SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP What age for slide tackles?

As a freshman and sophomore in high school, I watched my best friend break his ankle, in two successive preseasons, during a slide tackling drill.

As a result, the only time I have ever tried to teach this technique is when the grass was real wet. I still remember my buddy using the proper technique, but getting his cleats caught on a dry surface (consisting of dirt, rocks, glass and few weeds).

I think that there has been a lot of valid points made in this discussion already regarding tackling at such a young age.

Personally, I agree with those who have already stated that the sliding tackle is, love it or hate it, a part of the game. For defending players I think it would be a huge disadvantage for them to have a technique that they will use later on in their soccer careers unavailable to them when they are starting out. The underage game provides an invaluable opportunity for players of all levels to perfect the technical aspects of the game that are an integral part of any senior level player.

I do think, however, that the real problem here is the parent. In my brief time working at a pro club, as an academy coach, I've never been so shocked as I was when mild mannered moms and dads mutated into seething, vicious animals on the sideline... whether its "encouraging" or "advising" they are ALWAYS doing more harm than good, whether its by merely distracting their kid from the game by addressing them by name, or worse, by openly criticising their own kid (or someone elses)... parents would be well advised to just let their kid enjoy the game first and foremost, and then, let the coach do the coaching.

Hardest thing I ever had to do as a 19 year old coach was to stand up in a Dad's face and calmly tell him that he needed to sit back down and relax because he was disrupting the game. Now THAT was scary because I still hadn't quite gotten comfortable with the fact that I wasn't still a kid, lol.

While I also believe that slide tackles are a legitimate, if rare, part of the game for u13s, I will go ahead and throw this out: I have seen many instances of blatant slide tackles from behind go without a call, let alone a card, in the Academy and younger PMSL age groups. If slide tackles are going to be allowed, players should be consistently penalized for not carrying them out properly.

I actually see this as let down from the coaching staff (at the risk of being chastized by all the coaches on this board). Coaching should come from only one side of the field. I have two kids playing at the top of their age divisions and both of their coaches will pull kids immediately upon hearing their respective parents coaching from the sidelines. Having your child sit a match because of your mouth is a certainly a wake-up call and I'm awake now. The truth is I really do enjoy the matches more now that I am not so die hard. All the while I thought I could make a difference, and I was right. I made my kids play worse. Hopefully someone will get through to the dad in question and make him realize that his kid can florish if he will get out of the way. The coach has the power to do that even if it is "tough love."

Us ex-yellers are worse than ex-smokers.

My only argument there is that if the kid isn't listening to the parent, you're punishing the child for their parent's actions and that isn't fair to a player who works hard for their playing time.