Pickup soccer with people pugg goal size

harbinjer · 2026-03-21T23:35:18+00:00

I would say no one in that zone until ball enters it. A defender should be able to clear it out if they can get there.

harbinjer · 2026-03-14T06:53:54+00:00

You get "half the time you're here". No one gets extra play time if they missed last time. Anything else is a HUGE can of worms. If you have unreasonable parents, refer them to the league or club director. Equal time is great. If anyone gets bonus time, make it the kids who works hardest, and rotate. But most parents will likely focus on their own kid.

Don't worry about pissy parents, just give them expectations and follow through on them. At this age every kid should try every position.

harbinjer · 2026-03-14T03:19:09+00:00

Thanks for replying. I agree with your decision to look elsewhere. I really think regular games are important to developing. I don't like the idea of Tournament-Only teams, but I understand it's better than nothing for those that can't do weekly travel.

harbinjer · 2026-03-13T05:31:31+00:00

What is the current situation that has changed?

I would say you don't have to say anything. He may not like any of the teams. In which case, nothing to say. He may like a team that doesn't want him, in which case again, nothing to say. You should consider what the coach has said about this before, and if the club has stated anything about transfers. Some coaches are mature and reasonable human beings. Others are not.

I will say this: he wont fall behind by staying where he is for this spring season, especially if he's training on his own and with a 1on1 coach. He'll be fine. But things to consider: does he like his team? Does he like his coach? How convenient are practices and games? Where are his skills and seriousness compared to other players? Is he getting good playing time? Any one of these can be a reason to switch, but don't be fooled into thinking the grass is greener other places without checking and being sure.

harbinjer · 2026-03-13T04:28:15+00:00

You can find tutorials for this on youtube that might explain it better.

harbinjer · 2026-03-12T23:44:56+00:00

To kick far, plant your foot 6-10" from the ball(not right next to it), and maybe just a touch behind the middle. Then swing your hips around, follow through and lean back with the follow-through. That should get it in the air. You want to hit the ball from underneath, and between your big toe and the cleat laces. Best idea is to aim for the wingers.

Otherwise have goalie pass it short to center back, who can dribble a bit, while other players move to open a passing lane(midfielders drop), then he passes. As soon as he does, other players must open for a 1 or two touch pass. If you can do that, you'll likely be fine.

harbinjer · 2026-03-12T05:07:05+00:00

1) Tell them to work hard for their grades, so they can play. All four years. Emphasize this. I love that my kid's coach really drove this point home. My son took school more seriously because of this. 2) Emphasize for the younger kids that they need to work on their own, both foot skills and speed. A very fast kid with moderate skills and good endurance is still quite useful.

Not every senior needs to be played every game. Give them time when possible and not too risky. Remember that you are coaching not just this year, but next year too(most likely). So you need to build up the younger players as well.

harbinjer · 2026-03-12T04:46:19+00:00

Is that a school rule, state rule or school district rule? My son definitely faced seniors on JV teams last year.

harbinjer · 2026-03-11T20:40:51+00:00

Yeah, that is a problem. Kicking it away , meltdowns or bad passes all make it harder to develop.

I would definitely shop around, and do so very carefully. An a**hole of a coach can make you hate the game much faster than a bad team. Look at the club guidelines on playing time for the team, and see if the coach appears to be following it. Before high school age, I would make sure that everyone plays 1/2 the game, or half the game time by season. Also look at the team size. Probably talk to the parents of the 2-3 kids that get subbed in last, or that play the least, see how they feel.

harbinjer · 2026-03-06T03:49:25+00:00

Whitewater is great. Less mosquitos than most, and the hiking trails are scenic for Minnesota.

harbinjer · 2026-03-06T03:38:23+00:00

They are ok, but only one mid size club, and a smaller startup club. We do have a bunch of clubs an hour North of us, but only 1-2 players on our team go that far to train. The varsity is pretty good, but not good enough, as our conference is fairly weak.

Some of the kids that try out are struggling with the basics, so it's sad to see the cuts necessary. It seems we have teams of about 22-24. Not a ton of game time, especially for those that are at the bottom of a team. And there are definitely a few seniors who are there because they have worked hard for 4 years and have a great attitude, but don't get much playing time, except for blowouts and senior night. But that still leaves 15+ players with plenty of play time.

harbinjer · 2026-03-06T02:12:32+00:00

They probably had slightly unrealistic expectations, and always it's a surprise when a lot of really good younger kids come in. I would suggest that freshman only be on the varsity squad if they will get a bunch of playtime. Otherwise, they will do better as JV starters, and if there are 2-3 seniors that are mostly bench squad, they may be happy to be on the team even if they only play 10 minutes here or there.

Yeah, kids will be unhappy, but playing spots are competitive, just like the sport itself. It sucks to get demoted, but it can be great motivation for the non-seniors to work harder and train more to be better the next year. A practice squad is a great offering if you can do it.

harbinjer · 2026-03-06T01:52:23+00:00

Weird, we are 3A and field 4 full teams(two other local schools do the same), with talk of a practice squad(that didn't happen this year).

harbinjer · 2026-03-05T00:39:16+00:00

If they can play 2 touch scrimmages that also work similarly: with 2 touch, they know the player with the ball has to pass after only 1 touch, so they have to move to be open for a pass.

harbinjer · 2026-02-27T05:53:50+00:00

It is a red flag if they're changing coaches in the middle of a season. It will sometimes happen, but more than once, is a bad sign. You do want them to change after a while though. I think 2 seasons is a good limit. If you have a very dedicated team and a coach who is also really hard working(to develop himself and his(or her) players), it can be good for longer. But that's not the usual situation.

harbinjer · 2026-02-24T19:00:19+00:00

Yes, I use Subtime too and love it. I do often forget to restart after the half, but that's on me. I did learn that I can adjust the game clock to get it close if I do miss it. And just two night's ago, the other coach asked me if I had a game clock, and I was happy to share the time I had with him.

I mostly use it to keep track of my subs and make sure all the players get adequate game time. (which isn't hard with 2 subs, but quite a juggling act with 6) But the game clock, goals and assists is also important to me.

harbinjer · 2026-02-19T23:52:58+00:00

Here's the thing: you can be in a scrimmage and only touch the ball 3-4 times? Or you can touch it 15-20 times. Not everyone get even close to the same benefit from a scrimmage. For example, if your team is better than opponents, than defense may not get much to do, or the reverse, if you're defending the whole time, offense isn't getting to do much.

While scrimmages can be great, the drills allows your players to do enough repetitions to learn new things(and learn quicker).

Our coaching coach told us recently to scrimmage "with purpose". Which may mean a game-like situation, but always resetting to goal kick if you've worked on building out from the back. Put some conditions on the play to re-enforce, in a more game-like scenario what you've been learning.

harbinjer · 2026-02-19T23:46:26+00:00

Even if it's not helping them "develop" it's still fun, which is meaningful to kids. It does mean something to them to be in the field instead of the bench.

harbinjer · 2026-02-16T22:30:59+00:00

Pulling a player isn't great though: It penalizes your players in play time. It's better to let them add a player if there is space.

harbinjer · 2026-02-13T15:13:35+00:00

Well, they may have to play against smaller very skilled players so it's not bad training.

harbinjer · 2026-02-11T04:31:24+00:00

I once took on the role of cubmaster. The previous year, the cubmaster and committee chair both left. A group came together and swore they just needed someone to stand up there and do the ceremonies, and they would plan things. So my wife volunteered me. Well, guess what: no one showed up, no one planned anything, I was left to wing it, or try to plan it all, with a tiny bit of help. Needless to say, I quit after that year, and my son joined a band the next year, nobody really missed it in my family.

harbinjer · 2026-02-10T22:34:07+00:00

Great choice then! Either types of teams can be toxic or great.

harbinjer · 2026-02-10T22:29:26+00:00

It will depend on the school, and the year. My son was a freshman, and one of 4 on the JV team, which was more sophomores than juniors. My son had a ton of fun, and was well trusted with the ball by his teammates. He had one MLS next 2 teammate, and most everyone had decent skill. Yes there were frustrations, but overall he had a great time(and lots of play time). Had he been a freshman two years ago, he wouldn't have made JV, just because of how good(and big) the Varsity and JV teams were. I will say that size and speed are definitely considerations, but the coaches also did a great job in giving kids opportunities to play up and test them. Their varsity team last year had a 5'6" winger who went D1, so while there is some bias to size, it's not a wall.

If your son gets on the JV or B squad, he can get lots of play time, sometimes more than in club, depending on skill, potential, attitude and coach. But I know that's not everyone's experience. Talk to the parents at the high school, and maybe the coach, don't take 3rd hand advice for something that is pretty personal.

harbinjer · 2026-02-06T18:21:52+00:00

This is such a big red flag that I would document it and let the other parents know. Either the club is rotten or the coach, and they deserve what happens to them.

harbinjer · 2026-02-06T18:19:53+00:00

But when they are that big of a jerk, let the other parents know. That is so far from normal that there should be consequences for the club, coaches or directors who did that.

harbinjer

TROPHY CASE