Is My Kid Any Good at Soccer? by Dick Barnes
Moms think their kids are terrific. Soccer Moms think their kids are terrific soccer players, especially when they're young. More accurate appraisals tend to set in after several years, but often still lag reality. Encouraging a son or daughter who is pretty good at soccer and enjoys it is great. Pushing a child who is pretty lousy at soccer and doesn't enjoy it is not great.
Usually, the player's ability and interest level will be at least somewhat in synch. The special challenge to Soccer Mom's support is the good players who don't have the interest or aren't having fun, and the poor players who love the sport. Here are some questions for Soccer Mom to ask herself, her child or the coach in assessing the ability and interest of her 5-to-8-year-old player, especially if Mom hasn't played the sport herself or hasn't already gone through this with an older sibling. These are the introductory years for young players. In most soccer organizations, the emphasis is on so-called small-sided play: often just four players per team, no goalie, a small field, smaller goals, lots of scoring and plenty of touches of the ball for every player.
Is the player scared of getting hit by the ball? (Bad sign; try gently kicking the ball around with your child in the back yard; no future in the game if this fear persists.)
Can she run, jog, and walk somewhat continuously without collapsing in a heap? (Soccer is a continuously active sport, somewhat like basketball and unlike baseball or football; if your player is significantly overweight, either soccer will help trim the pounds or he will have trouble keeping up.)
Is she quick or fast as compared to the other kids? (Quickness is the ability to react or initiate movement as soon as possible; speed is the ability to run fast, especially, for soccer, in spurts of 10 to 40 yards. Quickness is inherent; speed is mostly inherent. Both are major assets in most sports, but especially in soccer.)
Is he appropriately aggressive? (Does he move to a loose ball?
Does he kick the ball hard or just timidly tap it? However, it's not appropriate to be knocking down the other players.)
Does she kick the soccer ball around the house or yard? (American youth sports today are a highly regimented series of practices, games, clinics and camps. Some casual play alone or with a friend is both a good sign of interest and a way to build basic skills.)
Is she having fun? Is her exuberance level similar to other activities that she enjoys? (If soccer isn't fun, why not?)
Does he seem to get along with the coach, or speak well of the coach? (Coaching personalities vary greatly; some personalities don't work with some kids, though it's a good life experience for the kid to give it a complete try.
Do the coach, other players, or other parents regard your child as a team leader? (The best players are generally regarded as the team leaders.)
