I have been a youth soccer coach on and off for around 35 years. I TOTALLY agree with you that there is a middle ground between development and winning. I have only coached recreational, and my coaching style has evolved a LOT over the years. I now coach a combination of winning and development at the same time. For example, I don't do pointless drills with cones. I do drills where players must dribble past a defender, then scan the field for who is open, then pass the ball to the open player. The kids are developing individual skills at the same time as they are developing winning team strategy skills. Last year I took a team of 75% kids who had never played, several of them scared of the ball to the point where we would get half a dozen handball calls in the penalty box because they were afraid of the ball, and we developed to the point where at the end of the season, we won the championship against a team of 85% highly experienced players, half of their team could outrun any of our players. We learned to win against stronger, faster, and more technically skilled players.
I have lived for almost two decades across the street from a large playfield and except for the few times when teachers from a nearby school forced their kids play, never once did any kids in the area use any of the field for a game. By the way, I live 1-kilometer from the border with a major inner city and about 100-meters from a bus stop. Unfortunately, in the USA there is very little interest in the sport outside of organized suburban pay -to-play leagues.
This is the real issue. Kids don't play pickup sports other than maybe a little neighborhood American football and basketball. On occasion wiffle ball.
You're not wrong. Kids with iPads will chose an iPad all day long over going outside to play. Now, ipads and streaming TV options for kids are everywhere. We have plenty of kids in our neighborhood who never come outside, much less go and play pickup sports. It's a real problem.
@@DJCobb-74 I agree! Since the dawn of social media and internet everything, two whole generations of USA children no longer play outside unless forced to do so by teachers & parents. And once they become adults it is even worse. My own 30-year-old son and his friends never get together to do anything but play indoor games. They never even go to sports pubs or even watch any sports of any kind. It is what it is these days in America.
there are so few options for older teenagers to play rec/pickup soccer in country. so few. and high school soccer seems like a joke compared to decent club teams.
@@liceafilms The skill level of high school vs club is very drastic. Makes high school soccer look like a joke. Sure maybe some outliers but I'd bet that those high level soccer schools are kids that play club together.
I have been a youth soccer coach on and off for around 35 years. I TOTALLY agree with you that there is a middle ground between development and winning. I have only coached recreational, and my coaching style has evolved a LOT over the years. I now coach a combination of winning and development at the same time. For example, I don't do pointless drills with cones. I do drills where players must dribble past a defender, then scan the field for who is open, then pass the ball to the open player. The kids are developing individual skills at the same time as they are developing winning team strategy skills. Last year I took a team of 75% kids who had never played, several of them scared of the ball to the point where we would get half a dozen handball calls in the penalty box because they were afraid of the ball, and we developed to the point where at the end of the season, we won the championship against a team of 85% highly experienced players, half of their team could outrun any of our players. We learned to win against stronger, faster, and more technically skilled players.
I have lived for almost two decades across the street from a large playfield and except for the few times when teachers from a nearby school forced their kids play, never once did any kids in the area use any of the field for a game. By the way, I live 1-kilometer from the border with a major inner city and about 100-meters from a bus stop. Unfortunately, in the USA there is very little interest in the sport outside of organized suburban pay -to-play leagues.
This is the real issue. Kids don't play pickup sports other than maybe a little neighborhood American football and basketball. On occasion wiffle ball.
You're not wrong. Kids with iPads will chose an iPad all day long over going outside to play. Now, ipads and streaming TV options for kids are everywhere. We have plenty of kids in our neighborhood who never come outside, much less go and play pickup sports. It's a real problem.
@@DJCobb-74 I agree! Since the dawn of social media and internet everything, two whole generations of USA children no longer play outside unless forced to do so by teachers & parents. And once they become adults it is even worse. My own 30-year-old son and his friends never get together to do anything but play indoor games. They never even go to sports pubs or even watch any sports of any kind. It is what it is these days in America.
Great stuff!
there are so few options for older teenagers to play rec/pickup soccer in country. so few. and high school soccer seems like a joke compared to decent club teams.
I think it depends on the high school you play for
@@liceafilms The skill level of high school vs club is very drastic. Makes high school soccer look like a joke. Sure maybe some outliers but I'd bet that those high level soccer schools are kids that play club together.
@@bans5 yes that’s exactly why I said it depends what school you play for. Because I know of clubs that directly feed schools their players
Clubs design teams based off of economics not the best players