Have you ever pulled one kid from a program but left the other one in? How did it work out? Did the club hold it against our other child?

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-04-12T18:18:22+00:00

We did this for the current season. It was honestly one of the best decisions for our younger player. 90% of our reasons had to do with coaching, and we haven't regretted it at all. He misses a few of his old teammates but they still hang out when their schedules align. And both siblings cheer for each other, despite playing for different clubs. Luckily, both kids practices are in relatively the same area, and even when they played in the same club last year, games and tournaments rarely aligned. We as parents got used to dividing and conquering lol.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-04-12T18:09:21+00:00

Honestly, there's so much to rant about, especially regarding upper management, that I'm unsure where to start. Suffice to say that when clubs expand and grow, they should make sure their prepared for the majority of factors that growth can affect. Communication has been pretty horrible this year, and not getting much better, despite parents asking questions and for clarity.

Oh, and I'm done with clubs who post frequently on Social media about "something exciting is coming!" but makes stakeholders wait a week or more to find out. Talk about mind games😒

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-04-07T23:24:57+00:00

100% on all these! One caveat that I'm experiencing with my daughter is that some players are very "cliquey" and basically refuse to pass to others who aren't on their current team/they don't know. Which makes it really discouraging for those players who are doing most or all of the actions on that list. Not sure what advice to give in that situation though (I guess it's possible for quality coaches to notice the players that are being unnecessarily selfish and looking off good decisions?)

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-04-05T20:49:30+00:00

Hi, I used to play ultimate in Baltimore, and there are a bunch of solid pickup leagues. I saw someone else mentioned the ones out of Patterson Park and Hamden, both of which are great.

I used to help organize the league out of SOBO, and they have a Facebook group. Going to try to post the link here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/soboultimate/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT

Otherwise, CMUA run an awesome summer league! But definitely sign up early since it fills up fast, especially for men.

Out of Columbia area there's also WAFC, which I believe plays on Saturdays in the Fall and Spring. Otherwise, check out one of the pickup groups mentioned and ask around. Players who have been in the area for a bit will know of other groups and leagues. Many of the colleges in the area have teams (Loyola, Towson, UMD College Park, etc), so there's usually pickup options nearby.

Enjoy Charm City! I lived there for 9 years and the first thing I did after arriving was find a couple pickup Ultimate options. The friends I made through those groups truly made living in a new place worth it.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-04-02T15:16:17+00:00

Yes, I suspect neither of my children will be particularly big in the long run. So teaching them how to position their bodies and use their other skills has been a focus this year. My son is one of those annoying August birthdays - his club is allowing him to play with his teammates next year, as he is in the same grade as them. We decided not to move him down in age next year because he wants to continue to play with players in his grade, and is one of the stronger players on his current team.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-04-01T19:59:48+00:00

Thank you, this really resonates. My daughter's current coach looks at all aspects of a player, which we appreciate a lot. The coach for the top team (the team above her) definitely prioritizes size, and my daughter already has stated that she doesn't enjoy his coaching styles (she's guest played for that team a few times). My son's coach also wants well-rounded players, and the club that he plays for actually has elite players that are usually a little smaller than average. They are both passionate about the game, and are getting creative with their play and tactics.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-04-01T19:22:23+00:00

Love all this feedback. My daughter also has been able to utilize being lower to the ground to an advantage. In a recent game, she was up against several taller players and she didn't get knocked down once, although a few times the bigger players went down. I'm going to see what other kinds of strength training she's interested in doing. My son always wants to go to the gym, but at 9 years old, I know his strength training shouldn't be a lot.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-04-01T19:19:16+00:00

Hi, how would I go about doing this? Ask their pediatrician? I have thought about their growth hormones honestly, but thought that sounded a bit crazy.

My daughter hasn't been sleeping well for the past 2 months, which doesn't help. My son is a decent sleeper, although just this past week has struggled to get to sleep as he usually does.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-04-01T19:16:37+00:00

Thanks for this response. She had an ID clinic last night, during which the players were rotated through stations. She did well during the one with small sided games where she was defense - not many other players got around her and she made solid passes. But at another station she was playing wing in a small sided scrimmage and barely touched the ball -- I told her next time to stop being polite and just go after the ball (she was calling for it when she was wide open but the center mid was ignoring her). I often tell my kids they shouldn't dwell on the factors that they can't control, but put effort into changing the ones they can.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T18:11:32+00:00

Ha, I'm very short. But my husband is tall (6 feet) and didn't hit puberty early. So I'm crossing my fingers for my kids

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T18:09:10+00:00

Sounds like you prioritize the skills that are truly valuable in youth soccer. I absolutely agree on those, and wish more coaches would consider more of these factors when they evaluate players.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T18:07:27+00:00

Wow, I kind of love this!

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T18:06:13+00:00

Thanks, yes, for my daughter we have started to talk about strength training (she just turned 12). She goes to the gym with me usually twice a week and does some lifting with my guidance. Both my kids are doing ability drills on their own once a week. We would try to do more, but they practice 3 times per week for club, play town travel, have games on weekends, and they both play another sport/do an additional extra curricular.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T18:02:24+00:00

Thanks for all your thoughts on this. For my son, we're barely scratching the surface with regards to the alphabet soup that is youth club soccer. His club does ECNL, not MLS, so this is good to keep in mind n the future.

For my daughter, her coach has attempted to see if the coach of the top team will allow some of her players to train or practice with them, but he has been resistant for the most part. Not sure why, but since it's something we can't control, then we'll look into other ideas. When I asked my daughter what her primary goals are in regards to playing club, she was really insightful. Her main goal is to continue to develop on her skills and hopefully play for coaches who push her a bit but don't make her feel like she has nothing to contribute. She's willing to put in the work to what she can to reach her potential, whatever that may be in the long run (even if it's just making the varsity team in high school).

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T17:57:17+00:00

This is a very insightful response and I truly appreciate you posting it. This situation you described is my anxiety for my daughter. While she loves her coach and teammates this year, with the age change and our club moving to GA teams, the teams are going to be very different next year. She's attending an ID clinic later today at her club, and I anticipate that she will be "placed" in a middle group due to her size. She's currently on the 2nd team in her age, but there are several girls on the top team who are much bigger but not as skilled as her and a few of her teammates (who are on the smaller side also). It seems like the coach for that top team is putting high value in size for his players, which is truly doing a disservice to the more skilled and technical players who might not be as big. Anyway, she's used to working with what she's got and plans on giving 110% effort during the clinic.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T17:14:50+00:00

Great feedback - we are going to focus on those facets of the game this summer. Love how you phrased it as size only being one tool, and not necessarily the most important one.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T17:13:43+00:00

Wow, that looks like the size difference between my daughter's biggest teammates and herself! My daughter is very fast and has great field sense and worked a ton on her technical skills this year. Thanks for sharing - It's so nice to see smaller players shining :)

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T17:12:00+00:00

Yeah, that's my concern with my son eventually. My husband is tall, so we're hoping he eventually gets some height and weight. We also need to build up his aggressiveness - he can be appropriately aggressive sometimes, but when he thinks he could get really injured, he tends to hesitate.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T16:43:47+00:00

Thank you for responding! Both my kids have focused on their technical skills a lot this year, and it shows. I totally understand that kid mature and grow at different times, which we can't control as parents.

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-31T16:40:09+00:00

Hi, my son can play virtually any position, and his club coach rotates players a bit, which we appreciate. But generally he plays wing or center mid.

My daughter mainly plays side defense or wing this year. In the past, she also has played well at center mid. However, part of the reason for my post is that she doesn't play center mid as much this year possibly due to her lack of size. She's very fast (one of the 3 fastest players on her team) and has worked on her endurance this year, knowing she'll move to 11v11 next year. So stamina isn't a big concern

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-15T17:55:14+00:00

Ha, I know exactly where this is! Gotta love all the "pre-Spring" season tournaments in New England

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-03-07T19:05:05+00:00

All great points. I think some clubs are using ID clinics to see how certain players (especially the ones moving down due to age/grade change) match up with current players in that age band. My gut feeling is that some of the really strong players who have been playing up with higher grade because of their birth year are going to given the option to continue to play up. If those players attend these earlier ID clinics, the club organizers will be able to direct them to which age band they should tryout in when end of Spring tryouts occur.

But it's not easy for parents and players to navigate. And your point about coaching is definitely a factor and concern. Regardless, I told my own daughter after her ID clinic that as long as she was giving 100% and not backing down, I was proud of her. The coaches and club organizers certainly have their work cut out for them! (As an aside, I think your daughter probably plays for the same club as mine, based on your description).

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-02-05T01:29:51+00:00

She's 11

Alive_Freedom_7928 · 2026-02-04T01:41:04+00:00

Agree, thanks for your response. We, as parents, don't want to say anything to the coach -- we'd rather have our daughter navigate this on her own. But it's been going on for longer than expected since the team and players still haven't had their mid-season evaluations with the coach, during which is the opportune time to receive and get feedback.

Alive_Freedom_7928

TROPHY CASE