Size VS Skill, when do you see a difference.

46n2

46n2

SILVER ELITE
At what age group do you see the switch when being a big player doesnt matter anymore.
Or
When being a smaller player with skill isnt enough against larger challengers.

With one of my kids U12 was the year we notice that you have to have both to be competitive and impressive on the field.
 
Size should play no role in soccer if the coach actually knows what they are doing and the players have decent skills. Where I do see a difference is on the lower level teams that use the big players to push around the smaller less skilled players. Once those big players encounter skilled players their advantage is neutralized. I think that some coaches do a disservice to those younger big players by just putting them in a defensive position and just telling them to clear the ball. I saw it last weekend while refereeing 10U girls and boys at state cup. Those big boys and girls were all put in that center defense position with one mandate, clear the ball out of the back. The smaller players had trouble getting around them initially, but soon learned to use speed and pass around the big player.

My 5'2" daughter played in college against women a foot taller than her. She had no problem with the size difference because she had the skills needed, had speed, and was strong. She would be in the weight room 4-5 days a week to make sure that when those taller girls bumped into her they were the ones bouncing off. Growing up she was normally one of the smallest players on the team, but she always worked hard to make up for her size by having superior skills and speed compared to the bigger girls.
 
For physical attributes I still think it goes speed first, then overall strength(extra 10 LBs of muscle can make a difference) then height last. This is on the girls side.
 
For us it was the 14-16 age that things changed for most of the "early" bloomers. All those u-little hotshots fell off the radar and the "good" (but not great) u-littles that stuck it out began to come into their own.
So many of the young stars have since left soccer for other sports, or girlfriends/boyfriends.
I feel sorry for those parents that put so much into the early soccer years only to have their dreams of u-little stardom crushed
by the inevitable hormone changes.
Of course, they can still be high school stars...
 
As the kids get older, it's typically the ones with size AND speed that play at an elite level. All players playing at an elite level have skill. There are always exceptions. Speed seems to be a prerequisite for skill. I don't see too many players that are slow and show skill.
 
socalkdg said:
For physical attributes I still think it goes speed first, then overall strength(extra 10 LBs of muscle can make a difference) then height last. This is on the girls side.
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What about skill? At my DD age group 06/05 you always hear parents complaining that a kid only made ODP or only starts on the top team because she is big and fast. I feel like parents use the (my kid has skill but is small) as an excuse. Your kid is just not good enough plain and simple. Get over it. If she were, size would not matter. There is an 05 player on the U14 National team who is on the smaller side, but is strong, fast and skilled and can out play girls in the 02 age group.
 
Jack23 said:
What about skill? I feel like parents use the (my kid has skill but is small) as an excuse. Your kid is just not good enough plain and simple. Get over it. If she were, size would not matter. There is an 05 player on the U14 National team who is on the smaller side, but is strong, fast and skilled and can out play girls in the 02 age group.
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As a parent of 3 soccer players of various sizes, I have to agree. I have a smaller players but they are strong from the core, so they are not knocked over easily. You can be a smaller player and stand out at any age.
 
Surfref said:
Size should play no role in soccer if the coach actually knows what they are doing and the players have decent skills. Where I do see a difference is on the lower level teams that use the big players to push around the smaller less skilled players. Once those big players encounter skilled players their advantage is neutralized. I think that some coaches do a disservice to those younger big players by just putting them in a defensive position and just telling them to clear the ball. I saw it last weekend while refereeing 10U girls and boys at state cup. Those big boys and girls were all put in that center defense position with one mandate, clear the ball out of the back. The smaller players had trouble getting around them initially, but soon learned to use speed and pass around the big player.

My 5'2" daughter played in college against women a foot taller than her. She had no problem with the size difference because she had the skills needed, had speed, and was strong. She would be in the weight room 4-5 days a week to make sure that when those taller girls bumped into her they were the ones bouncing off. Growing up she was normally one of the smallest players on the team, but she always worked hard to make up for her size by having superior skills and speed compared to the bigger girls.
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Agree, I don't think size of a player gives any advantage whatsoever. It all comes down to the mental aspect of the game paired with speed, skills, toughness and soccer IQ.
 
Sokrplayer75 said:
Agree, I don't think size of a player gives any advantage whatsoever. It all comes down to the mental aspect of the game paired with speed, skills, toughness and soccer IQ.
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Agree. As an example some of the best (in my opinion) USWNT players are smaller than 5'5.
 
When you start seeing games being played more beautifully by kids as a team, those with soccer IQ and skills will shine.

To name just a few from the 2011 Barcelona squad, IMHO and considered by many the greatest club team ever. Even their GK is relatively short:
Dani Alves 5'8"
Xavi 5'6"
Iniesta 5'7"
Messi 5'7"
Pedro 5'6"
Valdez 6'0" (GK)
 
Parents of youngers that are big, strong and fast need to supplement with some kind of training that emphasize skill. Back in the day, DD was usually the fastest player on the field. I would tell her that someday that would not be the case and to concentrate on improving her skills. We took her to futsal clinics and private lessons to work on skills and first touch. Despite what some naysayers will tell you, juggling is important also.
 
For Boys, I say U14/U15 and depends on early puberty or late. I have a late bloomer December birthday 14 yo who looks like a little boy on a team with young men who went through puberty early, it's not just height but the difference in muscle mass. Many are the size of their dads already whereas he's expected to be 6'4" and is currently 5'2".
 
With one of my kids U12 was the year we notice that you have to have both to be competitive and impressive on the field.[/QUOTE]

For boys, I think it really comes down to how quick and balanced they are compared to the big kids. I've seen small kids that can take a hit and use their core to stay up and use their footwork to get around the big guys.

My child is a young Freshman and he is finally keeping up with the bigger kids thanks to his speed and footwork. He needs another 10lbs (currently at 103lbs) to really begin to muscle out the defense.
 
I can see this shift happening in my own kid's age already. In the 10-ish year old girls' age group, giant lumbering girls have been at the advantage. Partly a size/strength issue, partly a fear issue.

Passing and dribbling by opponents is catching up to them, however. This week, in fact, my own kid juked a larger/slower player and left her in the dust off the dribble.

I think at this age the skilled players are putting together an understanding of passing as well as the motor coordination to use moves/feints to conquer the slower opponent. I'm hoping the tide turns quickly.
 
The order of importance is 1) skills/ball mastery, 2) foot speed/quick feet, 3) high soccer IQ, then enough size so you are not easily knocked off the ball.

College players should be bigger because there are more substitutions. International players should be smaller because they play on bigger fields for 90 mins. with only 3 subs.

In basketball, there’s no disadvantage to being longer and taller. LeBron James is huge, Kevin Durant is ridiculously long.

In soccer bigger players have to carry more weight, they get tired faster and they have a harder time changing directions, and they usually have bigger feet which makes ball control more difficult. So in soccer size gives you some advantages but also some disadvantages. Top soccer players like Messi, CRonaldo and Neymar are not freakishly large or huge, but they are freakishly strong for their normal size.
 
1st Soccer IQ is the biggest factor for a coach,
2nd is skills the ability to know when to execute a pass/step over/ give and go not just being able to execute.
3rd speed of thought/speed of body movements
4th athleticism

U13 - International are played on the same size field.

The dream of most coaches is to have a player that can be taught to know when to collect the ball when to give the ball when to keep the ball.
 
The only thing that matters regarding size is the size of the player’s heart.

If they have that, no matter how big or small, they will have the skill.

Agree with surfref. If your team is relying on the big kid or the fast kid at any age, you’ve got the wrong coach.
 
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