My bb has played with his current team for about 2 years. We are at a cross road of what to do, he is one of the better players on his current team and enjoys all the friendships he has made. I think the coaching has been good over the last few years but I feel he is falling behind. I have been watching kids from many of the top teams over the last year and they seem to be improving rapidly yet my bb is improving at a slower pace. So as I see it we have two options:
1. Pay for some private skills outside of the club we are with.
2. Move to another team, disrupting our current team and hoping he fits in with a new one.
I would really appreciate anyones thoughts!

get private lessons. It's unlikely that the team coach will do much for individual skills. Spend a couple of hundred over 6 weeks and you will see great results.

homer999 wrote:get private lessons. It's unlikely that the team coach will do much for individual skills. Spend a couple of hundred over 6 weeks and you will see great results.

Any recommendations on who would be good?

I believe we are standing at the same crossroads and here are my thoughts. Maybe your BB has outgrown his team. If he is one of the better players it's hard to improve if the rest of the team is unable to push you to the next level. Getting on a better team would force him to work harder to keep up.

Yes that would me my advise too, the next level goes with a skill coach. You boy won't train alone but it is a different and necessary experience than the team practice.

soccertime wrote:

homer999 wrote:get private lessons. It's unlikely that the team coach will do much for individual skills. Spend a couple of hundred over 6 weeks and you will see great results.

Any recommendations on who would be good?

Where are you ? Central dallas ? West ?North I can recommend you somebody in the center of town (Tollway/635 kind of location) PM me if it is your location...

soccertime wrote:My bb has played with his current team for about 2 years. We are at a cross road of what to do, he is one of the better players on his current team and enjoys all the friendships he has made. I think the coaching has been good over the last few years but I feel he is falling behind. I have been watching kids from many of the top teams over the last year and they seem to be improving rapidly yet my bb is improving at a slower pace. So as I see it we have two options:
1. Pay for some private skills outside of the club we are with.
2. Move to another team, disrupting our current team and hoping he fits in with a new one.
I would really appreciate anyones thoughts!

We were in the same situation you and your BB were in. We played for the same team for five seasons and he was developing at a much quicker pace than the other boys. The team he was on was the fourth best team in the club at his age group. During the break he decided he wanted to move to the top team which had a roster spot open. His Mother and I really did want to leave the current team, but you have to do whats best for your kid. The decision to move was the best thing for him. He has a better attitude when playing and the boys on his team push him to play harder and learn more. I suggest you move him to a more competitive team.

I am going to interupt the love fest. Think I am going to be sick if it gets anymore kissy face. Find a coach who is teaching more. He could be stagnant because of the coach teaching the same thing over and over. Maybe it's not the team he has outgrown, it could be the coach. Moving to a better team will not make him better and you don't learn soccer thru osmosis. A higher ranked team will fill the void of ego but without the coaching it will not make him any better. Skills are great if BB wants to do them because it gives you more touches on the ball but free play is better. Personally not a big fan of the skills. Pay 1 coach to not teach him and then pay another to actually teach him. . The open period is coming so try some new coaches and see what they are teaching. Is it different, new, does he respond to it? I caution against the idea that being pulled along by coattails makes you a faster runner.

go99 wrote:I am going to interupt the love fest. Think I am going to be sick if it gets anymore kissy face. Find a coach who is teaching more. He could be stagnant because of the coach teaching the same thing over and over. Maybe it's not the team he has outgrown, it could be the coach. Moving to a better team will not make him better and you don't learn soccer thru osmosis. A higher ranked team will fill the void of ego but without the coaching it will not make him any better. Skills are great if BB wants to do them because it gives you more touches on the ball but free play is better. Personally not a big fan of the skills. Pay 1 coach to not teach him and then pay another to actually teach him. . The open period is coming so try some new coaches and see what they are teaching. Is it different, new, does he respond to it? I caution against the idea that being pulled along by coattails makes you a faster runner.

You forgot to mention moving to Brazil.

didn't have too, you did . That seems a little extreme but I guess he should consider your advice.

Are your comparing his progress against other kids on his team or other kids from other teams? If it's against other teams it could be due to coaching.

If it's among players on your own team it could be that other kids are starting to mature faster (getting bigger/stronger/faster) thus it appears your son is not improving as much. You might just have to let nature takes it's course.

What age group? If he is U10 or under then I would start checking out some other coaches/teams.

ooh ooh wait, I got it. You could go with rips advice and the skills. You could fly to Brazil for private skills sessions or maybe fly a coach in from Brazil. I am sure that will make him the next big thing. Wait even better, you could join the Texans because they are gonna send him to ManU.

go99 wrote:ooh ooh wait, I got it. You could go with rips advice and the skills. You could fly to Brazil for private skills sessions or maybe fly a coach in from Brazil. I am sure that will make him the next big thing. Wait even better, you could join the Texans because they are gonna send him to ManU.

What about the free skills session over Spring Break? An earlier post stated players were like pros afterwards. Attend a class, get an agent. Hurry, availability may be limited.

Speaking of skills, does anyone plan on attending the Texans camp with the UK coaches flown in from Manchester? I believe the cost is like 400 bucks for that week, if you're not with the Texans. I think a tee-shirt is thrown in for us.

$400 bucks? no way don't want to cut into my funds for skills trip to Brazil

Dirty Dave ... Just curious.... You wrote "His Mother and I really did want to leave the current team, but you have to do whats best for your kid."
Why did you want to leave the team so bad? Was it your coach, the parents, the teammates, your son or a combination? We are in a similar situation, and just wondering about different perspectives.

soccertime wrote:My bb has played with his current team for about 2 years. We are at a cross road of what to do, he is one of the better players on his current team and enjoys all the friendships he has made. I think the coaching has been good over the last few years but I feel he is falling behind. I have been watching kids from many of the top teams over the last year and they seem to be improving rapidly yet my bb is improving at a slower pace. So as I see it we have two options:
1. Pay for some private skills outside of the club we are with.
2. Move to another team, disrupting our current team and hoping he fits in with a new one.
I would really appreciate anyones thoughts!

Are the other players on the team getting better? If you spend money on private skills he will get better but if the rest of the team doesn't your bb will end up even more frustrated. In this case move.
Don't worry about disrupting the team! Look for the best fit for your kid and your money. If you're worried about 'disrupting the team' go to rec soccer and stay away from cut-throat competitive soccer, imho. You are looking after your kid's progress not everyone else's!! Remember, they (and the coach) might be the ones holding him back.
Coaching style will be more intense as you move up so be prepared. Go to practices when allowed, after June. Good luck!

ontheway wrote:Dirty Dave ... Just curious.... You wrote "His Mother and I really did want to leave the current team, but you have to do whats best for your kid."
Why did you want to leave the team so bad? Was it your coach, the parents, the teammates, your son or a combination? We are in a similar situation, and just wondering about different perspectives.

I'm sorry I meant to say we did not want to leave the current team. After five years you develop alot of freindships with the other parents and the coach, but it was the right choice to move on.

Maybe it is just me... Does anyone have any loyalty anymore??? I'm starting to think that maybe loyalty does not apply to North Texas Soccer...

It's not about loyalty, parents friendships, or clubs, it's about whats best for your kid. You are a customer who pays for a service. If you feel that service is no longer of value to you then you should move on. Maybe if we weren't paying for it the clubs could have some claim to loyalty and none will be provide your way if a better player comes along.

go99 wrote:It's not about loyalty, parents friendships, or clubs, it's about whats best for your kid. You are a customer who pays for a service. If you feel that service is no longer of value to you then you should move on. Maybe if we weren't paying for it the clubs could have some claim to loyalty and none will be provide your way if a better player comes along.

like any club ever sees parents as customers. Necessary evil, source of funds, to be avoided when possible is more typical.

homer999 wrote:

go99 wrote:It's not about loyalty, parents friendships, or clubs, it's about whats best for your kid. You are a customer who pays for a service. If you feel that service is no longer of value to you then you should move on. Maybe if we weren't paying for it the clubs could have some claim to loyalty and none will be provide your way if a better player comes along.

like any club ever sees parents as customers. Necessary evil, source of funds, to be avoided when possible is more typical.

Pigeons...

I want to thank everyone that responded. I has really helped reading everyones views on our situation. I guess the bottom line is I have to worry about my child and let the team and the friendships fall where they may.
I have been thinking about my child and our team. It is very apparent that is not how other people think when it comes to competitive soccer. Reading all the replys made me realize that it is about my child being the best he can be and it is not fair to hold him back due to friendships. Now I have to start the process of finding a new team.
Thanks everyone!

soccertime wrote:I want to thank everyone that responded. I has really helped reading everyones views on our situation. I guess the bottom line is I have to worry about my child and let the team and the friendships fall where they may.
I have been thinking about my child and our team. It is very apparent that is not how other people think when it comes to competitive soccer. Reading all the replys made me realize that it is about my child being the best he can be and it is not fair to hold him back due to friendships. Now I have to start the process of finding a new team.
Thanks everyone!

WOW!!!

soccertime wrote:I want to thank everyone that responded. I has really helped reading everyones views on our situation. I guess the bottom line is I have to worry about my child and let the team and the friendships fall where they may.
I have been thinking about my child and our team. It is very apparent that is not how other people think when it comes to competitive soccer. Reading all the replys made me realize that it is about my child being the best he can be and it is not fair to hold him back due to friendships. Now I have to start the process of finding a new team.
Thanks everyone!

And don't forget that most of the kids know each other, by now. It's not like he can't make new friends while keeping the old ones. I bet that by the time you find a team that's a good fit, your kid probably already knows a few players on that team already. Good luck!

Ummmm.....friendships are not what's holding him back!
Your BB will keep the friends he wants to keep and expand his circle of friends if he joins a new team.
I feel like Dr Phil here! Best of luck and enjoy while it lasts!

Umm I don't think it's the kids friendships he is talking about. They are just kids and will still be friends. It the friendships with the parents that may fall away and yes some probably will. Good luck and hope he finds a great coach that can help him become the best player he can be.

I keep seeing people write that our BBs should get private skills lessons, so let me reverse those statements into a different question: what should we expect from a team coach? How we decide whether it's our bb reaching a plateau within himself or if he's reaching a plateau with the coach/team?
What's the future look like? If we don't move him this year, will openings be few and far between in the future?

whyme wrote:I keep seeing people write that our BBs should get private skills lessons, so let me reverse those statements into a different question: what should we expect from a team coach? How we decide whether it's our bb reaching a plateau within himself or if he's reaching a plateau with the coach/team?
What's the future look like? If we don't move him this year, will openings be few and far between in the future?

I think these are all valid questions. All ones I don't have the knowledge base to answer. This is my oldest child so this is my first experience. How fast does the option to move to a better team fall off or is there always enough movement to get your child on a top team?