Yes, you pay more total for two kids but less per kid. If they're both your kids may be able to figure something out that you just pay the one kid hourly. Hourly could be anywhere from $30-80, with $40-$60 being normal.

2. 1 hour is the best. 30 mins is pointless, 90 mins is too long unless they are 15+.

3. Need a longer commitment than that. 3-4 sessions is more than enough to figure if you like the trainer involved though. Often you can tell after one.

4. Doubling up costs less and is more "flow". But a others said, make sure levels are commensurate.

5. Most weeks for years. But if you played in the past, are fit and are mild-mannered then you can do similar yourself. Most in need of trainers are goalkeepers as usual club practice does not offer much more than reps.

Good luck and hope this helps.


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## madcow (Feb 6, 2017)

zebrafish said:


> I have a couple questions for those with more experience-- considering a short trial of private sessions for my 10-ish year old kid to work on some things that need reinforcement.
> 
> A couple of questions:
> 
> ...


1. Have paid $20/ hr for a couple of trainers, $25/ hr for another trainer and $50/ 30 min with a different trainer. By far the worst was the $50 guy. He spent most of the session on the phone with "US Soccer". The second worst was the "private lessons" with her old club's DOC. 20-25 girls for one hour, then he trained 20-25 boys for the next hour.
The best was one trainer that I paid $20/hr. with small groups of 4 max. The best sessions were when my daughter was solo, though.
2. Like what was said earlier. One hour is best.
3. you will know after one session. The biggest factor is how your daughter responds to the coach. If they don't click, don't force a square peg in a round hole. My daughter was with one coach for years and we loved him. My sister brought my nephew to him and they hated every second of it.
5. We went once a week for years, but even with the bad coach, my daughter still learned something. If she will listen to you, you can get probably the same or close to the same result if you spend time with her.


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## rainbow_unicorn (Feb 6, 2017)

What ages did you guys start privates?


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## madcow (Feb 6, 2017)

rainbow_unicorn said:


> What ages did you guys start privates?


I didn't take private lessons, but my daughter started at 9


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## mirage (Feb 6, 2017)

zebrafish said:


> .....for my 10-ish year old kid to work on some things that need reinforcement.


Kind of vague but I assume its technical in nature.  There are two distinct aspects to it.  One is the kid knows what need to be done and its a matter of execution issue.  The other is not knowing what techniques to use/learn and is more mechanical teaching in nature.  Ultimately, it will be down to how well the kid can execute but the starting points are different.



zebrafish said:


> 1. How much is going rate?...
> 2. Is it better to go 1 hour? ...
> 3. Is 3-4 sessions enough as first go? .....
> 4. Was thinking of doubling up with another kid...
> 5. How often have you done this? Did you think it made a difference?


1) Going rate is around $50-$80/hr based on who it is and if its one-on-one or not, as others have indicated.

2) Depends on the kid and what needs to be done but generally 60 to 75 minutes at the younger ages.

3) My recommendation is to book 8~10 lessons.  Discuss it after the first session with the coach.  By defining the duration, the coach can plan out lessons better.  He/she should also assign "homework" for between the sessions for the kid to work on. 

4) Individual lessons are better for cleaning up technical issues, whereas groups are better for working on situations and teaching decision making.  Both have merits but for 10 yrs, I tend to recommend individual only.  Having friends there is a distraction.

5) Lessons should be once a week in addition to the team practices.  Depending on your team coach, some likes coordinating external lessons so that he knows what is being worked.  But some coaches don't like that so it varies.  Always have an end date and let the kid implement what's learned in games over a period of time.  You can always go back after a period of time.  I do not believe in "on-going" privates, like some do for years.

As for making a difference - yes.  As long as the private coach is good and can isolate issues to fix and improve.  Team coaches don't have time to dedicate it to any one kid so it is above and beyond what you would get in a team training.


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## futboldad1 (Feb 6, 2017)

Best thing you can do for your kids is get them a ball and go find a wall. Play two touch against the wall using a specific foot to receive and pass then switch. Can go to one to one touch, add a turn, vary the height and speed to work on every aspect of receiving. I'm not saying don't get a trainer too to work on other things but 20 minutes of your kid working with a ball on their own every day trumps any private trainer.  You'll also get to see whether they truly love the sport.


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## chefsilver (Feb 6, 2017)

We started privates at ge eight almost nine years old, it has really helped her in different ways then her coach does. We work on shooting and dribbling. The trainer makes it fun and my DD enjoys it, she goes to CB3 with Jimmy in Upland.


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## LA4LIFE (Feb 6, 2017)

Save your money and watch youtube,
It sounds dumb but It works,I never played soccer before but my dd and I would just learn from soccer skills on youtube. Then she would practice the skills over and over until it became part of her muscle memory. She recently made the California ODP team and won the championship for cal south. So save your hard earned money and spend time with your kid. She will love the extra time you put in with her .


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## zebrafish (Feb 22, 2017)

Just as a bump on this-- I approached several coaches about doing private sessions and it was hard to coordinate with them.

So, I decided to give TOCA a try since it is close to me and they really have a very flexible system for scheduling.


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## zebrafish (Feb 22, 2017)

Rats, my edit timed out... To continue...

I'm a huge fan of Toca after about 4 sessions. Already seeing improvement. My kid really likes it. Lots of shooting. Lots of touches. 

Coaches provide a lot of technical coaching which can be immediately reinforced with lots of touches/reps.

My kid received more technical coaching in 50 minutes at Toca than probably 2 months of team practice (that is probably not unexpected comparing 1-1 ratio vs 10-1 ratio).

There is a lot of low-lying fruit to be plucked at Toca-- so for now this has been great solution that is good fit for us. Perhaps down the road more specific private coaching might make more sense. The cost is similar to what is quoted above for some of the private coaching costs.

And I don't work for Toca...... But I wish they'd give me a discount for the promotion!


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## soccerobserver (Feb 23, 2017)

How old is your player?? Hopefully your player has input...privates are great but on the other hand I have seen some also get burned out by U16...whatever you choose hopefully it fits with your player...my first started privates at U11 had great results and loved it...my second started at U11 had great results and hated it...so she stopped privates but continued w soccer...now she is older and wants privates again...
If warm ups are involved then 30 minutes might be too little time to be worthwhile...an hour w a warm up means the actual time on the ball might be 45 minutes...


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## zebrafish (Feb 23, 2017)

My kid is 10-ish. 
Of course she had input!
She tried it out, and she had a great time. She wanted to go back for more.
My kid is a little on the shy side, so we started out doing it with a teammate. 
But we've also done it solo. 
It has a different feel than an outdoor practice-- it is an indoor facility, music is playing, they have a mini size ball (probably ~3.5), they use a ball machine to serve balls.
Lots of shooting on goals.
There is no pressure, so you can focus more on technique. 
So, IMHO, this is a perfect environment to improve striking technique, footwork, foot speed-- all things this age group really needs
In 50 minutes, I bet she gets equivalent touches to a 90 minute outdoor practice. 
It does cost $$$, but the cost is similar to other forms of 1 on 1 private instruction (eg instrument, gymnastics, etc.)


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## Surfref (Feb 23, 2017)

zebrafish said:


> I have a couple questions for those with more experience-- considering a short trial of private sessions for my 10-ish year old kid to work on some things that need reinforcement.
> 
> A couple of questions:
> 
> ...


My DD does private as a way to make some extra money for college.  I asked her your questions.  She primarily works with 12-15 year olds.  She thinks it is ridiculous to charge $50-$60 for a 60 minute session.  She charges $30 (1 player) and $40 (2 players) for a 60-90 minute session.  She does the training on a new turf field with lights, full size goals and has access to all the weight equipment she needs.  She gives the players a college level workout along with the skills training.  She prefers working with two players at a time.  The players keep coming back and their parents have told her their kids are getting better.  She also goes and watches them play in a game or two so she can see first hand what the player needs to work on.  Most of the players train with her 1-2 times a week.  She did say a 10 year old should do no more than 60 minutes, work with another player, no weight work, and she would charge $35.  She also said to try and find someone outside of your current club.


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## mirage (Feb 25, 2017)

Surfref said:


> My DD does private....She thinks it is ridiculous to charge $50-$60 for a 60 minute session.  She charges $30 (1 player) and $40 (2 players) for a 60-90 minute session.  She does the training on a new turf field with lights, full size goals and has access to all the weight equipment she needs....


Surfref, lets not kid ourselves. 

She probably pays nothing for the facility use, and carries no insurance (other than your personal liability policy she's covered under as a student, perhaps).

I realize not all private lessons are done by coaches that carry insurance for the session or pay for the field use, but to say that your kid (student) feels ridiculous that licensed coaches charge $50~$60 is not quite fair.  Just as a non-licensed ref saying the same for the games you do.

Frankly, I cannot believe its that cheap ($50-$60/hr).  I believe making a living as a professional youth coach is a tough going.  Long crappy hours coaching multiple teams and having to do privates to make the ends meet.  I know many on this forum complain about DOC making 6 figures but most coaches don't, based on my knowledge.  I am not a coach and would never do what they do for living.  There are many, many easier way to make a better wages and living.

I recall paying $50/hr for privates for my kids few years ago.  Coaches were both former USNT World Cup players.  They were captains in multiple WCs in slightly different era. On of those guys is now a National Team coach in another country.  It doesn't take much to figure out who these guys are in SoCal.  I call this the dark side of youth professional coaching....


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## SocalSoccerMom (Feb 25, 2017)

Anyone can recommend a coach who works skills in north county SD? I get speed and agility is good, but I don't want my kid to spend 20-30 mins doing that (or warming up).


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## MyDaughtersAKeeper (Feb 25, 2017)

SocalSoccerMom said:


> Anyone can recommend a coach who works skills in north county SD? I get speed and agility is good, but I don't want my kid to spend 20-30 mins doing that (or warming up).


Alex Walker, Daniel McKell, Thierry Bouchereau.  All with LAGSD.  All are good.


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## Surfref (Feb 25, 2017)

mirage said:


> Surfref, lets not kid ourselves.
> 
> She probably pays nothing for the facility use, and carries no insurance (other than your personal liability policy she's covered under as a student, perhaps).
> 
> ...


She does have a coaches license and went through a training program to learn how to effectively train youth soccer players.  So, she is not just some college player that is "winging it" training players.  She works up a training plan for each session and keeps a record of what the player worked on and what went good and bad, then she briefs the player and the parents.   She does have insurance that is tied to the coaching license and secondary liability insurance.

She just does not think that young players should be paying $50-60 for private training.  She feels that $30-$35 is sufficient and cheap enough to not discourage the parents that have to pay.  $35 for an hours work for a 20 year old is good money.  DD also claims the income on her taxes.


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## Eusebio (Feb 27, 2017)

I train my own kids, but the big thing is repetition.

in my experience and observations, it generally takes players 6-8 weeks to have noticeable and lasting improvement in a particular area. Sometimes you'll see a "sugar-high" after a few days or week, but it usually it wears off if it's not re-enforced because no muscle memory was developed.  It's also why I'm not a fan of expensive 3-day clinics. Unless the coaches are able to give players something they can take home and practice on their own, whatever they picked up will be lost in a week or two. The only real value I see with 3 day clinics and camps, is that it can help dust-off the cobwebs if the player has been idle for awhile.

So the advice others gave in this thread about having your child kick the ball against the wall or watch Youtube videos (and practice what they see) is excellent advice because those can be sustained. When I don't have time to train my kids because of work, I tell my kids to do wall taps for 15-20 minutes. They also do these pretty much on any non-team practice day. That adds up to about 90 minutes a week of extra touches. 6 hours a month and about 12 hours of wall touches over a 8 week period.  It adds up, and it builds good muscle memory and it's free.

So if I was advising someone on doing private lessons, I'd say make sure you can do it for at least 6-8 consecutive weeks. Make sure the trainer is focusing on a particular area instead of doing a bunch of generalized drills. Doing a bunch of new unrelated drills every week may be fun for your child and it may get you to pay every week, but it does an inefficient job of actually developing.  IMO, at least 50-60% of a training session should have some form of repetition from the previous session. Also your trainer should be giving your child some homework to do at home to re-enforce what they're focused on.

I know it's frustrating when you see your kid not getting that much playing time after all the time, energy,  and money you're already putting into it. But don't feel pressured by these club coaches to just throw more money at it by doing privates without thinking it over carefully. Think in 8 week cycles for development and first see if there is a practice exercise your child can do at home daily for 10-15 minutes. Also if your child struggles to practice 10-15 minutes on their own daily, then they have bigger problems than private lessons with a trainer may not solve.


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## timbuck (Feb 27, 2017)

My 11 year old has done a few privates off and and over the years.  It was sort of a week by week thing.  She showed up, she trained and she went home. 
The trainers have all been good. No complaints. 
  She started up with a new trainer 3 weeks ago. 2 of her teammates also go. At the end, she gives them specific tasks to work on before the following week.  She's firm but fun.  She'll say things like "don't waste my time coming back next week if your not going to work on these things for a few minutes every day." 
Team practice was cancelled due to rain today. 
Caught her in her room doing planks, push up and wall sits.  Then she went out in the rain and juggled for 45 minutes.  
She'd monkey around here and there with a ball in the house before, but she's never done something this focused all on her own. 
I texted the moms of the 2 teammates she's been going to sessions with and their kids felt challenged.  Then they went out in the rain and did the same. 
Excited to see how her game changes over the next few months.  
I think the takeaway here is that your player needs to want it,  but maybe the right trainer can help push her along.


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