WOULD YOU LET YOUR KID PLAY FUTSAL BEFORE THE 11v11 GAME?

My first comment would be, comparing Brazil, England etc.... to US is unfair when it comes to soccer. In Brazil, this is all these kids play vs US. US will NEVER be in the top 5 or the top 10 in the world because of their diversity in sports.

I truly like futsul. Great touches for the kids. My only problem for the younger kids is technique. When kids with bad technique play futsul, the ball will still stay close to their foot vs a regular ball. For the more elite kids, play futsul all year round against good competition.

 

You make the same mistake that most people make when they talk about how Futsal makes great players. It doesn't! It certainly can help in one or two facets of the game, but it is not even close to being an answer for developing a complete player.

Of the players you listed in your post, how many are defenders? None. Robinho and Ronaldo are probably the worst defending players I have ever seen. Futsal does nothing to help the one area that US defenders need help in , and that is reading the game and understanding how to break down an attack. You simply can't translate playing defense in a futsal game with that of a full sized soccer game.

To state that Brazil is the one country that consistently produces world cals players is somewhat of a limited view. Yeah, they do produce some great attacking players, but their defenders let them down in the last WC. I would venture to say that Italy produces more world class defenders than Brazil produces world class strikers.

The problem with the point you are trying to make is that you tend towards absolutes. Futsal can help develop certain skills for certain players. But it certainly does not solve all problems. If it did, Brazil would win every World Cup. Soccer is a combination of both individual and team skills, and ther is no magic bullet as to how to develop better national teams.

 

When youngsters play Futsal for the first time they tend to approve amazingly in short, one touch passing, first touch and control, and soccer IQ. Then, when they get back to 11aside later on in the year they forget everything they have learnt. We need to find a way of playing Futsal style soccer outdoors. I think we shouldn't pllay 11 aside until age 12, before that no more than 6 aside. Futsal in the winter, 5/6 aside outdoors in the summer all the way until the age of 12. By then they will all be naturals.

 

I will agree and disagree with the defending comment. Carlos was know as an attacking defender period. Brazil would win more world cups if they care a little more about defending.

Culturally, again, US/Futsul/Getting into the top 10 will never happen because of the culture.

 

Actually, your list of famous defenders supports my point. Roberto Carlos and Alex certainly play strong defense, but the others are much better known for their attacking out of the back. (Ask Michael Owen about Lucio ). Try keeping Gilberto on his own half. Alves was getting ripped on TV last week for his preoccupation with attacking and Barca fans thank the lord for Puyol. Nothing wrong with that, but it is does suggest a pattern that could be interpreted as futsal supporting attacking skills.

Learning to be quick on your feet does help with defending, but I see more and more young defenders stabbing at balls. Great slide tacklers are becoming a rare breed. Also, again, I think positioning and reading the attack is a hugely underated skill and is a bigger problem in US when compaerd to other countries.

I just don't make the connection between having advanced foot skills with being a great player. It reminds me of many players who can do fantastic juggling before the game, but have a crappy first touch when pressured. Truely creative players are born, and the organ that controls creativity is the brain, not the foot.

I play futsal for two hours every week. Its great fun and it allows you the opportunity to work on one-on-one skills, but I do feel that the deadness of the ball makes my transition to outdoor difficult every spring. You come to rely on a controlled first touch that you don't have when to go back out side with a regular ball on a crummy field.

Don't blame playing long ball out of the back on the lack of futsal in America. That problem is more complex. One could argue that watching too much Premiership on weekends could be more detrimental.

So while I agree that futsal helps build a better player, so does a lot of other things. Too much of one thing never works

 

i've felt, for a long time, that futsol and street ball are key parts to the US jumping to the next level. key parts...not the full on answer.

futsol, especially at the youngest ages, would help in areas US soccer lags the most, specifically first touch, taking on defenders directly with dribbling skills, quick decision making, and "field vision".

 

This may be a dumb question, but what is the difference b/w indoor soccer and Futsal? I have never heard of Futsal...

 

Futsal is played on a basketball sized court with no walls. The ball used is heavier and does not bounce like a regular soccer ball.


I do think Futsal would help the US advance. There are just too many youth coaches out there that teach their kids to play "full speed ahead" in outdoor soccer and are able to carry that over to indoor soccer. It would be harder to play that way with futsal, though many coaches would try.

Over time, I think it would promote a more controlled methodical approach to the game and encourage more off the ball movement and quick one/two touch passing. If that is all kids played year round from the time they were 4 up to 10/11/12, maybe the ideas would carry over better to the outdoor game.

 

I'm a proponent of futsal over indoor soccer and as a good development tool, but it is not the end all/be all to player development. Around here there has to be some indoor game and indoor soccer too often breaks down into kick and run using the boards.

I was able to set-up a good/cheap futsal pick-up game last winter by renting school gyms for a couple hours one night a week. It cost $30 for 2 hours to rent and we used a couple pop-up goals with a futsal ball. The ball bounce is lower than a soccer ball on a hard court, but not odd compared to a soccer ball on grass. The ball moves incredibly fast on the bball court, so I think it would be harder/worse to play with a regular soccer ball.

The key is that you have to be smart tactically and technically in order to create space and openings. It was even more difficult since we used small goals (although without keepers). It was very difficult to create space and beat the last defender, who many times stood in front of the goal. This was very good though as it forced players to use misdirection and quick passes to create the needed space and open up a shot.

It was also good defensively as players needed to control balls they won and then transition to offense quickly. Defenders needed to be well aware of spacing and covering off-ball movement and they could not rely on beating the ball away.

A great tool, along with small-sided games, in the development of a player. That being said, there are some things that cannot be learned without the full field at some point. It's not good for learning set pieces, the ball is different from a regular soccer ball (size and weight), full-field spacing and using the full width of a soccer field, chipping, headers, throw-ins, etc.

I've actually been using an inside game with my sons from early on. We create some space in the house and we have various balls which we will dribble, pass and kick around while keeping control in the small spaces of the house. My 4 year old already has a good touch, can keep the ball close to himself, understands shielding defenders and when on a regular field he dribbles to the side or backward to work his way around the defenders (i.e. he uses open space well). My other son is only 1.5 and just bulls his way to pick up the ball and take to where ever he wants to dribble, very funny. Who knows if this will help their game in the long run, but it's a lot of fun

 

I think it is worth saying that Futsal is incredibly fun to play. Although it can never have the competitiveness of 11 aside, so I would never swap Futsal for it, it is still amazing. It has great potential in urban areas. Playing with your shirt off, in a dangerous downtown, with 10 guys you don't know, trying to pull off ridiculous skills and a lot of one touch passing is just about a perfect day.

 

Here is a good place to start:
http://www.futsal.com/

 

I live in Japan and play futsal bi-weekly if not more, but was raied in traditional 11-a-side in the US for 23 years.

It is quite popular here in Japan, especially in such a space-constrained society. As a result, futsal courts can be found on rooftops of a lot of buildings. That is just a side note, with not much relevance on whether it is good or not.

Futsal can be an instructive tool and technique development assistant, if employed properly. To say that it is the core reason behind producing top soccer nations is a mistake, because soccer has a fairly obvious superior level of athleticism at the professional level. Soccer is a balance between technical skill, team tactics involving many players not in your immediate area, athletic skill and stamina, and psychological management (especially as the game nears the 80th minute). Futsal has the technical skill and team tactics, but the ball is often knocked out of play and players need not sprint back to get in formation, so the atheticism and stamina aspects are different. At a competitive level, futsal does require constant technical excellence, which can be very beneficial for developing improved soccer technique.

I see children playing here in Japan constantly, and nearly every futsal facility has a "futsal school" meant for kids from pre-school through middle school. Adults and women are rapidly getting involved here.

To use it in conjunction with 11v11 to develop better soccer players, I think a few key points have to be observed:

-Futsal can be a weekly activity to work on better trapping, better coordination, better feints, and smoother control through tight spaces.
-Futsal will encourage the use of triangular passing, 1-2s, post playing off of a forward, and quick counter strikes.
-The difference in the weight of the ball means the players must mentally train themselves and be able to switch gears, so to alternate futsal and soccer for long periods such as one month at a time, is counter-productive in my opinion. Players are better off having routine work with both.
-At a highly competitive soccer level (national team, [emerging] academy team), futsal cannot replace disciplined sprint drills and x-mile runs for fitness development.
-Futsal does not develop the arial game since the focus is on foot technique. You will not play long balls out of the back for quick attacks or relieving pressure. Unless you have a 190cm / 6'3/4 team of giants, you won't work on corner kicks with an emphasis in redirects or header shots.

So there is my take on some of the considerations you need to have with futsal and soccer. I still love soccer more because of the endurance and mental discipline it takes at a high level (and I've met a handful of clever futsal ball wizards with no discipline to play either soccer or futsal seriously), but futsal can be a positive influence.

While I won't mention the relationship, someone I personally know who has played for the US national team program for a while developed his field vision and savvy ball technique without an ounce of futsal. He grew up playing a lot of backyard street ball as well as organized youth soccer before eventually moving into the elite club scene and eventually the (soon to be defunct?) ODP system. So there is some validity that street ball and futsal do help build creativity, though we cannot forget discipline and passion for the game as even more critical elements of quality soccer.

Just my thoughts.

 

Actually your OP appears that you are advocating for futsal to be the primary/sole development game for youth until their O12. I think many of us agree that it's a great tool, but shouldn't be the sole method.

As stated in many other threads here, great futsal players don't always make great 11v11 players and vice/versa. Easternwatch did a good job of stating the skills that can be developed and benefit from futsal, but I agree that it should be worked in with the outdoor game.

As a side, I would advocate for playing futsal solely in winter climates instead of indoor. With the walls and speed of indoor, it tends to break down to ping pong IMO, which translates to rewarding the dump and run style. On the flip-side, futsal requires much more control/skill and better tactics.

 

Pretty much nails it. Great game but young players need exposure to all the different ways of playing soccer

 

What different ways of playing do young players need exposure to? Futsal is all about close control, footwork, and off the ball movement. IMO, that is what the younger players need.

I just disagree with your statement. Your user name doesn't help either

 

Actually many argue that Brazil does so well at developing players because of the many different ways to play that they are exposed to, not just futsal:
beach soccer - which requires a lot of chipping, one-touch play and juggling

futsal - for many reason mentioned in this thread

street soccer - similar to futsal, but with a less organization/control from adults and therefore greater freedom for creativity

the full 11v11 game - which allows players to utilize space for passing and running, better understanding of marking and support for defense, tactics of working with/against a larger number of players, shooting on a full-sized goal

I agree with many that the full sided, outdoor game has been overemphasised in this country, and due to poor coaching/success at youth levels of the kick-run style. That being said, it still teaches things that kids would not get from other forms of the game, as long as it is taught right. For instance, a well-weighted throu-ball to a well-timed run in open space behind the defense is very hard to teach with futsal and easy to defend - therefore less successful, leading kids to not use it. Yet this particular movement/play is critical to success at higher levels of the game.

Another example of a necessary skill is a players first touch. The skill of the first touch in futsal is much different than playing outdoor. The balls are different have a different feel. The field is different, which changes the play on the ball. The defenders come at a player differently, changing where a player should land the ball after the touch.

It's the opportunities for kids to learn from many different ways to play which is important I think. heck, that's why I've taught my kids that they don't need an organized field/game to play and have fun with the sport. We can just pick up a ball from the corner of the living room and getting a passing or keep away game going. Lots of fun and teaching them necessary skills and feel of controlling the ball.

 

Playing futsal in doors is definately better for the players game then playing indoors using walls.

At a young age when they play small sided outdoors nothing wrong about playing futsal outside either.

 

Futsal was invented in Uraguay and not Brazil.

I was at one of the first youth futsal tournaments held in the US back in the mid 1980's. A friend of mind held it at Long Island University in Brooklyn.

"Maybe, it's because America and Europe have not embraced the methods of Brazil and their culture in developing players. Maybe they resent an African and Indian sub-culture creating so many world class players of flair and do not wish to subject their mainstream youth to such creative expression with the ball. "

Maybe you have no cue how Brazil really plays, and why their short passing works? I wish you can explain how there short passing game works. It is different then any other country. They don't do it in Argentina and I lived there for years so I know.

 

I feel that at a young age players should be focused on the small-sided game, whether that be various street soccer-styled games and/or futsal, which I kind of consider a specific and formalized version of street soccer.

The value of futsal per se in other countries is different because other countries have a street soccer culture. They can afford to play 11v11 at a younger age because they regularly play street soccer for fun with friends. But without an informal street soccer culture in the United States, formally organizing the small-sided game (e.g., futsal) becomes more important. That being said, even countries with a street soccer culture are realizing that unless they reduce the size of the game for their younger players they are at a disadvantage. For instance, there is a big debate in England about playing more youth futsal as they see themselves being passed by more technically sound foreigners.

I am starting my own club in NY and will follow that prescription. We will play 3v3 street soccer-style (15m length courts) through about U8 and transition to futsal year round through U11/U12 (not sure). Then for U12, U13, U14 we will play 7v7 and graduate to the full 11v11 game by U15.

Futsal and small-sided street soccer-like games are fun for any age, but they are of particular value at the younger ages. They do not address some aspects of the game as has been mentioned, but I think you can leave those things until players approach their teen years. Meanwhile you will have developed technically proficient players who will really have a chance to succeed at the larger game.

I am setting up my club in the Long Island/Queens, NY area. Anyone on here interested in discussing this further or bringing kids together for some friendly competition, please get in touch. We will be playing year round. Contact me here or by email. Thanks.