For each age and skill level of a soccer player there
is the right amount of fun, learning, and training.
It’s much like a recipie. Too much or too little at the
wrong time can really mess things up.
Here are some quick guidelines.
Youth
This is the entry level player. They are usually between six
and ten years old. They might occasionally be older, even
adults. I know of a lot of women who start playing league
soccer with little or no experience.
For the younger athletes, they need to focus on having fun,
learning teamwork and sportsmanship, gaining athletic, ball
and beginning game skills.
Use games and keep things as simple as possible. I have found
that if I think the kids are at level 3, they usually are around level
negative two.
Midlevel
MIdlevel players may be younger (eight to ten) or as old as fourteen.
Sadly, older kids if they are at this level will frequently leave the game
because of frustration and lack of playing time.
These players still need emphasis on fun, but it can be in
a more competitive environment. They also need to maintain
their work on fitness and ball skills. More time will be spent
learning game skills.
This level should be introduced to the idea of practicing
on their own to improve some levels of their game. They
will need some adult supervision, but they need to start
taking responsibility for their fitness and performance.
Advanced
These athletes are fourteen years or older. They usually
have at least four years of competition behind them.
The focus here will be more on improving game skills and
perfecting fitness and ball skills. They also need to
work on their mental skills.
They are still young athletes, however. They are not
professionals or even college age. If they are,
then at this point they can handle longer, and more
challenging practices.
At this level, they need to take much more
responsibility for their fitness and skills. They should
be training at least thirty minutes every day on
improving their skills beyond practice.
Summary
By keeping in mind the developmental levels of
soccer, our kids will learn to enjoy the game
well beyond the high school years.
Perhaps one day we will see them white haired
and wrinkled, running around in the park kicking
a ball back and forth with their grandkids!
