Should he start using BOTH feet to kick?

[Unregistered]

Hey TS, I have a son that loves soccer. He is 11 years old right now. If he wants to play soccer, whether in D1, D2 or D3, when should he start using both feet to kick. He is a righty but I'm concerned that he does not practice with his left foot.

Is this common? Should I be concerned? Should I talk to him about this? AND, if he stays using only his right foot, would that be detrimental to college recruitment or club recruitment?

Thanks for your input!

[Unregistered]

Hey TS, I have a son that loves soccer. He is 11 years old right now. If he wants to play soccer, whether in D1, D2 or D3, when should he start using both feet to kick. He is a righty but I'm concerned that he does not practice with his left foot.

Is this common? Should I be concerned? Should I talk to him about this? AND, if he stays using only his right foot, would that be detrimental to college recruitment or club recruitment?

Thanks for your input!

I have an 11-year-old too. The answer is that he should start learning to use his left foot NOW. Ideally, he would have already started. This is the time to learn skills.

[Unregistered]

Hey TS, I have a son that loves soccer. He is 11 years old right now. If he wants to play soccer, whether in D1, D2 or D3, when should he start using both feet to kick. He is a righty but I'm concerned that he does not practice with his left foot.

Is this common? Should I be concerned? Should I talk to him about this? AND, if he stays using only his right foot, would that be detrimental to college recruitment or club recruitment?

Thanks for your input!

He shoulld already be using both feet. What is his coaching doing to promote the use of both feet on all the players on ther team?

[Unregistered]

Hey TS, I have a son that loves soccer. He is 11 years old right now. If he wants to play soccer, whether in D1, D2 or D3, when should he start using both feet to kick. He is a righty but I'm concerned that he does not practice with his left foot.

Is this common? Should I be concerned? Should I talk to him about this? AND, if he stays using only his right foot, would that be detrimental to college recruitment or club recruitment?

Thanks for your input!

If he can kick it really hard with his right, it probably won't hurt him, recruiting wise, if he can't use his left. Just make sure he can really crank it

[Unregistered]

I have an 11-year-old too. The answer is that he should start learning to use his left foot NOW. Ideally, he would have already started. This is the time to learn skills.

yes but spend more time on strong foot - 60-40 ratio

Imagine if Beckham was coached to spend equal time on both feet- would he have the long shot accuracy and have the same stature? don't think so...

[Unregistered]

yes but spend more time on strong foot - 60-40 ratio

Imagine if Beckham was coached to spend equal time on both feet- would he have the long shot accuracy and have the same stature? don't think so...

The ratio is not important but using the proper foot when called for is. Nothing worse than a player who wastes valuable seconds setting up the dominant foot when they should be shooting or passing with the non-dominant.

I watch players waste valuable practice time juggling with their dominant foot when they should be working on the other. Never too early to start. Even u8 is too late to start.

[Unregistered]

Hey TS, I have a son that loves soccer. He is 11 years old right now. If he wants to play soccer, whether in D1, D2 or D3, when should he start using both feet to kick. He is a righty but I'm concerned that he does not practice with his left foot.

Is this common? Should I be concerned? Should I talk to him about this? AND, if he stays using only his right foot, would that be detrimental to college recruitment or club recruitment?

Thanks for your input!

Was this for real? Why didn't you just ask your club coach? Or Ask Jeeves? You're asking the TS "community"? Surely you already knew the answer. You're "concerned"? Worried about "detrimental" factors for college recruitment? Well at least it sounds like you're open to D3, which is probably a real long-shot given what you've already revealed.

[Unregistered]

The ratio is not important but using the proper foot when called for is. Nothing worse than a player who wastes valuable seconds setting up the dominant foot when they should be shooting or passing with the non-dominant.

I watch players waste valuable practice time juggling with their dominant foot when they should be working on the other. Never too early to start. Even u8 is too late to start.

obviously - my point is give more time to your preferred foot but don't forget about the non-preferred - again, the Beckham (and countless others) reference

[Unregistered]

Was this for real? Why didn't you just ask your club coach? Or Ask Jeeves? You're asking the TS "community"? Surely you already knew the answer. You're "concerned"? Worried about "detrimental" factors for college recruitment? Well at least it sounds like you're open to D3, which is probably a real long-shot given what you've already revealed.

I think you're assuming too many things. I never said he wasn't able to kick with his left foot. He doesn't "suck" with his left foot. Actually, there are at least 7-8 players on our team that aren't as good as him with their weaker foot.

I merely asked if he should be practicing a lot more with his left foot. I see him during practice and most of the time he is using his right foot. I'm just concerned that this habit might be transferred into a game situation.

He's definitely not horrible with this left foot, just not as good as his right foot.

[Unregistered]

Not many American players are good with both feet.

[Unregistered]

Hey TS, I have a son that loves soccer. He is 11 years old right now. If he wants to play soccer, whether in D1, D2 or D3, when should he start using both feet to kick. He is a righty but I'm concerned that he does not practice with his left foot.

Is this common? Should I be concerned? Should I talk to him about this? AND, if he stays using only his right foot, would that be detrimental to college recruitment or club recruitment?

Thanks for your input!

You have a son that is already thinking about playing D1, D2, or D3 college soccer?? It sounds more like you are an overbearing parent who sees/thinks that his son is a great player, perhaps among sheep. The fact that are are worried about college recruitment supports that your son is not the one worried about which foot he uses or his parent-perceived glorious soccer career.

With that said, I would encourage any kid to use both feet very early on, but not just for kicking but for dribbling, trapping, and passing. The more natural he is with both, the more useful he will be on the field. However, he should not do this at the detriment of developing his stronger foot.

Good luck to you and your son on your (or your son's) soccer future.

[Unregistered]

Should of started already. Like stated drills could be equally split between left and right. it also promotes better balance as they can turn hips from both sides in due time.

[Unregistered]

Tae Kwon Do

In the spirit of cross-training, for those who truly want to develop balance and some degree of ambidexterity, Tae Kwon Do is a great option. Although other martial arts should emphasize both sides of the body, none do it better than Tae Kwon Do, and none have the same concentration on kicking.
While I am not saying that you can't just start kicking a soccer ball with your weaker foot/extremity, I am suggesting that Tae Kwon Do is a great exercise that will teach the individual balance and use of both sides of the body. Furthermore, the confidence than any of the martial arts brings is a great contribution toward performance elsewhere.

[Unregistered]

I think you're assuming too many things. I never said he wasn't able to kick with his left foot. He doesn't "suck" with his left foot. Actually, there are at least 7-8 players on our team that aren't as good as him with their weaker foot.

I merely asked if he should be practicing a lot more with his left foot. I see him during practice and most of the time he is using his right foot. I'm just concerned that this habit might be transferred into a game situation.

He's definitely not horrible with this left foot, just not as good as his right foot.

Yes, he should practice with both feet. Kids should be taught from u5/u6 to use both feet. If you do that from an early age you have kids that just naturally use the correct foot for the situation. If the coach isnt having him practice with both feet encourage him to practice with his non-dominant foot in the back yard or against a basement wall or something.

[Unregistered]

Yes, he should practice with both feet. Kids should be taught from u5/u6 to use both feet. If you do that from an early age you have kids that just naturally use the correct foot for the situation. If the coach isnt having him practice with both feet encourage him to practice with his non-dominant foot in the back yard or against a basement wall or something.

Echo encouragement to do this on his own. Go outside a few times a week and work on it. In team training, twice a week in which maybe 20 minutes are spent on foot skills, it's unlikely that will be enough to develop the weaker foot as much as needed.