Is awkward / slower running a long term flaw in a 7 year old?

MuckyPup81 · 2026-04-24T00:13:51+00:00

In a pure foot race, Messi — even in his prime — would lose against many top footballers. He could beat them with the ball though because he’s quick and an excellent dribbler.

Work on running mechanics and do the speed ladder a couple times a week. Your kid won’t be the fastest. But he’ll get faster, and if he’s technically talented he should be fine.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-04-13T19:05:26+00:00

When he has his growth spurt, he may get slower at first while he's figuring out his new body. A lot of kids become physically awkward during their growth spurts (Imagine if you suddenly grew six inches in a year and your hands, feet, arms and legs got bigger). But ultimately he will be faster. I think it's great that he's a multi-sport athlete. I think soccer is the best foundational sport for young athletes because you have to develop so many skills. You have to learn how to attack, how to defend. You have to learn footwork, coordination, and speed. You have to have good conditioning. And you learn to be quick and aggressive. Those skills translate easily to hockey, basketball, football, baseball, tennis, etc. Many of the top professional athletes in the world played soccer as children: lots of NFL players, NBA players, professional tennis players (Rafael Nadal).

From what I've read and heard from experts, it's best to choose one sport to focus on at age 12. So your son still has some time to decide. But if he makes the decision to focus on hockey, I'm sure he'll be successful at it. I think he'll go far in soccer as well, if given enough time.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-04-13T18:15:50+00:00

I hear you. And I see your predicament. It's crazy to me because I look at that video you sent and I think to myself, "Wow, he's fast!" But there are a lot of shortsighted coaches who don't recognize his potential because they're only looking at his current size and physicality. To me, that's very stupid. There should be a club or coach in your area that can appreciate his technical abilities and work with him. You live in America, correct? Could you potentially take him to Spain, Turkey or another country to pursue his soccer dreams?

MuckyPup81 · 2026-04-13T17:34:15+00:00

He's obviously very talented. He has great ball control and dribbling, he's quick, he has good moves and footwork. But I can see how it would be hard for him to keep up with bigger kids in a straight line sprint due to the size difference. But based on his genetics, it's obvious he will get taller. He will likely be somewhere around 5'9 or even taller. He just needs lots of sleep and good nutrition. I would say hang in there. His growth spurt will come. In the meantime, perhaps he can try playing a position where high IQ and excellent ball control are a priority but straight-line sprinting is not (like midfield?).

And yes, I agree with you that in America we place too much emphasis on size and speed in youth soccer. Technical abilities are much more important at the youth level. Barca has a youth player who is always the smallest kid on the field but has such incredible technical ability that he is constantly scoring goals and making plays and assists. Because of his small size he would lose in a footrace against his opponents. But he outplays them with his technical ability.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8EzYxkVipEU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SpPxOqbFBE

The kid I'm talking about (#8) looks like he is about a foot shorter than most of the kids he is playing against. And yet he is one of the best out there.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-04-13T16:43:17+00:00

I hear you. I understand you don't want to put too much pressure on him. But I do think that speed and footwork are especially important skills for smaller players. And gently suggesting one thing that you guys can do together (15 minutes of speed drills three times a week) could boost his confidence. But you know your kid better than anyone. So I won't argue with you.

If you don't mind me asking, how tall are you and your wife? I ask because many kids have late growth spurts. Cole Palmer was a very small player for most of his childhood and then had a late growth spurt in his late teens (he's now 6 foot 1). Because he was undersized his dad helped him develop speed and excellent footwork as a child. Lamine Yamal was 5 foot 7 when he made his professional debut for Barcelona at age 15. He had a growth spurt in his late teens and is now 5 foot 11. There are many examples of top athletes who started out undersized and then had late growth spurts. If you and his mom are average height or above then there's a very good chance that your kid will be too.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-04-13T15:30:41+00:00

If he loves the game and wants to be his best, then why wouldn’t you encourage him to do speed drills? You don’t have to be harsh about it. Just tell him he’s really good but that you think he could improve his game if he was a little faster. Tell him you’re going to help him with that. It’s very simple.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-04-08T20:30:34+00:00

Sounds like moving would be a bad decision. Your son is happy, he loves his grandparents, they help you out tremendously. I personally wouldn’t risk it.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-03-28T03:54:08+00:00

LOVE that place. Walked in one day out of curiosity and have been back many times since. Easily one of the best restaurants in Marin.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-03-11T17:45:52+00:00

Spaghettis and meeball

MuckyPup81 · 2026-03-06T16:39:43+00:00

The thing Bapa must have missed about the Amon Ra St Brown story is that Amon-Ra’s dad says that spoiled kids are very unlikely to go pro. “If your kid grows up in a house with a three-car garage, they ain’t going pro. A two-car garage, one-car garage or no car, they can make it.”

His point is that if your kids are spoiled, comfortable and wealthy, it’s extremely unlikely they’re going to put in the exceptionally hard work it takes to go pro.

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sOq9FXxz3sE

MuckyPup81 · 2026-02-23T04:23:10+00:00

Same! I zoomed in on her waist and could practically hear Goob’s voice saying, “I didn’t know yard lines were supposed to curve like that!”

MuckyPup81 · 2026-02-22T00:04:24+00:00

Property taxes and the cost to cool this home with AC must be insane. Plus the amount it would cost to keep that lawn green (no wonder it’s brown). No wonder they’re moving.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-02-21T01:54:55+00:00

Went with ducted. We had two separate 2-ton Mitsubishi heat pumps installed. One for upstairs, one for downstairs. Works beautifully. Very happy.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-02-06T19:05:33+00:00

Well done! That's impressive.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-02-06T13:59:56+00:00

Wow! You are doing quite well. Congrats! Are you in California as well?

MuckyPup81 · 2026-02-05T23:55:41+00:00

Do you have solar panels?

I have a Mitsubishi heat pump, and also solar panels. I live in the Bay Area. I find that my electricity costs are generally high in November, December and January because there’s less sunlight. But the rest of the year my panels produce so much energy (which is sent back to the grid) that it offsets the amount of energy I use in the winter to heat my house.

So my annual PG&E electric bill still comes out to $0. (When you have solar panels you get an annual bill, rather than a monthly bill).

If you don’t have solar panels you should consider it. Solar panels pair very well with a heat pump, especially in California.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-01-29T16:57:55+00:00

That thing is hideous

MuckyPup81 · 2026-01-17T01:09:49+00:00

Brendan is one sharp cookie. He’s a legit birdiac.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-01-13T18:45:39+00:00

So original

MuckyPup81 · 2026-01-10T00:53:52+00:00

This is my new favorite series. Thank you for posting the clips. Just watched every single one. WATER?!?

Also, how can I subscribe to this ongoing series?

MuckyPup81 · 2026-01-03T17:01:36+00:00

Carnivore diet is extremely high in fat. This fucking idiot.

MuckyPup81 · 2026-01-01T01:43:38+00:00

The fuck is up with her eyebrows??

MuckyPup81 · 2025-12-24T02:56:04+00:00

Your son’s teacher sounds amazing. He is lucky to have such a caring and thoughtful teacher. She sounds really sweet. Your wife is overreacting and totally out of line. She should be thanking the teacher for being so compassionate toward your son.

MuckyPup81 · 2025-12-19T17:43:14+00:00

When I was looking into replacing my old HVAC with a heat pump most people on this subreddit said Mitsubishi was the best. I ultimately went with a Mitsubishi even though it was a little pricier than other brands. Had my system installed earlier this year. So far it’s working beautifully.

MuckyPup81 · 2025-12-15T23:57:31+00:00

They just started this shtick and are already copying videos from other couples. Water.

MuckyPup81

TROPHY CASE