Super Y?

Discussion in 'Youth & HS Soccer' started by Beau Dure, Jun 28, 2021.

  1. sam_gordon

    sam_gordon Member+

    Feb 27, 2017
    I would not let the threat of "restricting players to alumni & current players" cause me to put my child in a "not good" (not saying bad) situation. I find it hard to believe that ANY club/team would not even look at other players, and if those players are good enough, ask them to play.

    As far as playing time, I do think you need to compare the entire season. If the child plays only 25% in three games, but 75% in three other games, that's still 50% for the season.

    Do you (and your son) have a realistic evaluation of his skills? "As high a level as possible" meaning what? Play a higher level but sacrifice playing time or play at the highest level THEY are qualified for?

    Based solely on your posts, I'd look for other options to the Super Y.
     
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  2. VolklP19

    VolklP19 Member+

    Jun 23, 2010
    Illinois
    Sometimes going to a lesser team with a better coach and players who may appreciate the effort more is a good thing. It's not always a step back but it provides a completely different experience that can help a player grow - even more then on a better team in some cases.

    Bottom line is they have to be happy. Misery at a top team with 25% playing time is not sustainable IMO. You will risk your child leaving the sport altogether.
     
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  3. CornfieldSoccer

    Aug 22, 2013
    Agree wholeheartedly with the "have to be happy" piece, but what makes a kid hit that sweet spot may vary by kid. Going to a lesser team can also be really deflating, even if playing time and and the importance of a player's role in a team go up.

    Mine is juggling a little of that right now as finds himself spending part of his time on what amounts to a combined B team for 04s and 05s. Safe to say he'd rather go back to being a full-time A-teamer who plays less than half of the available game minutes (the quality of the practices is higher, expectations are higher, teammates force you to be better at the A level, ...).
     
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  4. VolklP19

    VolklP19 Member+

    Jun 23, 2010
    Illinois
    Sure - this can also be age dependant.
     
  5. Fuegofan

    Fuegofan Member+

    Feb 17, 2001
    Chicago
    Thanks, guys. Just a quick update. Please don't think that my silence meant any offense taken, but rather that I'm seriously listening to your words and considering them and comparing them against the situation. Obviously there's a ton more context. What I can say is that I think a pretty fair assessment of my son is that he's got a soft touch, great vision, and good ball distribution skills. He's pretty fast and quick. But he's not flashy, he's not big, he doesn't have mad foot skills. He has energy and enthusiasm in spades. He's not a great defender. And he's one of these kids who shone early and where the rest of the top kids have now caught up to him. But that may be a bit tricky to assess, too, because he's always played one position and now he's playing a completely different position, with non-soccer life stuff going on, too. Soccer is his rock that brings him back to an even keel. His tribe is soccer folks. He has a hard time, mainly because of our living situation, being able to work on soccer away from practice. So I just try to let him take the lead, try to help steer him as best I can, and try to help him achieve what he wants. He went from a club that had 200 kids at its biggest to a huge club and moved up from the middle to close to the top. OK, that went on way longer than I meant.
     
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  6. CornfieldSoccer

    Aug 22, 2013
    It sounds like he has a nice, broad set of skills, plus speed. Since you can't teach that last one (cliche, I know), it'll always give him an edge in some regards. As my son has aged (and his speed has dropped off), soccer IQ developed through, I think, watching games and being a little bit of field rat (or whatever you call it for soccer) seems to help him out, too. I think development of that soccer IQ tends to go hand in hand with what you said about soccer being your son's rock and other players being his friends.

    We're lucky regarding work away from practices and games in having access when weather allows to turf fields in a couple of nearby spots, plus a basement space when all else fails. If there's some kind of turf space nearby, maybe point him to that? Public tennis courts can work, too, when they're not occupied -- especially if they have a wall to practice off of.

    Good luck to him, and to you. Lots to navigate.
     
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  7. sam_gordon

    sam_gordon Member+

    Feb 27, 2017
    Your son is U11, right? You've barely started this journey. Don't stress so much at this point of what club/team he's on. First, is he having fun? Is he enjoying himself? Is he improving/learning? Those three answers should be "YES". Assuming so, then you need to find out what HE wants to do. Play in MS? Play in HS? Play in college? Play in pro? And he might not even know at this point.

    Playing multiple positions is a good thing. That's one thing I regret with my son. He's been a CB 99% of his career. Granted, he's good at it. But I do wish he would have had some more time at other positions.
     
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  8. Fuegofan

    Fuegofan Member+

    Feb 17, 2001
    Chicago
    You've been paying close attention to know he's U11! But to answer your questions, yes, he's having fun; yes, he's enjoying himself; and as for the third one, I think he's learning. Is he improving? <big sigh> I don't know. He's been trying to figure out how to juggle a ball for almost two years and really hasn't progressed beyond around 7 on average. I'm no help because I can't either. I feel like on many things he plateaued about three years ago. But this kid has said he wants to go pro since forever. A single-minded focus there, but he's so distractible (Me: DS, please go to the next room and bring me the book on the coffee table. DS will come back 15 minutes later and ask what it was he was supposed to get because he got sidetracked) that he doesn't fulfill the little things that would get him to that goal. Which is fine, it's his choice what he wants to do with his time. I just try to make opportunities for him, e.g. trainings and pick up soccer. But it's always up to him. Does he want to do the training? Does he want me to organize the neighborhood kids for a kickaround? Yes, well o.k., then we can do it. He's only said "no" a few times, and for pretty specific reasons, and I honored it each time (though one of them almost killed me because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I make sure I don't hold that over him, either). He deals with anxiety, so I try to be as un-pushy as possible. He's still young, immature, etc. If he keeps having fun and enjoying the game, either he'll eventually get the focus he needs when he's not at practice to practice on his own, or maybe he won't and soccer will just be something he enjoys, hopefully for the rest of his life. I once read that various Barcelona greats, when they go to soccer games that their children play in, they just cheer and never try to advise. I took that to heart, though I don't even cheer much because he told me that he doesn't like it. And though I love the game, I can't tell you the difference between a scissors and a stepover, or an L-turn from a Cruyff-turn, so I can play, but I can't teach.
     
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  9. sam_gordon

    sam_gordon Member+

    Feb 27, 2017
    I'll be honest, when I read your comment about others "catching up to him" athletically, I thought middle school or early HS, then I went back through the thread and saw U11.

    I've had to push my kids to do some soccer work. DS's coach at U10 would give them winter & summer assignments. Winter was working on moves, summer was juggling. The moves could be done anywhere with about 6' square. Obviously the juggling was outside. It was easier to keep him focused saying "Coach wants you to do this". If he did 15 minutes every other day, that was pretty good.

    But I'm a big believer in you need to take guidance from the kid. I actually asked DS yesterday (after a disappointing college showcase) if he still enjoyed playing and he didn't hesitate with "yes". That's all I need to hear.
     
  10. CornfieldSoccer

    Aug 22, 2013
    I've asked that question myself a couple of times over the past year in a couple of situations that were frustrating for my son. So the far the answer's always been a yes with no hesitation.

    But it's interesting and surprising (and a little sad for me) to see how many kids my son has grown up with for whom the answer became no for whatever reason from about 8th grade on.
     
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  11. sam_gordon

    sam_gordon Member+

    Feb 27, 2017
    And I think the key is asking the question when they're "down". Don't ask it after a win or a game they played out of their mind. Ask them when they've had a disappointing loss or had a bad game. If they still answer "yes" after that, you know it's true.

    BTW, not saying that's what you did, but more for the other parents.
     
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  12. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's a sadly common thing. Once HS looms, lots of kids decide they'd rather do something else. A big reason why I think it's important for soccer to be fun when they're kids.
     
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  13. CornfieldSoccer

    Aug 22, 2013
    Right. The couple of times I asked were definitely not after high points. It's also not a question I'd want to ask often, at least not with mine.

    That said, as I've watched kids drift away over the past few years and a small number of others stick around when I'm guessing they no longer want to, I have tried to occasionally make it clear that he doesn't need to do this for me or for my wife. It might matter a little more in our house than some since we're both big fans of the game, have played to varying degrees most of our lives, ...
     
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  14. sam_gordon

    sam_gordon Member+

    Feb 27, 2017
    I remember about a year ago I was driving my son and his GF somewhere and he said "Dad, what if I said I didn't want to play soccer any more?" My answer: "As long as you finish out whatever season you've committed to, that's fine."
    Him: "OK, I was just testing you." :eek:
     

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