Small Sided Games...Changes?

Even banning contact wouldn't help much. We had a girl get hit in the head with a driven ball from about 10 feet away. She wasn't trying to use her head. But the ball did know know that. She was out 2 weeks with a concussion.
 
I am undecided on the header rules. The vast majority of concussions that I have seen did not come from heading the ball. They were the result of collisions with other players and contact with the ground as result of collisions with other players. The only way to stop them would be to ban contact which in my opinion would ruin the game.

You would also have to ban contact with the ground and contact with goal posts. And you would have to decide what the ban would look like on free kicks - do you penalize the kid who is hit in the head while standing in a 1-yard wall? or the kicker?
 
Perhaps helmets or scrum caps are the answer. Hope it doesn't come to that but in our "make everything safe" society it may come to that.
 
Who said concussions are the only issue? There is mounting evidence that repeated, sub-concussion impacts are not a good thing. Until we know better, what is wrong with taking a conservative approach with the youngers? As I have said, I would have implemented this differently, but at least they are trying.
 
Who said concussions are the only issue? There is mounting evidence that repeated, sub-concussion impacts are not a good thing. Until we know better, what is wrong with taking a conservative approach with the youngers? As I have said, I would have implemented this differently, but at least they are trying.

Let's just ban all kicks that rise higher than shoulder height. In the event of such a kick, the ball is placed at the point where the kick was taken, indirect free kick for the opponents, with all the goal area and build-out line exceptions you can stand.

In case you think I am serious --

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcastaball
 
what is wrong with taking a conservative approach with the youngers?

That's what I said last year too, but the problem is: what is "the conservative approach". With the implementation of these rules I'm seeing WAY more high kicks than last year and that combined with referees who refuse to call blatant fouls is going to cause way more injuries.
 
With the implementation of these rules I'm seeing WAY more high kicks than last year and that combined with referees who refuse to call blatant fouls is going to cause way more injuries.

Are you saying that there are actual Kicking Fouls occurring (due to "WAY more high kicks") but no calls? Contact from player's boot to opponent's head? Or you are saying that you think there is Dangerous Play occurring but the referees don't agree? Not all "High Kicks" are Dangerous Play. (Most aren't.) BTW, I'm not seeing this (players attempting to kick the ball above the waist) as much as I'd expected in the club games I watch or the AYSO games I referee.

Or are you talking about completely different "blatant fouls" that referees "refuse to call"?
 
Are you saying that there are actual Kicking Fouls occurring (due to "WAY more high kicks") but no calls? Contact from player's boot to opponent's head? Or you are saying that you think there is Dangerous Play occurring but the referees don't agree? Not all "High Kicks" are Dangerous Play. (Most aren't.) BTW, I'm not seeing this (players attempting to kick the ball above the waist) as much as I'd expected in the club games I watch or the AYSO games I referee.

Or are you talking about completely different "blatant fouls" that referees "refuse to call"?

After I posted I thought that might not read quite right. I believe I'm seeing more high kicks that I would call dangerous as most are happening within the attacking third. Is there a mechanism being used to track statistics on concussion and other injuries before and after these rule changes?
 
After I posted I thought that might not read quite right. I believe I'm seeing more high kicks that I would call dangerous as most are happening within the attacking third. Is there a mechanism being used to track statistics on concussion and other injuries before and after these rule changes?
Concussions are not the only issue. Repeated, sub-concussive blows may also be damaging, especially to young developing brains.
 
Our referee this week for an SCDSL game was enforcing offsides from the half-line. When the parents questioned it, another referee who had just finished his game was on the sideline. He said that the referees had been informed about two weeks into the season to start enforcing offsides at the half-line, not the build-out line, to limit confusion. Can anyone confirm?
 
Our referee this week for an SCDSL game was enforcing offsides from the half-line. When the parents questioned it, another referee who had just finished his game was on the sideline. He said that the referees had been informed about two weeks into the season to start enforcing offsides at the half-line, not the build-out line, to limit confusion. Can anyone confirm?

UPDATED 9/15/16. The build out line will NOT be used to denote or determine offside. Normal offside rules will apply and are not tied to the build out line.

http://www.scdslsoccer.com/docs/SCDSL Rules_2016Update.pdf.pdf
 
Is the Coast League using the build out line and no heading rule for 06's and up? If not will these new rules apply in State Cup and doesn't this place CSL teams at a disadvantage if they have not been accustomed to playing under these requirements.
 
Is the Coast League using the build out line and no heading rule for 06's and up? If not will these new rules apply in State Cup and doesn't this place CSL teams at a disadvantage if they have not been accustomed to playing under these requirements.

Coast isn't using build out lines at 06. I have the same question about state cup. I don't think it's a disadvantage and even if it were it's better for development so put it in place in whatever tournament you'd like.
 
Everyone knows the heading rule changed due to a lawsuit? What is interesting is this quote "According to the original filing in the case, nearly 50,000 high school soccer players sustained concussions in 2010 — more players than in baseball, basketball, softball and wrestling combined." Since the change didn't affect High School Soccer, how did the changes address this issue?

Since I have a 2005 kid that plays club and AYSO, I've noticed a couple things. AYSO went with the rules this year, so no heading. Club still allowing heading. I've noticed a few more high kicks in AYSO compared to club as the girls haven't come up with an alternative way of playing the ball.
 
Everyone knows the heading rule changed due to a lawsuit? What is interesting is this quote "According to the original filing in the case, nearly 50,000 high school soccer players sustained concussions in 2010 — more players than in baseball, basketball, softball and wrestling combined." Since the change didn't affect High School Soccer, how did the changes address this issue?

Since I have a 2005 kid that plays club and AYSO, I've noticed a couple things. AYSO went with the rules this year, so no heading. Club still allowing heading. I've noticed a few more high kicks in AYSO compared to club as the girls haven't come up with an alternative way of playing the ball.

Not stated in that statistic is that the majority of concussions suffered by soccer players did not occur while heading the ball.
 
Thanks. The biggest problem right now with the build out line play is the inconsistency with refs knowing the rule. While it may help with development it only works when the refs properly manage and enforce the manner in which it is intended to be used.
 
AYSO went with the rules this year, so no heading. Club still allowing heading.
The rules impact all 2006s/11Us, and since AYSO U12s include 2006s it impacts their U12s. U12 Extra plays with headers, but U11 Extra does not (no headers).
 
From what I have seen, SCDSL teams are playing with the restriction line. CSL teams don't seem to have changed anything. The smart folks at USSF have a theory that this will finally help teach the American men's team how to build out of the back. (Really, though, the folks at USSF are trying to blame youth soccer coaches for USSF's own inability to field quality teams.) From what I have seen, young keepers don't have the strength to throw a ball more than 5 or 10 yards, so the defending team has no incentive to protect the midfield. They all crowd the restriction line and as soon as the ball leaves the keepers hand the swarm is on. Most goals are scored off the "build out." The team with the most effective swarmers scores the most goals.
 
From what I have seen, SCDSL teams are playing with the restriction line. CSL teams don't seem to have changed anything. The smart folks at USSF have a theory that this will finally help teach the American men's team how to build out of the back. (Really, though, the folks at USSF are trying to blame youth soccer coaches for USSF's own inability to field quality teams.) From what I have seen, young keepers don't have the strength to throw a ball more than 5 or 10 yards, so the defending team has no incentive to protect the midfield. They all crowd the restriction line and as soon as the ball leaves the keepers hand the swarm is on. Most goals are scored off the "build out." The team with the most effective swarmers scores the most goals.
That's not what I've seen. Are you watching bronze, flight 3 games?
 
That's not what I've seen. Are you watching bronze, flight 3 games?

I'm in the "pro-buildout line" camp.

I've seen some SCDSL 2006 Flight 1 games lately and it's been interesting to see how the "top teams" handle this. There is one team that will surely finish top 4 in State Cup that doesn't even pretend to care about the buildout line. Their CB has a big kick, so instead of distribution the goalie rolls it out and she hoofs it down the field. This is also a team that relies on speed and physicality, so getting the ball into the opposing half and then letting your players harass the opposition and cause turnovers is a winning strategy. I'm not hating, just stating facts. It's pretty entertaining, but what happens two years from now when that CB with the big boot has what would be considered an average kick on a full sized field?

Two other teams (one I predict to be a top 4 finisher, the other a top 8 finisher) played out of the back so beautifully that I was immediately jealous and wondered why my daughter's team wasn't doing the same thing! They towed with our high-pressing forwards, sucking them in and then passing it to the open teammate, composed and calm on the ball. *Sigh*

You need a few things to make this work. 1) The coach needs to trust the players and 2) The players must have the skills and confidence
 
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