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Post by mule on Jan 6, 2011 22:17:30 GMT -6
hall, you keep saying that these kids have too much bulk, not enough talent. But, if these kids choose soccer first and devote time to soccer, then these "naturally athletic" kids will excel in soccer, too. If you took a guy that was 6'2" 220, or any number you want, go back to his childhood and watch him choose soccer, will he be 6'2" 220? No, he will be 6'2", soccer shaped, and running like a deer. And, if he gets the proper training that a typical LA club player gets, would you not prefer him over the stereotyped LA club player?
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Post by Boomer on Jan 6, 2011 22:40:04 GMT -6
Here's another word-fest especially for my good friend Soccermanic ;D
Lots of good discussion and believe it or not, I agree with a lot of it. It's just that when you see a really top class athlete playing soccer in Louisiana he dominates and stands out like a phenom. That is what that lad, Jordan Bonfiglio of St. Thomas Aq. showed against Newman this year.
Actually he stands out so much partly because much the competition is less fast, less quick, less "athletic." The day that you can spot really top players yet they are usually checkmated by many other top players is when you can say soccer has its fair share of athletic talent.
Most of you are where I was in the 70s, after Vietnam. We would drive to Atlanta, play the AAU SE team champions to a draw, and go to see the Chiefs play the Cosmos... etc. We were all convinced that the nirvana of soccer renesance in America was about to happen.
Let's see... that was 35 years ago... and the pro league in America is not as good or well publicized as the one in the 1970s. BUT... high school soccer is much better and much more widespread... this is encouraging.
After I quit playing regularly in the early 80s and quit refereeing in the early 90s, I took up coaching youth playground...maybe the most rewarding thing I've done in soccer.
The only downside to that was seeing kids I thought have real talent for the game drop it for baseball. I love baseball.... but right now at Jesuit there are about 6 kids running cross country, playing lacross after droppiing soccer as 12 year olds... PARTLY BECAUSE THEIR MIDDLE SCHOOL BASEBALL COACHES told them they couldn't play both.... and you really have to be the top top baseball players... in the 8th grade... to make the Jesuit baseball team...discouraging.
What the heck! walking the halls of Jesuit are enough talented kids, out of soccer, to win a State Championship at Haynes if they had continued to play and decided to go where they could get on the field.
Well... this is your generation... maybe the tide will change. Good luck to all of you... I only suggest keep one foot on solid ground and enjoy the game we have.
Regards...
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Post by Tiger4Life on Jan 7, 2011 4:28:13 GMT -6
No problem Boomer...will keep reading your posts tough; they sometimes have very good insights.
bottoms up!!
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Post by grandpasoccer on Jan 7, 2011 5:52:08 GMT -6
if the coaches want to better soccer in the state, you will have to teach the players they have 2 feet to kick the ball. i see to many players having to set the ball up so they can use their dominate foot to score. this needs to start before highschool!!!
size is not the problem, i am sure every player would love to be 6'2" with quickness and speed.
but when a player decides to use what he has to his advantage is when you see a soccer player.
i laff when i hear about football players in the same shape as soccer players, no, not even close. different game, different thoughts on how to train.
but, most soccer players [high school level] never play the game year round.
in soccer, [talking high school] assist are harder to get than goals. great passes to open players are the hardest thing to master. in my opinion.
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Post by Steven Gerrard on Jan 7, 2011 8:47:51 GMT -6
The question of which American athlete would have made a great soccer player was put to Bill Simmons (of espn page 2). His answer was Allen Iverson. With his quickness, he would have made a fantastic scorer. And, he could do it all without practice ("practice! We are talking about practice?!").
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2011 8:54:29 GMT -6
If we're really intellectually honest, it really isn't the raw athleticism factor that is hurting the level of play.
It is the fact that even our "full time" soccer players on average lack technique and tactical awareness.
Very few are actually two footed. The first touch is off. Tactical savvy is lacking.
The truly exceptional players that have come out of La wouldn't be viewed by most as "athletic specimens". Jason Garey, Joseph Lapira come to mind.
Clint Dempsey isn't known for being the fastest guy on the pitch. But he, like his counterparts all over the world, played the game EVERY DAY for hours on end. That's how you reach elite status.
Another key "variable" in the equation is that, by and large, our players do not train enough.
Everywhere else in the world, talented 12 yr olds are training at least 2 hours daily, 4 times per week. The typical La select player trains maybe half that much.
Yes, high school teams do train 4 and 5 times a week. But sessions are mainly devoted to fitness. It is too late for most players by that time to become technically proficient. Therefore training focuses on tactics and fitness.
Besides, high schoolseasons are 3 and 4 months long.
I recently had a conversation with someone who played major d1 soccer 20 years ago. Grew up in a soccer hotbed. He mentioned to me skill and tactical awareness trumps an athletic player 95% of the time.
Getting the most promising athletes to play soccer is part of the equation.
But more importantly, we need to focus on playing more and emphasizing technique.
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