Soccermom18
SILVER
At what age did your child end up in the position that they are playing? Is it better to be versatile or set in one position?
At what age did your child end up in the position that they are playing? Is it better to be versatile or set in one position?
When did you start to see kids drop off?> At what age did your child end up in the position that they are playing?
U11. Starting U16 this season.
> Is it better to be versatile or set in one position?
Depends. If the player is a super duper star then they probably won't have to fight for minutes at their preferred position. If they're middle of the pack or lower then they better be able to play another position if they want to see the field. Since no one can tell the future it's better they prepare to play multiple positions. Just my experience.
Edit: Also should add, that plenty of small field U-little superstars don't pan out at older ages.
When did you start to see kids drop off?
I'm obviously a parent of a younger so just navigating through all this so I love reading about everyone's experiences (the good, the bad and the ugly).
Up to U10, play everywhere - my kids did.At what age did your child end up in the position that they are playing? Is it better to be versatile or set in one position?
Couldn't agree more. A leftie can play 3 or 11, or the left CB in a back 3. Some coaches like to play a leftie as the 7 so that they can cut inside. Versatility is great for a player. My older kid's coach is eastern European and a big advocate of total football. The older kid has played 4-5 positions in a game on plenty of occasions, many times so players coming in can play (some are less versatile), and sometimes when the coach switches formations or wants to create specific match ups based on how the game is shaping up.My son is U15. He has been slotted as an 11 the last year or so, with some time at the 3. Prior to that he was primarily a 3. He is left foot dominate hence why he has predominately been a 3 or 11. However, he has played every position in his soccer journey and even in the last couple years he has played a spot or situational role in just about every position. I suspect he will play the 11 for the near future, but it wouldn't surprise me, based on the new circumstances, if it changed.
Everyone's experience is different; however, I'm a big proponent of not specializing. First, it seems more often then not positions are based on the makeup of the team and style of play of the coach, and not necessarily you or your child's idea of their best position. Second, playing multiple positions gives you a far better understanding of the game and improves you soccer IQ. If your the 3, it helps to know what the 5 is doing so you can make his/her job easier. And obviously, your ability to play multiple positions gives you more opportunity to play. I also believe modern soccer is more about "Total Football" than necessarily about specialized knowledge. Over time you kid will just evolve into a preferred position, but IMHO I don't think its anything that needs to be forced.
In terms of kids dropping out of soccer, my experience has been in the U12-14 age groups as they develop other interests. Some will call it burnout, but I see it more as a function of other interests. I could be wrong but I think puberty has a huge impact.
Your player should always be able to play at least 2 positions and we are not talking about the 7 and the 11 or 6 and 8. Your player should be able to play a defensive/mid position, mid/forward or forward/defensive position until the age of 15 for girls and 16 for boys. That being said, all children develop differently and if you have a kid that gravitates towards defense, mid or offense only, then it is what it is and just make sure they're spectacular at their position or they will be displaced and very unhappy if a better player comes along in that position.At what age did your child end up in the position that they are playing? Is it better to be versatile or set in one position?
Just a note that this is not true of the boys at u12. Most of the strikers at even a silver level team can bang it from outside the box (maybe not all the defenders but definitely the attacking players and many cbs).U13, as soon as we moved to the big field. Girls BTW, if that makes a difference. By the end of U12 the girls were too big for the small field and any spot in the opponents half was a scoring opportunity. Also consider that typically girls start puberty earlier, so you can have a "huge" 5'5" inch player who may be 90% of her adult size playing against players who are biologically still little girls. Move to the big field and even though the goal is freaking huge compared to U-Little, 95% of the players didn't have the leg strength or shot accuracy to score consistently from outside the box. Hell, I'd say that is still the case now.
We had the DA/ECNL split for a few years, so I wasn't able to keep track of some of the players from U-Little. They popped up again on my radar this year in ECNL and there were a lot of "Didn't she used to be huge? Didn't she used to be faster? Didn't she used to be better?" type of comments. Anecdotal, but every player in that category had a physical advantage at u-little. Players who had a solid technical base hadn't fallen off in the same way. If they had fallen off at all. I love it when I see players who were good at u-little who are still good at u-older.
Flight 1 girls are the same. Most of the players on the field can bang it from outside the box.Just a note that this is not true of the boys at u12. Most of the strikers at even a silver level team can bang it from outside the box (maybe not all the defenders but definitely the attacking players and many cbs).
This is true particularly of the striker role which is likely to be occupied by one of the best players and requires a particular skill setI think it's extremely beneficial to be allowed to play multiple positions. Having some chance to play right wing makes you a better right fullback and vice versa IMO.
At U-little playing time is usually not a big concern if your coach is not obsessed with winning. As @myself mentioned, playing time does become a consideration at the older age. If you have a stud player on your team who plays almost the entire game at the same position as your kid, it's time for your kid to ask coach if he/she can try a different position.
Position change can happen much later as well. Julie Ertz was Julie Johnston and centerback back in the 2015 World Cup.