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Another thread about kids sports teams/ethics (1 Viewer)

NajehHejan

NajehHejan

Footballguy
I coach boys soccer U7 (5 and 6 yo). It is 4 on 4 no goalies. Each team has 7 kids. During games I rotate them all in and out but tend to leave the 2 best in the most and it's no big deal as the ones not into it tend to ask out anyway. Next week is our tournament. We have 4 kids on one level (the two best plus two others who are good and really try hard) and 3 on a much lower level (lesser skills but they don't try to get better, they half ### it out there and don't even focus or pay attention or try). I'm tempted to barely sub in the lesser 3 and this is not because I'm some psycho dad who cares more about winning the tournament then letting the kids play and have fun. My reasoning is the 4 kids at the higher level really try hard, have practiced well every week, and really want to get better and be on the field. The other 3 are there because they have to be and probably won't play soccer again next fall, while I can see the other 4 continuing. So having said all that at risk of ticking off parents I guess I should stick with the same rotation and not give the better 4 even more playing time? Just looking for all angles of advice.

 
My rule was always to play each kid at least half of a game. After that the better players see a bit more time. Barely playing the other kids is a no go, IMO.

 
The coach that listens to the fans will soon be sitting with the fans. Bench the scrubs and play to WIN!

 
NajehHejan said:
The other 3 are there because they have to be and probably won't play soccer again next fall
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In my opinion, you should consider this to be a coaching failure. I think your primary job as a coach of kids that young should be to make it fun enough so they want to keep playing. It isn't always possible, but that's the objective.
 
Get your best players on the field. Forget this substitution crap. If one of your good players is injured or something, they have shots for that. Sure, painkillers can be habit-forming and playing with an injury has long-term consequences, but 50 years from now those kids will thank you for the memories of winning a U7 soccer tournament.

 
Please don't try to justify it with your "reasoning". Sure, I'm positive the four chosen ones have practiced hard all year and care more than the others, but you are contemplating changing what you've done all year and trying to justify it somehow in your mind. Then you tell us that you are not trying to win at all costs? Take that BS somewhere else.

 
And let's just say that you play the 4 talented kids the entire tournament, and you somehow win the whole thing. Do you feel better about yourself? Are the parents happy? What have you accomplished at this point?

 
They're 5 & 6. If this was 10+, go for it. Kids at 5 & 6 are way to young. Tournaments at that age? Christ. Just got done the season with my 3-4 year olds and it was like hurding cats. They kept trying to have 3-4 year olds play a 60 minute game with proper subbing. Most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Just to get some of them to chase the ball was enough.

People try to make it too competitive too early.

 
No goalies?!? Forget about best 4. Get an older sibling or a midget to suit up and I bet you can run the score up to triple digits!!!

 
First off, thanks for coaching - especially at the U7 level. Second, the reason I do not coach at those lower levels is because you really can't play to win at the expense of getting all the players exposed to the game. At that age even your best players have not mastered the fundamentals and you are lucky if more than one or two are not worried more about the snack after the game than what is happening in the game. If you want to reward the four best players, use three spots to rotate those 4 players through - then with the extra spot rotate your other 3 kids through that one spot. But - at this age I would be more inclined to just go with what brought you here.

 
NajehHejan said:
I coach boys soccer U7 (5 and 6 yo). It is 4 on 4 no goalies. Each team has 7 kids. During games I rotate them all in and out but tend to leave the 2 best in the most and it's no big deal as the ones not into it tend to ask out anyway. Next week is our tournament. We have 4 kids on one level (the two best plus two others who are good and really try hard) and 3 on a much lower level (lesser skills but they don't try to get better, they half ### it out there and don't even focus or pay attention or try). I'm tempted to barely sub in the lesser 3 and this is not because I'm some psycho dad who cares more about winning the tournament then letting the kids play and have fun. My reasoning is the 4 kids at the higher level really try hard, have practiced well every week, and really want to get better and be on the field. The other 3 are there because they have to be and probably won't play soccer again next fall, while I can see the other 4 continuing. So having said all that at risk of ticking off parents I guess I should stick with the same rotation and not give the better 4 even more playing time? Just looking for all angles of advice.
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As a serious answer, my 6yo plays soccer but isn't as into it as some of the other kids. He plays an equal amount of quarters as anyone else, but his coach tends to leave the better players in longer. I'm not sure anyone else notices it, but we do. Honestly, I'm okay with it. If there was a huge disparity, I'd talk to the coach and it wouldn't be fair.

So what you've been doing most of the year seems fine. Stick with it. You don't know if these kids will play next year, find extra motivation next year and become better players. Don't change it in an effort to win a tournament which doesn't matter.

 
I've been coaching for 10 years.

I never play the scrubs especially at age 5 and 6 just setting them up for failure

 
belljr said:
I've been coaching for 10 years.

I never play the scrubs especially at age 5 and 6 just setting them up for failure
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:goodposting: part of the wussification of America. In the work place, if you slow down the company, you're getting fired.
 
Bucky86 said:
shotsup said:
belljr said:
I've been coaching for 10 years.

I never play the scrubs especially at age 5 and 6 just setting them up for failure
Click to expand...
Then you are not "coaching" at all. 5 and 6 year olds need to be developed, not benched as "scrubs".Jeesh
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You can see natural talent by the age of 5. They either have it, or they don't.
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:goodposting: I've been head recruiter for our 6U travel team the last 5 years. It's easy to spot talent that young and who will get recruited heavy.

 
Fun and fundamentals should be the focus at that age (and good sportsmanship). Competitive juices get flowing and you want to get that win for your kids, but try to resist the urge to play mostly your best players. Focus primarily on fun and fundamentals.

 
Lol, I cant believe not playing kids is an option. Or barely subbing them. This is a rec league. All kids need to play. Even if it means you lose. And yes, I practice what I preach. And I do that on a travel U8 team.

Ask them in ten years what the score of the games in their U7 4v4 tournament was. Then ask a kid in ten years if they remember having fun when they played. One will be able to answer, even if they didnt have fun

 
Sand said:
My rule was always to play each kid at least half of a game. After that the better players see a bit more time. Barely playing the other kids is a no go, IMO.
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This. Dude, it's U7 soccer. Let the kids have fun. There's plenty of time for them to get competitive...U7 is not one of those times, IMO.

 
belljr said:
Bucky86 said:
shotsup said:
belljr said:
I've been coaching for 10 years.

I never play the scrubs especially at age 5 and 6 just setting them up for failure
Click to expand...
Then you are not "coaching" at all. 5 and 6 year olds need to be developed, not benched as "scrubs".Jeesh
Click to expand...
You can see natural talent by the age of 5. They either have it, or they don't.
Click to expand...
:goodposting: I've been head recruiter for our 6U travel team the last 5 years. It's easy to spot talent that young and who will get recruited heavy.
Click to expand...
ah- travel/select is a completely different beast than 4 a side no gk.

for a non-travel/select team, it should be about getting all the kids a chance to have fun, play and appreciate the game as much as possible. That means rotating everybody equally and not giving a #### who wins (the kids will care about it, but the focus of the coaching IMO should be about teaching them the game).

 
belljr said:
Bucky86 said:
shotsup said:
belljr said:
I've been coaching for 10 years.

I never play the scrubs especially at age 5 and 6 just setting them up for failure
Click to expand...
Then you are not "coaching" at all. 5 and 6 year olds need to be developed, not benched as "scrubs".Jeesh
Click to expand...
You can see natural talent by the age of 5. They either have it, or they don't.
Click to expand...
:goodposting: I've been head recruiter for our 6U travel team the last 5 years. It's easy to spot talent that young and who will get recruited heavy.
Click to expand...
kids also improve- especially as they grow- I've seen that in all sports I've played in.

not giving the kids a chance to play in a rec/fun league will nip that in the bud pdq.

 
NajehHejan said:
I coach boys soccer U7 (5 and 6 yo). It is 4 on 4 no goalies. Each team has 7 kids. During games I rotate them all in and out but tend to leave the 2 best in the most and it's no big deal as the ones not into it tend to ask out anyway. Next week is our tournament. We have 4 kids on one level (the two best plus two others who are good and really try hard) and 3 on a much lower level (lesser skills but they don't try to get better, they half ### it out there and don't even focus or pay attention or try). I'm tempted to barely sub in the lesser 3 and this is not because I'm some psycho dad who cares more about winning the tournament then letting the kids play and have fun. My reasoning is the 4 kids at the higher level really try hard, have practiced well every week, and really want to get better and be on the field. The other 3 are there because they have to be and probably won't play soccer again next fall, while I can see the other 4 continuing. So having said all that at risk of ticking off parents I guess I should stick with the same rotation and not give the better 4 even more playing time? Just looking for all angles of advice.
Click to expand...
Will the scrubs still get a Participant medal in your "tournament" if you keep them on the bench?

 
belljr said:
El Floppo said:
belljr said:
Boats full.
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####er :lmao:
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:lol: at 6 under head recruiter. .I'm anti travel until kids get older. Yes I have been coaching for 10 plus years total but it is in proper perspective. Especially for rec leagues
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:lmao:

just finishing up my first season coaching rec u8. even though I was a soccer nerd and serious player- I never even played the sport until I was 10... so I have no idea what goes on at the younger ages. given what I've seen so far, I wouldn't be surprised at all by a u6 recruiter.

 
and for what it's worth- the country of Belgium took a stance a few years' back to focus emphasis of youth soccer on technique and getting as many touches a day as possible (10k, IIRC). IIRC, they restrict the amount of games they actually play until they get older, because they found that having the young kids just play games- the way we do here in the US- doesn't really teach them as much about HOW to play.

btw- Belgium is not coincidentally in a golden generation of soccer players.

 
I think people are getting too caught up on the tournament angle. If its anything like we do around here, the kids play the same 5-6 teams for the season and then at the end of the year they have a "tournament". Basically playoffs. No one gets too upset when they are eliminated.....unless you are forced to play your scrubs.

 
Bucky86 said:
The coach that listens to the fans will soon be sitting with the fans. Bench the scrubs and play to WIN!
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Generally the guy who coaches kids at this age is the only parent willing to do it. Sitting with the fans is probably what they want to do.

Every once and a while you get some lunatic parent that is trying to win at all cost. This is generally the guy who is reliving his life through their kid. You know, the kind of dad who talks to you about recruiting your kid, travel team, etc.

 
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