OK, I'm looking for some advice on how and when to get <===========my son starting to play the beautiful game. He's only 7 months old and can't even crawl yet, so I've got a little time. I thought I'd start by simply kicking a small ball around with him around the house, once he gets walking. I figured I'd be careful to have him use both feet, and perhaps even teach him to hit with the instep and not "toe it". At what age can I get him into an organized team? Any other suggestions? <paging Mrs. Adu, Mrs. Adu, please>
My son is now just a few days over 3 years 6 months old. He has been kicking balls around the house since he could walk. He has grown up going to soccer games literally from his birth as I have a 17 yr old who's been playing since he was 5. I'd say that the biggest thing is to just have balls laying around the house for him to kick with. Roll them to him and let him kick them back. Start with the little nurf type balls that are light weight and "go far" so that it doesn't take much of an impact to get a reaction (positive reinforcement). When he gets strong enough that he is "launching" these your wife will probably start complaining -- at that point go with a heavier/deader ball that he can't get enough mustard on while he's still pretty little. By the time he gets strong enough to start being ABLE to launch the heavier balls, he'll be able to understand control and know that he has to "take something off". Right now my 3 yr old can do step overs, pull backs, drive with laces and receives with instep, he can drop kick and punt and knows a proper throw in. He slides into the ball (like slide tackles) -- the first time he did that without pants on he wasn't too happy. Any time I have soccer on the TV, out come the balls and he's playing.
WOW This is one of the funniest threads ever. Chances are I'll be just like you guys when I ever have a son (who will be in Estonia's national team one day, if everything goes according to plan) .
The best way to get your kid started, aside from having balls around going to games and stuff, is to just hint from time to time that you think he would make a good player. He will want to prove you right. My dad once told me that he thought I had the arm to be a catcher, and even though I didn't know what he meant, I became a catcher.
no don't do that, his neck won't be strong enough however , do get him on the creatine and protein, oh and growth hormones don't hurt either honestly... don't keep anything other then a football aroudn the house
Ya'll are nuts. Chances are if you have soccer balls around the house and Fox Sports World on TV sometimes, your kids will get interested and thus good at soccer. This is definitely the case with my 3.5 year old. But if not, so what? Maybe they'll like art and gymnastics instead so shouldn't you just support their interests? Better yet they can be bookworms and grow up to be brain surgeons.
NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER would I let my soon pick up a sport other then football, let's face it the life of a proffesional athelte is IMO the best job around. I would be doing him a great favor by turning him into a pro football player.
your son may have other talents, u should let him decide, istead of forcing, u should just guide him or else he would just grow up into those quiet troubled kids that's scared of his dad. If soccer is not for him then there is a big chance that u will take away his/her independency
My ideo of a perfect son would be a professional football player that young kids look up to, and a perfect daughter would be something like a scientist-dancer
Footballs only instead of having baby toys have footballs for him to play with. weather he throws them around or sucks on them at least he'll b gettin a feal for the ball...maybe he'll b a keaper. but when he can start waling definately play with him AS MUCH AS YOU CAN you play a big part on what he'll want to do. if you dont play football with him he might do something different that a friend is dooing. if my dad were to play football with me....EVER than i would've been so much better and had more practice. my mother is the one that plays football with me...but only about once a year...i pretty much love the game on my own without anyone telling me to or wanting me to...my father wants me to play hockey instead....but football is what i love....anyways haha play with him as much as possible
Despite the fact that I'm a keeper, I will push my son away from being a keeper...for his own good. It's so hard to break through as a keeper, especially when there's only 1 position on the pitch, and their career span is quite long. Maybe he'll be like Campos, but striker first haha
> a perfect daughter would be something like a > scientist-dancer "My next performance will be an interpretive dance based on the ongoing search for the Higgs boson."
Introduce him to the game. remember NEVER put pressure on this kid. I have done this to my son, coaching his 7-8 yr old team. When I look back I can see how wrong I was. Now he will not play for me . I have since backed off and let someone else coach him and he progressing wonderfully, to my extreme pleasure. he almost nine now and he almost brings a tear to my eye whn I watch him play now, he is graceful with the bal , has developed quite an arsenal of moves and his leg is getting stronger. He has also toughened up a bunch. All this because I backed off. However his first love is dance. I know , I know, but he is great at it and he loves it. It helps him with his footwork in soccer more than you can imagine. NOONE has his footwork at his age. Bottom line , back off and let your kids figure it out, you can put soccer all around them but don't push them into it, or you may lose them forever from soccer.
Very true! The coach of our national team, Arno Pijpers (dutch) never coaches his son, and his son loves footie.
I would have to agree here that its quite sad when parents all ready "know" what they're child will be when they grow up. You should always be open to your child's other interests and abilities. My da tried to live his "perfect" childhood through me until he relised his version of a "perfect" childhood was different than the one I would like/ liked to have had. Be a guider not an enforcer. I was introduced to organized soccer *football* at age 5 and have only missed one season *due to a broken leg, playing soccer of all things : )*. I advice you not to force your kid to play nor preasure him to, because more than likely it will soon become a chore to play and not what it should be fun. Always always tell your son how good he is and always encourage him. For me my da coached my first team and that was good because it was my first organized team and after that he let other coaches coach me. I prefer it that way so you can get experiance from different coaches and not just one. Having soccer balls around the house is great, watching soccer, going to games, *and if he is old enough I suppose* video games. Around here in Va. the youngest you can be to play is 4 years old and its pretty layed back. I enjoy watching my little sister play, pretty much its kick ball where the kids just chace it around and scoring is VERY low if any. And there aren't any keepers : ). Best of luck to your son, I hope to see him in the future as star!!! BUT DON'T PREASURE HIM !!!
Good advice! Yeah, I know not to pressure him. My thoughts was how to best introduce the game to him early on. If he doesn't take to it, oh well, then he'll take to something else. My parents never pressured me into playing, they would ask me at the beginning of each season if I wanted to play again. I quit teeball, since the coach/team was way too serious, and then I tried soccer, where things were much more laid back, and I loved it. I guess the trick is how do you introduce it to him, without smothering him with it. I also was thinking about bringing him to as many games as possible, and watching many on TV together. Even if he ends up not playing, at least he can be a great supporter of the game. As for coaching, I don't think I would want to coach him formally, so I'll leave that up to the experts. again, thanks.