Absolutely. I tend to only think about video in terms of highlight reels and coaching/teaching. I've never shot just-for-fun video (I do have a ton of game photos I've taken over the years -- my version of that, I guess). There's a dad whose son has played with my son in club forever who I'd guess has every goal his child has ever scored shot on either a handheld camera or phone (and the kid has scored a bunch).
I think basketball is a great backup sport for soccer. I was thinking how to get keep my kid in good cardio shape for soccer. Didn't want to make him run/jog. But wondered how he could get cardio while having fun. Basketball seemed to be the sport where you run the most (after soccer) so I signed him up. It just started and it's been great, I think it was a good decision. He has fun and they run quite a lot. And also the movements and concepts I think will benefit him in soccer.
Yes, it's a great supplemental sport. DS played middle school basketball while on soccer teams. He played YMCA basketball before that.
My son plays a lot of NBA 2K, That counts, right? ;-) (he loves hoops, just about as much as soccer). If you squint a little, you see lots of similarities between the two sports as kids get older and the play gets a little more refined in movement off the ball when you're in possession, especially when you're in possession near the other team's goal/basket.
Lacrosse would be the sport that would best match up with soccer, IMO. The spacing, passing, etc is a good match. Plus all the running they do. Hockey would be similar, but that’s not a sport that’s easy to just jump into. My son is considering doing lacrosse this spring for his HS team. He’s only played rec lacrosse one season, but their HS team isn’t very good and it’s his senior year, so he thought he could go out and play defense for them possibly.
Both my boys played rec basketball from an early age all the way thru high school. Actually, they also played into their college years, both played on intramural basketball teams in the offseason while playing D1 soccer. Both also played middle school basketball, under the same coach. This coach was the best coach either of them had in any sport. Taught them both how to compete.
I've never been around any where that has Lacrosse. Isn't that mostly in private schools not public? We live in a well-to-do area, our elementary is ranked #2, but I don't think our local HS has Lacrosse. A lot of baseball though.
Wow they must be great athletes! I wish I had learned basketball as a kid. I literally was never taught a thing about it. I was watching my kid's first practice and wish I could have joined in! It was really insightful. I wish they had these beginning classes in the traditional sports for adults. I mean there's all this other stuff like Jui Jitsu and cycling and HIIT and yoga and all this trendy stuff for adults. I just want to go back and learn the things I never learned in the main sports.
They are both solid athletes, but their mother is a better athlete than both of them. I know your son is still young, but later on do not discount running, both my boys committed to running programs weeks prior to preseason soccer camps every summer from high school thru college. They incorporated long runs with track workouts for multiple weeks. Once the season started, they stopped. Maintained fitness thru soccer activities. Both are out college and playing Sunday league soccer, but both still run for fitness.
Ultimate Frisbee, also a lot of different types of running, similar length field, etc. Around me some places start in middle school. WHen my son's played HS they always had soccer kids as key contributors which messed them up when the big memorial day tourney rolled around and those kids were off doing club soccer tourneys.
IIRC, you're in California. I never saw it when I was living out there (a period which ended circa 1990). It's much more common in the Midwest, where it has its roots, and not just for the wealthy.
I don't know what you mean by energy pathway. But I think my kid needs to be running some instead of just playing video games and watching youtube in his downtime. In competitive soccer there are many fast kids. I just want to make sure my kid is not falling behind in his running ability. But I'm not gonna make him only run/jog (unless he wants to). He can run while having fun playing another sport. Seems like a win-win. He's an athletic kid so I think it fits him anyhow. Plus I think it's good to try different sports. He tried baseball. Did a little bit of flag football at his school. Did tennis lessons. Snowboards in winter. Now basketball.
Sorry, I mis stated a bit .it's been years since grad school. Reading the below should help. https://theconversation.com/amp/yes...yve-got-muscles-like-endurance-athletes-95428 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7842128/
Thanks, those were insightful. However, they compare children to adults. While, my kid is not competing with adults but against other kids. And I do think that kids who run a lot are going to perform better than kids who are mostly idle. But overall, yes, I agree that for kids as a whole there is not a need for much cardio training as compare to adults who are looking to compete, as the articles illustrated due to the nature of the slow twitch fibers and aerobic makeup. However, I do think basketball presents other benefits, such as working on coordination, spacial understanding, balance, etc.
Being well-rounded is a good idea. Being exposed to different sports and staying active as well. I would say that most of those options should remain recreational in nature. No need to overtrain even at this age. as for being left behind—I wouldn’t worry to much until he’s closer to puberty. Just my two cents.
Thanks. I don't mean left behind long-term. I just mean game to game. I just wonder the effect of say too much idle time (screen time particularly). Does that make a kid feel sluggish when they go play in a match? I just want him to have good energy.
Some screen time is ok. Let him be a kid - yes that means playing sports or being active. If you think about it screens are new in human history. Kids these days are too idle. Too much video games and social media and get into extreme things on internet forums. No wonder there are so many depressed kids and school shootings. My kid is very happy when he's playing sports; it's a social thing too.
Playing sports is good. Obessessing about speed drills is not While screen time is different now, I'd like to see studies on changes in amounts. I certainly spent ours glued to a TV or playing Atari 2600
We don't do any speed drills. He only runs while doing sports. When I look back on my childhood, I would play outside for hours, and I think positively on that. I did spend some phases, like around middle school, basically being a couch potato, like when my dad was at work in the summer. That's when I gained a lot of weight (and later when I joined HS soccer it kicked my butt and got me in great shape). And even to this day I think of the other things I could have been doing or learning; it was a big waste of time.
Serious question—how comfortable are you allowing your son to play outside unsupervised? Are there other kids in the neighborhood to play with? What kids are missing out on these days is unstructured play and low-intensity physical activity. I understand your concern; playing other recreational sports may or may not be the best way to make up for that. I share your concerns about modern American childhood.
Sitting around watching Youtube or playing computer games is not a "big waste of time". You can learn a lot from doing both/either. There's nothing wrong with keeping kids active either, IF it's something they're interested in doing. Our deal with our kids was they had to be involved in something (of their choice), but it didn't have to be the entire year. The two younger ones played soccer fall and spring (sometimes into the summer). Having a "season" (ie: winter) off is not a bad thing. Will they be "behind" when the next season starts? Maybe. But is that really that bad? They might learn something by that also. A lot of your posts come off as "if I'm not pushing my son to help his soccer career, he's going to be a failure". He's 8 (I'm assuming since I think you said he's playing U9). Let him enjoy being a kid. If he wants to play competitive soccer, great! If he wants to play basketball, great! If he wants to go into drama or music, great! If he wants to goof around with friends and play video games for a week, let him.
I'm not comfortable yet with him playing outside unsupervised unless right out in our driveway or yard. I just started getting comfortable with that. There aren't really any kids his age in the neighborhood that play soccer. Which I have always been surprised by. The other thing is - most kids have siblings. So the parents aren't exactly looking for playmates for their kids since they can just put the sibling together in the back yard. While when you have an only-child it's more challenging. You have to deliberately seek out play dates.