I do believe that it is very difficult to let a young teenager leave without a familial support system. Curious if you regret making the move and coming back and if its a difficult memory and experience or even if it wasn't successful did you come to think of it as a life experience that you are glad you took and is a part of what made you the person you are today. I hope more people think of risks that may have failed as a positive life experience, but some are just too difficult.
So it was a growing experience that led to other things that I may have not otherwised accomplished, though not sure I would classify it as a positive experience. I did not play soccer for years after returning, as I was a two sport athlete and moved full time into the other, so it was a flip flop once I realized I was not on an international level in soccer. My last year there was Berkamps first and though a couple of years younger than me he was so much better. As a young boy this was tough to swallow but led to a different work ethic and outlook on what brings success that I may not have otherwise realized, ok after I got over the initial disappointment and pouting
That's the reason why we use foster parent homes so the kid comes in a family life environment. Ok, it still isnot your own father and mother, but it is an approximation (not sure if this is a correct word) of it.
Been lurking for a while but have not posted. Very interesting thread. I have a little one that many people tell me he has a lot of talent. Problem is, I have never played soccer or watched it until recently. So I don't really know how to judge my son. Also, I live in Brownsville, Tx, and there is not even one academy here, so I can't even get a top flight instructor for my boy. Just some local trainers. Most of his "talent" comes from messing with the ball. Well, here is a video of him I made. I made it just for the reason for exposure, to see if a top notch academy sees him and gives him an opportunity later on. Here is the video. He was 7 at the time, and while he has very good technocal skills, he is still learning how to play. He still looks at the ball quite a bit when dribbling and is learning how to pass the ball. He is 8 now and has improved since I made this video. Honest opnions are encouraged.
Nice! He has the first step of the process down. He has been working on exactly what he needs to at this age. No coach necessary to become comfortable with the ball. As you can tell he has developed that on his own. This alone puts him far ahead of his peers. Don't stress about getting him on the top teams in the state at this point. Often the teams that win the most games at his age are the teams that use physically advanced players to play kick and chase. You don't want him on those teams. He needs a team that trys to control and pass the ball. Then he will learn to use his technical skills to get into space then make the pass to the open players around him. The most important thing is that he has fun playing. If he desires more competition put him on an older team. If you can find a team 1-2 years older that tries to control the ball and he has fun on the team that would be perfect, for now. Hopefully Brownsville is big enough to find that.
I agree with above poster, great start! He needs to keep doing what he is doing, at 7 the most important thing is he is having fun playing and learning skills in a relaxed way. If you do choose to put him on an older team, pick wisely, my son was on a U10 team at 7 (turning 8) where the coach seem to resent him -- he was younger and equally as skilled as his son who he heavily favored over all the other boys -- and my son found it emotionally difficult. Thankfully we only had to put up with it for three months before we moved on, but it was probably three months too long.
Good point. Avoid "daddy coaches" if you can. This will help you steer clear of many problems. If you have to accept a "daddy coach" to get on a team that teaches good soccer so be it as long as it is the right kind of coach. You may have to accept the good with the bad.
Thanks for the responses. I guess I should have clarified. I don't want him in an academy team yet. I was thinking around age 12. About four years from now. That's why made a video and will be making one once a year. For future exposure. And also for my selfish reasons too. So I can have memories of him because they grow so fast. I have him right now on an Elite travel team. One of the top three teams in South texas. He is playing one year up. And he does well. The only thing is that he is small for his age. He just turned 8 but he looks like he is 6. But he isn't intimated by size but I get scared that he will get serioulsy hurt one of these days. He doesn't even weigh 50 lbs yet. But I guess it's just something I have to live with if I want him to be a better player. The main problem I have with the coaching down here is that they don't encourage the moves he makes during games. The coaches just want to win and wants a passing system with very little 1 v 1 creativity. A lot of times, the coaches will get after him because they tell him that the fancy moves will only get the ball stolen from him. And yes that happens sometimes, but from what I have read from soccer experts online, is that coaches need to encourage creativity and ball skills under pressure. In the long run, those skills will separate him from other kids in his age group. That's what the soccer literature has told me. So many times, he just passes the ball when he has only one defender in front of him and misses a great opportunity for a move. For example, Mirzams video is the kind of coaching I would want for my boy. That coach encouraged moves and ball skills. I wish we had something like that down here. What part of the U.S. are you from Mirzam?
First off, your kid has nice skills! I think that my son's experience with regard to playing up may be more applicable to your son than is Mirzam's son's experience, because my son's on the small side, like your son. (I think I intuited from one of Mirzam's earlier posts that her son may be a little bigger.) A problem when you have a skilled but small kid is that you don't want him to play up by too much; even if his skills are the equivalent of others who are several years older, if most of those kids are a lot bigger, they may simply be able to knock him off the ball, which will discourage him from using those skills. For that reason, my son plays at his actual age level now (he's a U-12). When he was 8, he played with 10-year-olds and that was a mistake. I think that one year up is probably about right. As for the type of ball you want him to play, radsoc has it right. And from this last post, it sounds like you know what to look for as well--and you're not getting it. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about soccer in Brownsville, but I certainly think you ought to keep looking! Finally, my guess is that Mirzam's from Colorado. Mirzam, am I right?
That was in Boulder, CO. Unfortunately, he moved to Brazil in September to coach. He is sorely missed by the young ballerz and their parents! The local clubs essentially ran him out of town, for some reason they didn't appreciate what he was doing.
I just saw the video. That was a year ago? He has nice foot skills. Make another one give us his player number and shirt color. Forget putting it to music. Don't make a highlight video. Get further away so we can see more of the field. Don't talk during it i want to hear if the kids are communicating with each other. You can put more then 10 minutes or less on you tube now. Show us a half of one of his better games. In the tape that I saw he had no player help when he had the ball. So I could not see whether he can pass or not. Also would like to see what he does when his team loses the ball. From that I can see what kind of player he is and if he is not playing with players of equal talent. He may need to play for a team with more talent then he is playing with no. If yes he is being held back. Years ago the USSF ran youth soccer. They could advise you of the better travel clubs in your area. They would use words like where to send your 7 year old to improve your sons soccer career. They could even advise your 12 year old and give him the name of agents in Europe who could further his soccer career.
I just watched his tape again. Does he do pull backs, and the cryuff? With his skills he should be able to do both using either foot. Once he learns the cryuff which is a move to reverse his field without another players help. Then let him practice shooting off the cryuff. As soon as he reverses his field he should shoot on goal. He will be able to get shots off in a contested space using it. Might want to change his position from the right flank to an inside mid position.
We practice the pull back all the time. He can do it without hesitation. He knows how to do the cruyff but is hesistant to perform it in a game. I am working with him to do it. His bread and butter are V's, scissors, and step overs. In the last couple months, his scissors have become exceptional. He is also now learning to look for the pass when the move is not there. Thats because he is playing with an elite travel team and not with the team in the video.
A move to beat people is the half scissor. The full scissor is a move to get more time it is a move to freeze the defender.
Xavimaroc I don't like him! I love him I hate highlight tapes but I'd he is is not scoring he is making a good pass. He has great over all skills where does he play his games. If you ever want to move to Brooklyn, ny let me know. He has real potiential. The only thing I did not like was the music you put to this tape. I think the tape is really not a highlight tape I think he is just playing his normal game which is very very very good.
Thought everyone might find this interesting. It shows what clubs (all european) build the most talent as measured by who from their academies play in one of the big 5 leagues first teams http://www.sportingintelligence.com...rs-for-clubs-in-europes-elite-leagues-131201/
The page linked to about what Barcelona wants says this "The definition of ‘produced’ for these purposes means that a player spent three or more years within the development programme of the club in question specifically between the ages of 15 and 21, which are considered a footballer’s most important ‘formative’ years." The key is that all of these videos are really nice and show footskills, but none show pressure by the opponents (same as the Rhain Davis video - where is he now?) http://www.englandfootballblog.com/2011/08/22/rhain-davis-of-manchester-united-an-update/ It is a small step from the kids practicing at home. A player who thrives under pressure, who actually can get better with more pressure, is the one that will excel. And the only way to figure that out is to keep playing with and against better and better opponents. My take is if you have the money, try international opportunities. There are Manchester United camps, Barcelona camps, etc., and getting your child to one of them as soon as you can afford it is important. If you have to stay stateside because of money, look to the four key areas of the US and their top clubs - California, NYC, Dallas, and Chicago. I'm not saying your child can't succeed elsewhere, it's just that those four areas are soccer crazy and you can get your child in to see their coaches with little trouble. Once your child has teammates and opponents who are near their caliber, then you can see if it will go further. Money and a supportive family is the answer to and a problem for the very talented child, be it athletics, music, academics, or whatever. I know people with zounds of dough who think their child is "all that", sending them abroad and for trials and this and that. Yet in my area near NYC, there are multiple high-level coaches with great track records, including many former pros (not just MLS but Europe and South America too). One of the big soccer areas in the US is enough to take them until at least 12 or 13, and probably a bit older.
I wanted to see if I could get some feedback on this video of my son. I've never made one before, and up until a few weeks ago didn't have any footage of him playing. So I'm looking for some feedback both on his play, and on the video itself. He is 7, the first section is all from his most recent u10 indoor game. This is his regular team that he plays with for outdoor. Next are some clips from a couple of scrimmage sessions that he did with his club's u8 team, and last are some clips from a u12 outdoor scrimmage he played in, and an indoor u12 game he subbed for. And no, he doesn't usually play 4 years up, but we have to stick around for his older brother to play, so he gets to sub if the team needs a couple people to give some of their guys breathers. One of the things I am concerned about with the video is that you can pick him out. We tried putting his name under him anytime it changes scenes, but especially in the outdoor footage, I'm not sure you can see it well enough to know which one he is quick enough. Anyhow, any feedback would be great! Thanks!
Hey soccer mom how did he get the name Brooklyn? I am glad you didn't put music to it. He is a pretty good player. He is pretty quick that is what I looks for in a player quickness in a small space. He also seems to be pretty fast off the first step good for beating people 1v1. Those are two very good traits to have in our game. Pretty got 1v1 tackler. He looks comfortable on his left and his right side of the field and he can pass, and he has a live foot the ball goes off either foot pretty well. He looks like he has a pretty good shoot off the right foot. I did not see that when he uses the left foot. He moves up in the flow of play after he makes his pass. The only times he Did not do that was when he was the last defender. Coach must of told him to stay back at those times right?. As you can tell by what I said about your son I think he is a pretty good player. Hey if he ever moves to Brooklyn. I wil get him on the Brooklyn Italians
Thanks for the comments!He is pretty comfortable with both feet, but definitely has more power with his right. In the u8 scrimmage I think they did tell him to stay back more than usual. In outdoor has mostly plays center mid, but is pretty comofortable all over the field. He is quick, and very very competetive, so he does his best to get behind the ball when his team loses it, and push up when they have it. Were you able to pick him out pretty easily in all the scenes? Any other tips(for him to work on, or for us to do differently next time we make a video?)? Thanks again for your response! Susie