PUSHBACK ON THE SYSTEM

Did This Coach Simply Recruit the Best Players?

I’m not entirely clear on the specifics surrounding the creation of the new team, but essentially, its core consisted of players who had not been successful on the previous team. This coach also managed to develop a second team, bringing them to the #2 ranking in the state, despite some player overlap between the two teams—a truly impressive feat.

I can offer a specific example: my nephew. He’s a very athletic individual and would likely have been a top player regardless, but his current level of technical skill is so much greater than his peers at other clubs that the training has to have helped immensely. While he primarily plays as a center back, here’s a video of him at age 10 executing a Maradona and finishing with his left foot. You can find 16 yr old MLS NEXT kids that can’t do this.

Addressing the “Plateau” Argument:

Let’s say you were super serious about weight-training and you wanted to get young kids stronger than their competition. You could certainly do that and you’d have a short-term edge, but soccer strength and conditioning has a plateau, becoming Mr. Olympia isn’t going to help you on the pitch. Does ball mastery have a similar plateau? I would argue most definitely not. Ball mastery consistently yields benefits—there’s no point at which becoming more proficient with the ball becomes detrimental or even significantly less useful. In soccer, ball mastery is the very essence of the sport.

What if Players Lack Athleticism?

Soccer demands speed, quickness, and a combination of toughness and strength. While I think you can enhance toughness and strength, significant improvements in speed and quickness are rare.

I believe the coach possesses a keen understanding of which athletic attributes translate most effectively in soccer – he’s probably seen a lot of kids develop – which likely informed his player selection process. Interestingly, the coach’s father son is not particularly athletic. His father knew this when he was very young even when it wasn’t obvious. In the previous videos, he looks faster than everyone. He has an unusual gait that hinders his quickness and speed, and other players have gradually made up the technical gap with superior athleticism in the midfield.

While athleticism is undoubtedly important, it’s crucial to acknowledge that exceptional skill can compensate for certain athletic limitations. There are legendary players that were so skilled that they could overcome huge gaps in athleticism. Again, technique and skill is king and should take up as much of your training as you can stomach.