Did your child have a breakout year?

[Unregistered]

This came up last night at a Super Bowl party filled with youth sport parents:

Why do some players have breakout years while others never seem to hit the potential they showed when young?

If they had that year, what gender, what age did it happen and what contributed to their successful year?

[Unregistered]

This came up last night at a Super Bowl party filled with youth sport parents:

Why do some players have breakout years while others never seem to hit the potential they showed when young?

If they had that year, what gender, what age did it happen and what contributed to their successful year?

It's always the fault of the coach

[Unregistered]

A parent here. Truthfully the blame (if there is any in this instance - lots of different angles there) is spread equally between the player themselves and their work rate/dedication, the parents for the expectations, motivation and work ethic they gave their child through their parenting, and the coach for not being able to push the right buttons.

[Unregistered]

Do those types of years happen during puberty for kids? About u14 or u15 for girls and u16 and u17 for boys? I notice big changes happening at our club during those years.

[Unregistered]

Yeah, we have the UPS driver stepping and fetching delivering boxes of ProActive every week!

[Unregistered]

Do those types of years happen during puberty for kids? About u14 or u15 for girls and u16 and u17 for boys? I notice big changes happening at our club during those years.

Definitely for my U14D this year. It's been building since last year, and she's finally out of that gangly baby giraffe stage and built more muscle. But the coach (same great coach as last year) changed her position and BOOM. It's been fun to watch her blossom.

[Unregistered]

My late bloomer girl had a break out year at u16. Partly due to puberty and partly because the club decided to play her up on a team that played more her style and she excelled.

[Unregistered]

Breakout years can also happen when the kids becomes more confident. So much of soccer happens between the ears, and most people forget that.

[Unregistered]

Breakout years can also happen when the kids becomes more confident. So much of soccer happens between the ears, and most people forget that.

This is the case with ours, good and bad. Last winter, she played with a high-level team and more than held her own. She learned how to act, how to play, and how sloppy play isn't tolerated (i.e. it's not enough to get a pass off toward someone, she learned to give a receivable pass, at the right location, and at the right time).

That carried over to the Spring season and she became a leader. This was a girl who wasn't even on the top team in the Fall (but was on the cusp).

However, it can be fleeting. This Fall, now that she should be considered a leader on the top team, she's not. Change in coaches could be one factor: new coach, new direction, new responsibilities. She's still in the top 1/2 of the team, but it's been more of a struggle this year. Her confidence has taken a hit.

[Unregistered]

This is the case with ours, good and bad. Last winter, she played with a high-level team and more than held her own. She learned how to act, how to play, and how sloppy play isn't tolerated (i.e. it's not enough to get a pass off toward someone, she learned to give a receivable pass, at the right location, and at the right time).

That carried over to the Spring season and she became a leader. This was a girl who wasn't even on the top team in the Fall (but was on the cusp).

However, it can be fleeting. This Fall, now that she should be considered a leader on the top team, she's not. Change in coaches could be one factor: new coach, new direction, new responsibilities. She's still in the top 1/2 of the team, but it's been more of a struggle this year. Her confidence has taken a hit.

Yes it can change in heartbeat. Flying high is easy; it's battling through the low points that's much harder and shows whether a player can really do it long term and into college.

[Unregistered]

Yes it can change in heartbeat. Flying high is easy; it's battling through the low points that's much harder and shows whether a player can really do it long term and into college.

Exactly. If I can point to one bad personality trait for her, is she loves to know. She doesn't always like to learn. Meaning, she gets mostly all A's and always has her hand up first in class, loves to be able to know it all. But, when it doesn't come easy for her, she has a tough time handling it.

Same on the pitch.

I should clarify, I don't necessarily blame the coach. Just that there was a change and a different message she isn't getting yet.

[Unregistered]

Breakout years can also happen when the kids becomes more confident. So much of soccer happens between the ears, and most people forget that.

Breakout year for u15 dd. Factors: 1. Maturity: Addition of a little physicality to her self-developed ball mastery has helped; 2. Commitment: Over the summer she played with girls better than her in some of the programs frequently maligned on TS and took a lesson from their work ethic and tenacity. This got her going to the gym and taking fitness seriously; 3. Confidence: She played in a couple of townie leagues and lit it up against inferior competition; and, (most importantly): 4. Opportunity: Due to "greener pasture" syndrome, about half her team (the "better" half) moved on to bigger McClubs. This created a leadership void that she was ready to fill. (So a big "thank you" to the predatory, great pocket-siphoning and expert-by-accent clubs! They really do serve a purpose for kids who love soccer!)

[Unregistered]

Breakout year for u15 dd. Factors: 1. Maturity: Addition of a little physicality to her self-developed ball mastery has helped; 2. Commitment: Over the summer she played with girls better than her in some of the programs frequently maligned on TS and took a lesson from their work ethic and tenacity. This got her going to the gym and taking fitness seriously; 3. Confidence: She played in a couple of townie leagues and lit it up against inferior competition; and, (most importantly): 4. Opportunity: Due to "greener pasture" syndrome, about half her team (the "better" half) moved on to bigger McClubs. This created a leadership void that she was ready to fill. (So a big "thank you" to the predatory, great pocket-siphoning and expert-by-accent clubs! They really do serve a purpose for kids who love soccer!)

So, breakout year is related to being a big fish in a small pond.

Got it.

[OB1]

I would define a breakout year as that time when the child transitions from a struggling adolescent to a self-confident young adult fully utilizing all of their gifts. The academic and sport systems are setup based on a progression that might not be appropriate for a given child.

My children were all late bloomers (post U16). Patience is needed. We in the US are too short sighted. Other cultures take a much longer view on things. Some of us might be old enough to remember US businesses moaning over loss of business to Japan where the short term is the 5-year plan.

[Unregistered]

To me, it's when she subtly stopped saying "I play soccer" and started saying "I'm a soccer player".

The first, she's a participant in a game. The second, it's how she defined herself.