SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Player Development - through eyes of a Mother

Soccerlooney:

I don't mean to be pedantic, but I'm going to pick on one thing you said - because it allows me to expand slightly on what I think is an important point: One of the most important purposes of movement without the ball has nothing to do with receiving or preventing a pass. Movement without the ball causes other players to move, thereby changing lots of things wouldn't change if the players are standing around. Midfielders and forwards (in particular) take players with them when they move without the ball. It opens up space that wouldn't otherwise exist - to be filled, one hopes, by either a player with the ball or a different player making a run into the space. It's one of the most beautiful things about the game when it's done well.

You may well have not intended your comment to be taken literally - but I wanted to make the point.

You make a very good point and what you really hit on is a natural progression of what I was saying. I would say that level of movement is more advanced and requires the building blocks of the passing game: humility, vision and basic movement.

Big Daddy,

There is a shift in the works. While football will most likely always be king I think over the next few years we may see some kids gravitate towards soccer. With all of the concussions more and more parents are thinking twice about letting the 7/8 old put a helmet on. They are either making them go the flag route or putting them in soccer for what they expect will only be a couple of years. I know in our club of at 20 kids who were just supposed to be there until mom and dad felt comfortable about them putting on a helmet and them and the child fell in love with soccer and have stayed. Although we will never get to the pick up mentality of Europe or South America at our organization we have found a way to encourage that type of behavior. During summer and winter breaks we'll host open soccer nights, we set up some 3v3 fields as the kids show up we let them pick their, fields, teams etc. Its pretty interesting to see how regardless of age the kids almost always set themselves up by skill. The rule out there is that coaches keep away. We usually just set up our own 3v3 field and break a little bit of a sweat. We had kids asking for us to have it a second night, kids from different teams within the club becoming friends and the end of season BBQ ended up being a huge event.

lately, it seems as tho lax is the fast up & comer taking kids from every sport, especially soccer & fball.
look for rugby to increase as well.

My son plays basketball, flag football (both seasonal) and then soccer pretty much year round. I encourage the parents of my players to keep them in multiple sports (they are U9) I feel like it keeps them shape but also helps the appreciate sports in general. Also its funny you mention rugby, I have heard some folks talking about this but I am also hearing about quite a few kids getting into lacrosse. Soccer has its risks like any other sport but I still am happy my son enjoys it the most, I would prefer he takes the least amount of hits to his head as possible.

Believe it or not, there exists a school of thought that decades of heading a ball contributes to both acute and chronic health issues.
That said ...
Properly instructed and equipped athletes in all sports effectively reduce their risk of concussion.

I know there is a risk in any sport, but look up the concussion numbers on youth football and hockey. Its scary. I grew up playing football, I still love football to this day, buy the helmet technology has not kept pace with the speed, size and the types of impacts in football. There was a recent ESPN outside the lines program on it and even the equipement makers say they are scrambling to play catch up on this. That is the part I struggle with.

Years ago, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) maintained and (occasionally) published catastrophic injury statistics by sport. Of course, "catastrophic" referred to fatal or paralyzing injuries, not "just" concussions. We know a lot more now.
The keys to reducing injury are equipment (like you said, some football helmets are woefully inadequate); coaching of the proper techniques; and eliminating the culture of violence that comes along with some sports.
You mention rugby -- a tackling, contact sport played largely without pads. Years ago, I played rugby at 6-1, 150, and survived many collisions with men 50-100 pounds heavier precisely because there was no deliberate attempt to injure opponents. (And those who did so were booted out of the league.)
Vis-a-vis soccer, rugby proponents often said: Rugby is a ruffian's sport played by gentlemen, while soccer is a gentleman's sport played by ruffians. While I wouldn't go THAT far, a big key to player safety in any sport is a common-sense, "sporting" approach to competition and fair play.
The American football culture is sadly lacking in this most fundamental regard.

Now that we completely took this off topic, one thing about youth sports that has always bothered me is why as coaches we are not required to have an formal first aid training. Recently at a tourney we had a kid trying to clear a ball from and a kid from the other team was crashing down and took a very hard ball to the left eye. My kids kicked the ball out to stop the play and after watching the other coaches not know what to do and the kid began to hyperventalate I went out, we got him to control his breathing, calm down and then we weare able to see what was actually wrong. We pulled out our first aid kit and patched the kid up enough so his parents could be calm and see exactly what was wrong and get him checked out by a Dr. After the game the other coach and I were talking and he thanked me and my assistant coach for helping. Now I had some advanced first aid training in the Army and my assistant went this off season for a quick Saturday class and it got me wondering .......Why the heck isn't it required for coaches (at least the travel ones) in any sport to have this so that when we encounter an injury we at least don't make it worse but so we also know the signs when it's not just something that rubbing a little dirt on it will take care of. Most hospitals do free clinics for this. I know it's a random thought but it's always bothered me.

or just carry a bottle of tussin, fixes everything

Ode to a Bottle of Tussin
After which there will be no fussin'
Take a big swig and say "Oh well"
Then out of your office chair you have fell.
People and things floating around
Is that Pink Floyd in the background?