I've coached my sons in rec soccer for a few seasons. I currently have a U-8 and U-7 team. On both teams I have a couple of kids who are more advanced in terms of technical ability than the rest. They seem to have a "soccer brain" that is above the rest of the players. On both teams I really stress individual skills, and do a lot of games that focus on that. I can see real improvement in the rest of the kids, but part of me is somewhat paranoid that I'm not seeing the few kids that started the season at an advanced level improve. Has anyone else seen anything similar? Any ideas as to how I can get the more advanced kids to improve as well? Thanks!
Perhaps give your more advanced players different objectives, such as try to set up Johnny, Tommy and Jenny for a goal today. Or maybe give them a touch limit or something like that. The difficulty is that with your emphasis, which I admit is generally the right thing for younger players, it's hard for the more advanced players to improve individual skills that much in the absence of serious competition.
They should be improving as well, maybe they think they are already good enough and need to be pushed harder? Or maybe they are just pure athletes and having trouble developing real skills, how many kids who dominate at young ages get passed by kids who weren't any good at all when they were younger down the road? Very often, because when you are younger you can get by with speed and athleticism but as you get older the skills become more and more important.
I will use the more skilled players at times to help demonstrate. This can be like adding a little pressure to a functional exercise. You can also make drills/activities/ competition where the better players are at some sort of handicap (numbers down, space limitation, touch limitation, etc), that creates the need for them to play quicker and with more skill. The converse goes for your bottom 2 or 3 players - they should be set up so they can find some success as well.
Thanks for these tips! On my u-7 team, there is a very large gap between 3 of the kids and the rest. One of the three is big for his age and very athletic and strong (also, he's essentially a bully and I spend much of practice talking to him). Of the other two, one is the shortest on the team but very quick with good skills. I noticed in the last game though that he was simply kicking the ball and running after it (my guess is that this is parental influence). On my u-8 team, I have one kid who really gets it. He's great on the dribble and his passing is beyond everyone else's. I think part of the problem is that he does need better players around him, and he doesn't seem to have an aggressive side to him. He seems to pull out of a lot of challenges that many of the other kids on the team win. For my better players on both teams, they are relatively athletic, but in this instance I don't think they're relying on their athleticism to gain an advantage. As I think about it, maybe he does need to be challenged more to work on his close control in tight spaces. Right now, he is beating one or two players, he has his head up looking for a pass, but his teammates aren't making the right runs. I know that will come later, but it's frustrating for me. Regardless, I don't think he is progressing as maybe he should be.
Are these kids having fun? We're talking 6 and 7 year olds here, so I wouldn't stress the "they're not developing appropriately" notion. Just lay a good base of skills, let the practice be fun, and have fun yourself.
Does this kid "who really gets it" have a great passion for the game? If he does you might want to recommend he goes competitive next year, where he will be tested and have better players around him, he will improve a lot, although if he is only going to be like 8 years old next year that is probably to early, but from the sounds of this kid it might be something to cosnider, other than that just think of ways to make practice more challenging for your advanced players.
At U7 and U8 the kids bodies are growing; developing the coordination to be a technically good soccer player is difficult for many children. At this age, the majority of "good" players are simply those with a greater natural aptitude towards athleticism and agility. It sounds like the this is probably the case for the 3 players on the U7 team. As a result, keep them involved with what is normally happening in practice. Watch and see if they are just relying on one or two skill to overcome challenges. For example, the the larger boy may just rely on his strength and size to win challenges. The other boy may just rely on speed to overcome challenges. If this is the case, remove these abilities and make them learn new skills to add to their bag of tricks. If speed is the case, play in a tight area where you can't rely on wide spaces to run and you need solid footwork to move the ball. If physical domineering is the case, do the opposite. Stretch the play out, where physical contact/intimidation isn't important. It also sounds like you have the makings of a good player on the U8 team. If that is the case, I'd get him to watch as much soccer as possible. Seeing new skills, tricks, and techniques on video can inspire him to try new things. I'd also keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't just "playing to his strengths" and using the same skill over and over again to overcome challenges. Good luck!
Thanks everyone. I think (hope!) all the kids on both teams are having fun. At practices, I always use games to work on certain skills and rarely, if ever, run line drills. During games I'm always encouraging and positive (even if the parents may not be). I think the boy on the u-8 team will probably go competitive next year. I'll coach him in the indoor league, and I'm sure he'll move on next fall. His older brother currently plays travel, and the boy on my team does seem to love the game. He's one of the first kids at practice and he's always trying tricks on his own before practice starts. I think he'll do well when he's with better kids. I will find out if he's watching soccer, though. I think that has done a lot of good for my kids. My younger son (6) is one of the three "good" players on the U-7 team, and I know he practices things he sees on tv (he also enjoys finding out who the player is on tv that has the same number he does). I do try to change the size of the playing area to work on different things (smaller grids for close control, etc.) so I'll examine that more closely.
Hi Pace, You're situation is the norm. You're dealing with a group that is registered and not selected so you get a real mix. At these ages that's a good thing. First you need to recognize the difference between short and long term development. Start with the US Youth Soccers National Youth License as your base, http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=6&url_article_id=1313&change_well_id=2. You'll have to recognize what is age appropriate behavior, http://www.burkeathleticclub.org/coachescorner/198600.html. That means taking into account growth and developmental issues that you have absolutely no control over. The consensus of expert opinion about starting "competitive" soccer is that it should begin around the middle school years, here's just one article, http://www.burkeathleticclub.org/ParentResources/196194.html. This approach actually helps to insure the long term health of the game as well as the kids. Finally, be careful of seeing potential in 6, 7 and 8 year olds. Potential is a great curse, it sets up expectations that easily lead to conflict and disappointment. Soccer at these ages is a hobby, a game. It's not work requiring dedication and committment. Children cannot be forced to choose what they enjoy. That's something they have to discover for themselves.
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The other posters make some good points, especially about using the more skilled players for demonstrations or when you're trying to coax the right answer to a question. Another thing I'd add is that if you do drills where they're broken up into small groups, put the more skilled players together so they can challenge each other. Plus it allows you to put restrictions on them that might be too hard for the other kids.
As a rule, you shouldn't be separating them. The worse kids need to play with the better kids to help their improvement. Also, it teaches a valuable lesson to the more "talented" kids that they aren't above playing with any player. "Talent" at this age is a red herring. It has more to do with physical coordination, balance, and agility - than actual soccer skill. On top of that, kids don't progress physically at the same rate, and some kids will blossom later than others. 8 year old kids, no matter how advanced, aren't going to miss out on any technical development by playing with worse kids. At their age it is ALL ABOUT individual ball skill, with the _introduction_ of problem-solving with a partner. None of that is dependent on the other players' ability.
Perhaps I should clarify... I don't favor separating them all the time. Come game time, the stronger players will be forced to play with the weaker players so they need to have that experience beforehand. I favor both. Homogeneous groups at some times because stronger players need to be challenged. And weaker players need to learn success at a lower level before they can achieve success at a higher level. Small steps. Heterogeneous groups are good too at some times because the weaker players need to be challenged as well. Plus in heterogeneous groups, stronger players can tutor the weaker players which helps the stronger players to think about the game a little bit more deeply. Improving their analytical skills is just as important as improving their physical skills. So I favor a mixture of the two.
I tried splitting my girls into an "advanced" and "less advanced" group this week for some 1v1 drills, but I did it to set up a more challenging space to work in for the more advanced/older girls. The two groups struggled equally so I guess it was mission accomplished!
The previous two posts put it into context well. Separation is something that might be good for an individual exercise on a less than regular basis but should not be used as a long-term strategy to challenge the more "advanced" players.