Height and Soccer

[Grace T.]

To play the technical style you described, boys worldwide spend 10+ hours each week mastering their craft. We tell our girls to focus on academics (and rightfully so) and most train perhaps 3 to 5 hours a week. Without the necessary investment in time, the "American Way" might be the optimal strategy for girls.

In other countries kids are tracked and sorted into the various university, sports, arts and trades. The US is one of the few countries that tries for college for everyone. So it makes sense for the European boy on the academy track to spend 10+ hours a week master his craft. And for our girls to focus on academics needed for college.

 

[espola]

A proper shoulder to shoulder challenge, should you prefer.

In ice hockey that is known as "angling" and is permitted in many levels where body-checking itself is prohibited, such as in NCAA women's ice hockey.

 

[watfly]

Agree, but as I posted above, on the men's side this is changing too especially in Europe....players in the front and in the back (less so the mid) have been getting progressively taller on average over the last 20 years, which coincides with the rise and dominance of the academy system.

The size thing ebbs and flows over time. Pre tiki taka Barcelona had a sign on their recruiting office door that said if your under X size don't even bother coming in.