Depends on what you consider "all that much". The MINIMUM salary for someone starting in 2019 is $495,000. NBA is almost $900k. It's just over $70k in the MLS. I don't think your theory about "there's more players in soccer so the salaries are lower" doesn't fit. Yes, US kids have to compete w/kids all over the globe, but they can also go all over the globe.
It's possible if your parents don't have money, but you have to be willing to live in a place with a bunch of other players or with a host family. It is very much worth it for those few that really stand out! For the rest them, maybe not in the long run. It's such a sheltered (sometimes unhealthy) environment it doesn't make for well-rounded individuals. Osteoarthritis in knees and low back pain when you're in your 30's and no money to show for it... Something nobody tells you about.
Why? I've seen U10s doing trick moves. So why can't my kid? I will admit, I laugh at my own posts, they sound kind of rediculous. I am maybe being too free flowing with my thoughts. But at U12 why not hit the goal from 20 yards out? That's 11 years old. He should be on a DA by then right, or maybe YNT? Don't those kids hit those shots? Kids grow up fast these days.
If I had a daughter, unless she was undoubtedly exceptional, I would not push her into sports because the injury rate is like 9x higher for girls than boys for ACL tears. Maybe I would push her into tennis or golf. But not contact sports. What's the point? So little chance of making decent money, and so many other good career choices.
Be careful with that…forcing on winning at this age/level can lead to some very bad coaching/development habits…its very easy at win at this age/level by teaching terrible soccer and misusing/doing a disservice to the kids you are coaching…
Yes, I will only go for winning under fair play and good development. May I seek your advise on another topic - Should I make my living room into a mini-futsal court? I have a small place with a very small backyard. My living room is 16' x 13'. I could put two mini puggs at the ends and use to tape to mark out a mini court. Please advise. How else does one get many touches in a smaller home?
There are many reason to "push" girls to play sports when they are little, but it's very hard to "push" a teenager to play competitively if they don't want to. My daughter used her sport to get an almost full scholarship at a very good university that we couldn't afford. She has always loved being part of a team and the thrill of competing. Plus she isn't wasting her life parting - no time with sports.
NewDadaCoach is just asking dumb questions: At the end of the day The Pursuit of Excellence is YOUR CHILD's own personal pursuit of excellence be it pro, college or just playing with friends. Let's not forget soccer is just a sport.
But Messi did juggle a tennis ball. I guess I will follow Messi. I also wonder how diet affects play. Look at the countries that produce the best players: Brazil, Argentina, European countries - they eat a lot of meat. So I think eating meat is good as it develops the muscles and the nervous system which heavily utilizes fats and proteins in the build out.
Yes- lots of meat- a U6 should get about 12-16oz at each meal. No to the Puggs for indoor futsal. How's he going to hit shots at U8 from outside the box if you make the court even smaller? Skip the goals and just use tape or paint on the walls to mark goals. You'll end up with more space and also have two rebounders he can use to work on his first touch. Tennis balls will be difficult to learn to juggle. Very ripe mangoes will develop his touch better.
I agree 100%. My daughter will be going off to college next year on a full athletic scholarship for soccer at a school we could never have afforded-heck, without soccer I'm not sure she could have gotten into academically. Soccer has been a game changer for my daughter. More importantly- I may be new to this forum but I am not new to youth soccer-We are getting played by NewDadaCoach!
The middle comment is a good idea. Mangoes hmm... but oranges, Messi did that... and u thought I was trollin... (go to 2:26)
I'm a bit eccentric, goofy, unfiltered, overlyanalytical and have too much time on my hands, but everything I have said has been real. Messi juggled tennis balls (and oranges), look at the video above at 2:26. Another interesting point in the vid is that his coach at La Masia told him not to dribble a lot but he didn't listen, thank god. So I am going to encourage my kid to dribble a lot, he's good at it. You should not tell a kid to pass unless passing is actually a better option. Some coaches just say pass it just because they think kids should be doing that, but if his teammates aren't creating passing lanes, it's dumb to pass. Its about which is the best option. For most kids the best option is to dribble. I know, you will say they should develop how to pass, but they will naturally over time, no need to rush it.
Lookup Tom Byer. I would agree with him, kids at 2-5 develop neural connections by touching the ball, they should be dribbling at home.
Just as likely with youth sports the have the wrong birthday or they mature too late. An amazing thing happened when youth baseball in the US changed their cutoff dates. To the amazement of parents and coaches everywhere, all kinds of kids everyone thought of as mediocre suddenly turned into all-star players. Now I appreciate the point you are trying to make, but too many kids are given about their innate ability that isn't true. Not really. The must enjoy what they are doing. As they mature they can then be taught that one of the most enjoyable thing one can do is focus so intently on what you are doing that you feel in effortless control. Hell no. Most youth coaches in youth sports don't know what they are doing. You need respect the position and understand the consequences of ignoring what the coach want you to do. Instead I would teach kids to do what is right, not simply what an authority figure tells them - especially one that may not have their best interests at heart. That is how you got a bunch of dead kids who blindly followed some idiots who thought running in blazing heat without water built character. No offense, but from what you write, you might want to have a discussion with someone who actually has a bit of wisdom. That said, I agree that kids should learn to overcome obstacles and persevere through difficult situations. One of the big differences between talented kids that make it at a professional level and those that don't is the ability deal with failure and keep trying.
I probably don't match the goofy part, but the rest of how you describe yourself is not too far off. My biggest suggestion for you is to make sure your kid is having fun by turning exercises into little competitions that he can challenge himself. I would also suggest make sure he is choosing his path and you are just giving him options of things to do that he is likely to enjoy or benefit from. At some point I suggested to my kid that he probably didn't quite have the genetics to be a 10 time MVP in the NBA he was hoping to become, but we still took him to play basketball as long as he enjoyed it. To this day he still enjoys playing as much as he does soccer. Other than that keep reading and realize that as each year goes by, the result of games will mean less and less.
You are waaaay overthinking this. Touches, touches, touches. That is all that matters. Worrying about the physiology of the foot and physics of striking the ball are fruitless endevours because no two touches are ever the same. There are certainly principles, like locking the ankles etc.. but by and large comfort with the ball and feet can only be developed organically through play.
Well part of me wonders if these poor kids in africa and mexico who play without shoes actually have an advantage because they can see and feel directly how the foot interacts with the ball. So subconsiously they probably understand foot anatomy better as it relates to ball control. If we have thick socks on and shoes it numbs the feel of the ball so if that's all you do I think you'll never gain a full understanding. You will get frustrated and wonder why you can't do certain shots. Maybe it's overanalysis, but I'm not so sure, I wonder if the pros have such a deep understanding. I don't see why they wouldn't; if pro golfers know the exact angle and hardness, etc of their clubs why shouldn't a pro soccer player know the same things about the foot. So one on hand I do realize that I overanalyze, but on the other I am not convinced that overanalyzing is necessarily bad. I think it's necessary at some point if one wants to go from say a good player to a great player. But for a 5 year old yes it's overkill and I have learned that this year. I tried to teach my kid too much and it just created frustration, so I stopped. I just want him to focus on dribbling and I plan to add on only one or two skills at a time.