We participate in Open Play with friends - just sandlot soccer. That's where my kid finds a ton of fun and confidence as she gets a good scope of where she is amongst friends in smaller clubs and rec play. There also needs to be a balance with other activities and relationships.
That's really admirable that you were able to recognize your limitations and put your kid's needs first. It's easier said than done, and I'm very sympathetic to every sports parent who struggles with the balance. Absolutely. My son's old club now has open play for young kids, and it's a great idea. Also, I'm kind of a broken record on this subject, but I'm a big supporter of middle and high school soccer because it mixes soccer & friendship; and often leads to pickup & unstructured play with local/neighborhood kids in a way that club soccer usually doesn't. And yes to the other stuff; they need time and freedom for a well-rounded childhood and adolescence.
Thanks for that. My wife may or may not have told me over and over again "It's not about you" as I resisted the idea of giving it up. It stung, though -- knowing my son wasn't enjoying playing for me while other parents with kids on the team were saying their kids did (not to mention knowing a few guys whose sons seemed to love playing for them) -- but I don't think it's uncommon for kids to do better playing for someone who isn't their parent. In my case, my son thought -- and he's probably right -- I was tougher on him and expected a lot more from him than I did his teammates. All that said, I still coach teams put together for futsal and other short-sided tournaments once or twice a year.
Couldn't agree more. The higher your child gets in soccer - everyone is fast, athletic and technical. It's the ones that just love to play and love the game that stand out and continue playing when they are older. Sometimes kids make state and youth national teams and they like the feeling of being a star, but they don't LOVE the game and they eventually fade away or crumble for a number of reasons (boys, they are no longer the star, someone better comes along that plays their position, lazy, etc.). If the team is being managed correctly they are probably not quitting due to burn out. They just didn't love soccer enough. If your child has breaks throughout the year they should not be mentally burning out. Parents should limit talking about their child's soccer and not be worried about other kids that are doing private lessons or whatever . Can't stress enough the importance of regular physio visits for those at a higher level to review work load and have personal exercise program to decrease risk of injury.
I think the main problem with burn-out in sports is that all sports aren’t supposed to be played year-round. We have kids in my area that play spring, summer, and fall leagues, play in tournaments throughout the year, and play 1 or 2 sessions of indoor soccer during the winter. And people wonder why their kid needs knee and ankle braces before they turn 15...
If kids 13 yo+ are playing soccer year round in Asia, Europe, Australia and probably South America with a 6-8 week break what's going on in the US that they are getting so many injuries? A brace after a sprained ankle (not an overuse injury) and for Osgood-Schlatters isn't anything to be alarmed about. These are standard occupational hazards of growing athletes regardless of single or multi-sport. Are US kids getting more serious injuries?
Part of the problem might be that American kids train too much. In most countries, there's really only a few hours of intensive training per week, as opposed to playing for fun. The real problem, though, is likely excessive travel--which leads to stress on the body as well as a lack of sleep--and too many games, particularly in tournaments. But I'm talking anecdotally, to be honest. I should probably look for some data.
@bigredfootball I agree that tournaments could be one of the problems. Bodies need 72 hours to recover between games. How many tournaments do teams play a season? Does the DA limit the number of tournaments that DA teams play? Does each team have their own physio at the weekly games or tournaments? Serious players are also training a lot around the world. Perhaps the coaches are better trained and plan training sessions and recovery sessions better (periodization?). Maybe the athletes take better care of themselves: eat well, stretch and roll out daily, have individualised strength programs, etc...
Development Academy has two showcases (Winter & Spring) and a Summer Showcase/Tournament. The DA rule is three games over four days (with a day off one of the two middle days) for the showcases. For Example Girls development academy is in North Carolina right now Saturday-Tuesday (For U15 & U16/17). Each team will have Games either Sat, Sun, Tues or Sat, Mon, Tues. It is still Three games over 4 days but the middle rest day is a good step in the "recovery" direction. I believe on Girls side, the U14 do not do Winter showcase and U18/19 do not do Spring Showcase.
Through a flukey set of circumstances my u13 son played five games over four days (two Saturday, two Sunday and one full 90-minute game on Tuesday) in two different states last summer and his legs were cooked for a few days afterward. Never again.
@SpiceBoy That's encouraging. Do teams bring a physio with them to oversee strapping, team recovery and warmup?
For Tournaments, the DA provides An athletic trainer "tent" where athletes can go and get wraps, Ice, injury evaluations, etc. Also for all all Games the home team must provide an athletic trainer. I do not believe I have seen teams use the trainers for warmups or post game recovery, but I am not really sure.
Game time is huge at Sockers. Gotta say that from u13 up, they are making it very much worth the cost. 3-4 training sessions a week at 1.5 to 2 hours per session. Futsal virtually year round now - in addition to training sessions. This season the 05/04/03 are being mixed for friendlies and NPL matches - forcing players to get used to an every changing group each game. This week my player has one friendly, two NPL games and the IWSL season opener. I am not necessarily plugging the club but with this much time on the ball, players must be committed and parents must be as well. It's a very different environment from FCU and Eclipse - and likely the best of the rest.
I like the part about "Open Play" above. I think that is the big missing thing here in the US. All of the other popular sports have kids that just come together on their own to play pick up games. Kids need to just be able to go off by themselves with no parents, no coaches and have fun with their friends while playing the game. I might take this idea to our club. It sounds like a really good idea. Perhaps just put the kids on a large high school sized field regardless of age and let them go at it.
Unless we lived 10 minutes away from the fields (and maybe even if we lived 10 minutes from the fields), I'd shoot myself with this schedule. Four games in a week, plus 3-4 practices and futsal? That leaves no time for ANYTHING else.
I think it’s interesting, and a little odd actually, that Sockers as a DA, which has such a huge emphasis on training to games ratio, and yet some of their players would have a schedule like this. I’m guessing the 4 games in a week is unusual, but even so, I find it surprising.
I have 2 boys that play. U14 and U16 club. They currently do: Grass practice 3x per week for 2 hrs each. Optional Futsal played open run style 2x per week for 2hrs each. Optional Foot volley 1x per week for 2-3hrs.
I think this is no longer limited to the U.S. I think in Europe, kids playing at a high level are pretty much at it in a structured environment overseen by adults pretty much all the time. When they're not, they're too exhausted to play elsewhere.
One thing regarding playing too much...if you talk to somebody who has kids running high level cross country you will hear they train 6 days a week. They don’t do the same thing every day but they train year round and they routinely run 5-6 miles on a distance days and a bunch of intervals on other days interspersed with core and weight room days. They also employ tactics for cool down, stretching, off-days and nutrition. Point being, 4 soccer games in 3 days is too much but a lot of training can be done if there is knowledge and attention to recovery etc. What is really bad is playing 90 minutes, sitting for 10 while coach talks and then sitting in a car for an hour drive before repeating the whole thing again. Soccer players should be stretching, rolling, hydrating and rotating the work. In my experience in both sports, at top competitive levels, top cross country teams are 100% smarter than top soccer teams when it comes to managing high workloads.
Sounds like a similar soccer parenting experience as mine. The first couple of years of Club soccer I was one of those parents trying to build a super athlete making sure my D was playing a lot, training a lot, doing extra camps and clinics. Yelling on the sidelines, discussing her play after games... By the time she hit U13 I had learned that I needed to back off and also make sure that she was having fun. In my D's case the more fun she is having the better she plays. The more negative the environment is, the worse she plays. She still plays at a high level on a very good team with a very good coach, but now I also make sure she isn't getting burned out, has time for other things, with much more of the focus being on having fun. I backed off on critiquing her play which resulted in a better relationship between us about soccer in general. At U13 the kids really do start to take responsibility for their own play and hold teammates accountable for their play too so they don't need parents to tell them what they did wrong. They know. I'm now the one she can come to when she has a bad game and she can count on me to be supportive and positive vs. old negative soccer Dad.
Hi! So I made an account to get on here and ask for input on a tough decision we have, but I can’t figure out how (it says I don’t have permission to post a new thread). Anyone know how I get permission lol? So - to answer the OP My u13 daughter (plays for an MLS DA team) is in a specialized program that I have a lot of trust in - she trains with them 2.5 hours every weekday morning. They do a strength/speed/agility program or recovery & injury prevention program for an hour and excellent soccer training after. But they are a professional sports medicine institute that follows her on/off seasons and workload very carefully. So that’s 12 hrs./wk and then her DA team trains 3 weekdays 2 hrs, so there’s 6 more. That’s 18 hrs, not counting games/scrimmages or times when she’s decided she must learn a new move or juggling trick. Luckily, I feel like we are pretty light on games compared to others I know. She just plays 1 per weekend and has a recovery session with her club the following day. Her friendlies began last weekend (season starts Sept 1) & games go until November, then they break & not start again until mid Feb. I think they’ll have a winter showcase during the break though. Her training continues year round except 1 month in the summer and 1 in the winter. She loves her schedule, hasnt been injured or overly sore and never asks to miss (thinking about it, I don’t think she’s missed a session in over a year). So I guess it’s a lot of hours but they are smart hours, closely monitored. It’s not, just go train with some guy at 100% all the time. And she’s a year younger than her team, playing up.
She is very lucky to be in this program. My daughter is in a similar program. She's been in it for a few years. My advice is to make sure she has her own gym program specific to her and knows which recovery method works for her (rolling out, sauna, ice bath, massage). When you are training this much everything matters - especially her shoes. Talk to a podiatrist - stud patterns, shoe type, etc. - it matters. Change her shoes regularly. Control calluses and blisters. And never be afraid to miss a training due to fatigue or aches and pains. Don't forget diet, sleep, make sure she has other interests/hobbies and focuses on schoolwork. Don't stress and enjoy the ride! And don't be one of the parents that only focuses on their kid's soccer. It's their journey not yours. (not saying that you are- just general advice). I think you can start a new post after 24 hours of joining.
Great advice. Note: Podiatrists are not doctors so one should take care to confirm any type of medical-type treatment with a doctor.