Identifying Talent - How and When?

Discussion in 'Youth & HS Soccer' started by UglyParent, Oct 4, 2012.

  1. sam_gordon

    sam_gordon Member+

    Feb 27, 2017
    I don't know that it happens in U-Littles, but I'm guessing by U12/U13, most coaches have a pretty good idea of who'd they'd like on their team before tryouts. That may even mean recruiting players from other clubs. Depending on the size of the area, they've probably seen the better players in league games & tournaments. So I don't know that they are relying on a 2 hour tryout for many of the kids.
     
  2. Scoots

    Scoots New Member

    Jul 12, 2016
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    This is likely true in many areas, but in this case that is not true- And yes talking U10-U12 here. This is a new DA- still in its first yearThe tryouts were for filling out a pre-academy developement squads. It is likely a very fluid situation where players will be shuffling in and out as they get the program established. SO were players missed that have potential, very likely yes, but circling back to the article stated, maybe that is ok, as those missed players may be the ones that likely turn out to be the academy players of the future. My point is...in this case a tryout would definitely miss good players, but you are absolutely correct in most programs the coaches already have a pretty good idea what players they would like on their team, I know that is the case for my sons club.
     
  3. Terrier1966

    Terrier1966 Member

    Nov 19, 2016
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    I agree, tryouts have to be held so that it doesn't appear there was no opportunity for new players etc. but on established teams there are few spots open or in play. Older teams don't have equal playing time, they carry extra players more for injury, fatigue and school conflicts than they do for substitution. As they get older, and players need more rest between games and are more likely to get hurt, you will see a team add a player before they will cut one. Many top teams carry 21 and suit 18.

    Tryouts for that type of team happen but the coach isn't looking to upset the balance of things on a winning team...unless there are problem players or families, then a spot may open up.
     
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  4. Terrier1966

    Terrier1966 Member

    Nov 19, 2016
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    I’m going to follow up my own post, sorry about that.

    I’m assuming all parents know to talk with parents on older teams about what to expect next year etc.

    If you don’t know anybody on an older team, change that. Also, Have a chat with the DOC or some other leader. Not to advocate for your kid, or scare them that you are a problem parent...just a conversation about what’s going on at the club, what will it be like next year etc.

    If soccer is important, if you are going to spend $$ and if you don’t want to be a step behind make sure you know enough to know who the coaches will be, what people think of them, what style they play and train etc.

    Families and kids have different profiles, as do coaches. Look for good fits. I’m not saying to leave otherwise but at least be aware if the coach is tough and your player isn’t.

    We’ve had a few conversations on here about people flipping clubs and then being surprised or upset. The natural question is what homework did you do or were you just surfing for greener grass?

    Anyway, now that we’re at the end of our youth journey and will spend more time on the college thread I wanted to pass that along as one of the random thoughts that has popped into my head regarding what I’d tell people after > 18 years and multiple states, clubs, kids, coaches, successes and failures.
     
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  5. tchoke

    tchoke New Member

    Jul 13, 2015
    ontario canada
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    here is my sons first half highlights of this year
    feedback is always welcome
     
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  6. Casper van Eijck, the worldleading researcher in pancreatic cancer, but also Feyenoord's team doctor said in an interview with Dutch magazine Voetbal International (https://www.vi.nl/pro/de-eeuwige-strijd-van-casper-van-eijk-met-voetbal-als-tegengif-1) he plans a research akin to the Generation R research with the Feyenoord academy kids to identify what influences/determines their path in soccer. Dna will be part of it.




    Researchers - Generation R

    https://generationr.nl/researchers/

    The Generation R Study is a prospective cohort study from foetal life until young adulthood in a multi-ethnic urban population. The study is designed to identify .
     
  7. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I always like seeing other people's kids play. I miss those days!

    One tip--as hard as it to do (because it means not really watching the match), if you want good highlights, it's generally best to just follow your son, keeping the camera zoomed in around one-third of the field (which you seemed to be doing, at least in the first minute I watched) and always keeping him in the center of the frame. Don't follow the ball, just keep the camera on him and then later edit the footage so it's just highlights.

    That's the advice I was given, and it made sense.

    EDIT: I watched a bit more and your camera work was actually pretty good. The less you move the perspective, the better.

    Your son is very good! I saw some good stuff on both offense and defense.
     
  8. Marco Vermars

    Marco Vermars New Member

    Apr 23, 2018


    This was my first highlight video I made. This was a u15 game. My son's team was ranked around the 35th to 40th in the state according to youthsoccerrankings.com playing a team ranked around 30th to 35th. My son was a u14 playing up. A spring birthday so not far up. He was in 8th grade playing with 8th and 9th graders.
     
  9. SuperHyperVenom

    Jan 7, 2019
    #484 SuperHyperVenom, Feb 22, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2020
    Quality of film wasn't good. Is this to send to college coaches? If so I would suggest you cut it down and only show amazing things. Since he is a defender I would recommend filming against teams with great forwards. It's more impressive. The college coach seeing the film doesn't care or won't know the final score.

    He certainly is tall.

    IMO from what you've filmed he is just an average player.
     
  10. Marco Vermars

    Marco Vermars New Member

    Apr 23, 2018
    Thanks for the reply. Not sending it to coaches. It's from 8th grade. Working on my filming skills. This was about the 3rd game, the first 2 I was awful at it. It takes work.
     
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  11. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Best practice--zoom so about you get about a third of the field on screen. Keep your kid in the center of the frame, and just film--DON'T follow the ball or the action. Just keep your kid in the middle of the frame. It's boring as hell, and keeps you from enjoying the game, but you'll get the raw footage you need.

    Keep in mind, you'll likely only get a few short minutes--at most--of decent highlights per game (probably even less given that your son plays centerback) so be prepared to record several hours of games you can't enjoy watching in order to get under 10 minutes of decent highlights.

    Been there, done that!
     
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  12. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The first couple I recorded were unwatchable--you're off to a better start than I was.
     
  13. SuperHyperVenom

    Jan 7, 2019
    I never made highlight videos. The coaches scouting my child wanted unedited game film. Our team filmed every home game so it was very professional and clear. I posted on a private Vimeo channel and sent the coaches the link.
     
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  14. Terrier1966

    Terrier1966 Member

    Nov 19, 2016
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    If you are looking for tips you could go to YouTube and find plenty of examples.

    Some coaches will watch them and some not.

    If nothing else, you have a nice summary video to remember when
     
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  15. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm not sure if either of my son's videos made any difference, but it is nice to be able to watch them from time to time.
     
  16. Terrier1966

    Terrier1966 Member

    Nov 19, 2016
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Agree. This discussion got me to go back and watch the old recruiting video. The good old days.

    Some coaches specifically mentioned seeing the video and noting the capabilities in their responses. We used a recruiting site that allowed the video to be easily linked and easily viewed.

    Care was taken to ensure the clips were from major tournaments such as National League at Disney, Nationals etc. Video of a JV high school game will hurt more than help.

    We had help with ours and the player was highlighted on all clips so the viewer could identify them which is helpful on long distance shots.

    I would suggest buying some of the videos shot at big tournaments, they use the telescoping camera. That footage can be edited down for your player.
     
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  17. CornfieldSoccer

    Aug 22, 2013
    I mentioned it in another thread a while back but, while trying to figure out whether to create highlight videos for my son (and how to create them if we do), I asked a DI women's assistant if they were of any value to him. He said absolutely, comparing them to a movie trailer: If he liked what he saw, he might go check out a full game (or more -- he said he wouldn't recruit solely off video of any kind). But without them, he likely wouldn't see the player at all.

    A men's coach I know who coaches at a lower level recruits almost entirely from video (full games) due to budget restrictions.
     
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  18. dirtydurham

    dirtydurham New Member

    Barcelona
    United States
    May 25, 2018
    This post is nearly eight years old. Interesting to comb through and see all the parents who thought their progeny was the next big thing. Wondering where all of them are now.

    Not leveled as a criticism. Just an observation of how non-linear and unpredictable this road is.

    For all parents w/young ballers: Keep them loving the game and working hard!
     
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  19. italiancbr

    italiancbr Member

    Apr 15, 2007
    Having an early bloomer probably ends up as more of a curse than a blessing in many ways. Will the parents place unreasonable expectations on the child leading to burnout and anxiety? Will the child be as inclined to practice as hard knowing they can rely on talent/size/speed? Will a child who excels early be as prepared to overcome adversity when other players mature or he/she gets injured?
     
  20. SuperHyperVenom

    Jan 7, 2019

    IMO the majority of the girls (excluding the purple unicorns) still playing at a very high level after U18 basically have the same skill level and drive. But the ones that make it will have consistency and that inner mental strength and resilience that you can't predict at U-littlies. You may think your kid has it, but never know until they are older.

    I agree early bloomers are a curse. Lefties can be too.
     
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  21. CornfieldSoccer

    Aug 22, 2013
    Parent of a lefty here. They tend to be pigeon-holed as easy to plug into the left side of the field, especially when they're younger. In my son's experience, he's had to convince some coaches he can play in the center or even on the right. Coaches also seem a little more accepting of righties who have no left than lefties who have no right. But none of that is impossible to overcome -- my son does OK.

    The early-bloomer thing, though, is tough. Of all the kids I can remember really standing out when they were 5-8 or 9 around my son -- teammates and kids he played against -- I'm only aware of one who still plays and remains a strong player, who figured out how to be more than just fastest kid on the field.
     
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  22. Backyard Bombardier

    Manchester United
    United States
    Jun 25, 2019
    Great...both apply to my daughter. ;)

    She is pushing herself to improve and apply new skills on the field though, which isn't easy for her...she is shy, and wary of making mistakes. Guest-playing for a lower-division team where she gets to play some MF (Left and Right) has been a big help, even thought that coach isn't highly thought of within some club circles. She is seeing the field better, and moving better off-ball, than ever.

    I have become a big believer is allowing kids to play different positions....its been very helpful in making up ground on her experience deficiency.
     
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  23. SuperHyperVenom

    Jan 7, 2019
    @Backyard Bombardier - you're doing the right thing by getting her to play several positions - especially in the middle. A true lefty CB that's very good will be highly sought after.
     
  24. Terrier1966

    Terrier1966 Member

    Nov 19, 2016
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    It should be pointed out that not all kids who are dedicated to the sport and work hard end up with burnout.

    There are thousands of kids playing college soccer...so not every body burns out.

    Often I think “burnout” is code for “just wasn’t good enough” or “there are other things that interest me”. Neither is unexpected and should be legitimate answers to not playing or not playing at the highest possible level. No need to call it something else.

    Not to suggest nobody can burn out but I question the definition. A burdensome parent who makes the sport no fun...that isn’t really burnout from the sport perspective. That same kid likely would have quit drama, the piano or 4H if mom or dad was an oppressive jerk.

    My point being, parents should not fear having their player work hard for fear of creating burnout because I would suggest most reported cases of burnout are misdiagnosed.

    Consider the approach that they should learn to work hard to achieve something without making them do push-ups in the rain, miss birthday parties or only eat chicken and vegetables.

    Our thought was as long as they had a goal then they should work to achieve it. The task is having that conversation and finding out their goals, long and short term. If they want to make varsity, start for the A team or make the DA squad that can’t be accomplished in 5 weeks.

    So, working on the opposite foot, juggling, agility ladders and soccer camps don’t make your player a starter etc. but if they never do any of those things they are more likely to “burnout” than burnout.

    Don’t be afraid to have them do some work...even if you have to be 30% of the motivation. You should not be the majority of the motivation but that opposite foot won’t develop on its own.
     
  25. mwulf67

    mwulf67 Member+

    Sep 24, 2014
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Burnout doesn't come from working hard...its come from being forced to work hard...the kid that is eager for every opportunity, shows up early, stays late, can't get enough...isn't a candidate for burnout. it's the one being dragged, forced or isnt self motivated to do anything other then the bare minimum, who burnout...they can still be "good enough" when they do...I agree the term burnout can cover a lot of ground...
     
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