I see the two major components of College Combines as: 1. Players are forced to play in positions they may not be familiar with. 2. Players are forced to play with other players the are not familiar with. So that being said, what are your thoughts of exposing u9/u10 and up players to #2 in friendly matches? That is assuming the club(s) they are in are already moving them around at this age and not parking them in one position. The goal is to force the kids to figure it out. To get them to adapt to a style of play with many un-knowns at first - gradually getting them to open up and communicate in order to succeed. I see this as a mental exercise specifically - adding in an element(s) which they have to figure out on their own. Light coaching - maybe just to provide a common goal for the team to work on during a given match... Tighten the defense for example. Thoughts?
My son's previous club did this with their younger boys for tournaments. At U10 and U11 there were mix-up teams that were put together by the coaches just for tournaments and showcase events. It was a great opportunity for the boys to play with other kids. My son was already playing GK and was pretty much the only boy that wished to be a GK at that point, so the position thing didn't come into play--the coach kept him in the goal. But it was good for him to see that he needed to learn boys' names quickly and communicate with them. Like you say--adapt to different coaches and different styles of play. All good in my opinion.
Point 1: It is absolutely critical that players be exposed to multiple positions. At U9/10 there is no telling what position the player will be at U16 let alone college age. I think parents should as coaches to play their kid at multiple positions. If the club and coach really cares about development (and not winning) then they will do that with a smile. Point 2: If the club has a similar style of play, players should be able to interchange on teams and despite having different personnel, play and play with the same style. For example, first run into the box is the near post run, second is far post and third is to the penalty spot. If the teams are coached from a club level, kids should be able to interchange.
Also consider that one club may embrace a Dutch style play while the other a more faster and physical play. In that sense the players will grow with exposure to other players and coaches. I think that would make a well-rounded youth soccer player.
Obviously you did not even read the through the thread. The title may be a bit mis-leading but that is not the spirit of the discussion.
Hmmm.... I'm speaking exclusively of mixing players and coaching. I used the college combine as an example of this model. Not sure how everode else gets that less you.
My son's club when we lived in NY did not let goalies play goal exclusively until U-11 and above. Goalies were switched out and forced to play the field. The feeling was that they would prefer to give up some wins but in the process develop goalies with field skills.