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Post by allthingsoccer on Feb 13, 2015 16:45:22 GMT -5
Over the years, I'm sure we have all been to a tournament or two, three etc.. that seem like they had no clue how to run a tournament. Every so often we get surprised. I'm very impressed with the way SSA handled/ handling the cold weather for this weekends tournament. The communication was/is amazing. Its the small things like communication that goes a long way. Not once do we wonder, are we going to play? When is the game? Are they going to shorten the game? and many more questions that we as parents want/ need to know. Here is an example of what I'm talking about...http://soccer.sincsports.com/TTContent.aspx?tid=COBBCL&tab=4&sub=12&Qual=MISC0010 I hope other clubs see how they communicate and make a positive change. I know a lot more teams will sign up for the next one, not a problem. Anyways, I applaud SSA on how they are running this tournament....and... we are going to kick your butts this weekend Cheers, J4K
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Post by allthingsoccer on Feb 13, 2015 13:37:08 GMT -5
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Post by allthingsoccer on Feb 13, 2015 9:58:48 GMT -5
I just wanted to provide a little more information about the importance of choosing the right goalkeeper glove. Yes, all gloves are not the same.
Did you know the shape of your hand should dictate the Goalkeeper Glove you choose?
A lot of goalkeepers (and parents) make the same MASSIVE mistake and buy a pair of gloves, just because their favorite professional goalkeeper wears them. Please do not do this, because you are most probably buying a glove that is not suitable for your child's hand shape.
I have seen a lot of injuries because the goalkeeper has the wrong size gloves.
Important: When you try on a pair of keeper gloves on, you must feel 200% confident in how they feel on you, if you have any doubt that they do not fit right, or feel uncomfortable DO NOT buy because this glove palm shape is not suitable for your hand.
This help boosts the players confidence 100%!! For a goalkeeper, the most important equipment is his/her gloves. It's our armor for battle.
So with that being said, J4K is touring the soccer tournaments all over the nation and doing free glove sizing. (also selling). We will have all the styles and types of gloves for the keeper to try on. Even non keepers can try them on and get a feel of this special armor keepers hold sacred.
We will be at the Concorde Fire Girls tournament Feb. 21st and 22nd. Our booth will be at GSA- 925 Cole Dr. SW, Lilburn, GA 30047. (the U12 girls location).
We might be at the Concorde boys tournament as well. We will also be at Vulcan Cup Alabama.
We hope to see everyone. If you know a keeper please let them know.
Cheers, J4K
Here are some style types...
Roll Finger Goalkeeper Gloves
The Roll Finger Glove is probably the most popular glove palm for professional goalkeepers and this type of palm is suitable for goalkeepers with thin, slender hands or fingers.
Negative Cut Goalkeeper Gloves
Negative Cut gloves are generally suitable for goalkeepers with broad hands and or fingers.
Flat Palm Goalkeeper Gloves
Flat palms gloves, like Negative Cut goalkeeper gloves are generally suitable for goalkeepers with broad hands and or fingers.
Hybrid Cut Palm Goalkeeper Gloves
Hybrid Cut is normally when the little finger and index finger of the glove is a Roll Finger and the middle two fingers are Negative Cut or Flat Palm. This is normally for keepers who have irregular shaped hands or fingers.
Now the above is just a rule of thumb, and too be honest the only way you will ever know what goalkeeper glove palm is right for your hand, is to try them on.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Feb 12, 2015 14:34:40 GMT -5
Pretty much the same here... Most larger clubs will play other large clubs just for the scheduling benefit. You can always scrimmage. Maybe not the same as an official game but does give you a chance to compare how your team matches up. Sometimes the team manager can help get that ball going (with approval from coach). They can contact the other teams manager and see if they would be interested. Or what ever your coach says to do.
I would like to see a better mix as well.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Feb 4, 2015 17:22:43 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for all your input. J4K Has secured a location and classes begin March 6th! We have an ID Camp all set up in June along with a Keeper War tournament. Keep the suggestions coming. We are looking to open 2nd and 3rd location this year. We are a great value add to any soccer club program. Thanks again everyone and hope to see you at maybe one of the keeper wars. Thanks, Just4Keepers- Georgia just4keepers.com/goalkeeper-coaching-in-georgia/
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Post by allthingsoccer on Dec 9, 2014 12:19:06 GMT -5
Not sure what this means. As for the DA goes. My son is U11 so it sounds that the U12 DA in 2016 wont directly impact his age group, right? He will be U13 by then.
what do they mean by small sided games. I understand what small sided games are but not sure how they will structure it. 4v4, 5v5 academy teams ?? What do you think they mean?
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Post by allthingsoccer on Dec 9, 2014 12:14:29 GMT -5
Thank you for the suggestions. I did try the challenger angle and they have an affiliation with another keeper camp program so it would be a conflict.
If you know of any club in the area that would be interested in us using fields might be the best bet. I can help bring some eyeballs to the club as well as have all concession sales. I might be open to barter. I can supply free gloves to the clubs keepers in trade for use of fields.
It will be heavily promoted. The winners will get an entry to National Championships in Orlando. Winner of the nationals will get a years supply of keeper gear and for the older brackets will get an all exclusive trip to UK to attend an ID camp and even signed to an agency.
The first year won't be huge but the second year will be pretty big once the word gets out.
Thanks again for your suggestions.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Dec 3, 2014 14:07:44 GMT -5
Not sure if this is the right place to post or not. If not, I do apologize in advance.
A good friend of mine, Ray Newland (CEO, Just 4 Keepers) is coming down from the UK to host an ID Camp here in Atlanta. He also wants to have a goalkeeper war tournament.
Does anyone know of a good location to host this event at? One will be in April and another in June 2015. Interested in renting or partnership. It can be with a club, school, or park.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Nov 20, 2014 9:13:01 GMT -5
Soccermom... I did noticed that..lol Looks like someone was doing the match and was like..."need to change that"
More and more tournaments are starting to offer this type of hook.
I hear a national goalkeeper war tournament is coming and they are doing something similar. The national champions will get all inclusive trip to UK to attend a residential ID camp and gear sponsorship.
As the tournament dates get slimmer and more are fighting for registration they will do more of this type of marketing to get the bodies.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Nov 20, 2014 9:01:44 GMT -5
Not sure why the whole 11v11 vs 8v8 is getting to everyone. If a team is ready to start transitioning to 11v11 then why stop them? If you have players that are more suited for 11v11 style then what's the big deal?? What's the difference in "touches" from 8v8 vs 11v11? Most kids guest play with other club teams as well to get touches in. Also some play indoor to get touches. If your player is serious then he/she will do the extra touches it takes. I know the CF team is doing 11v11 for the Norcross tournament as a measure. They did one at the beginning of the year and doing one at the end of Fall to see how they have improved and what to work on during off season. This is the same as 6v6 to 8v8 transition. Most teams at U12 are moving to 11v11 so the CF U11's play a mixed schedule of U11 and U12. In order to play good quality U12 teams then you have to play 11v11 as most of the good U12 teams play 11v11. So that's why the U11 CF team is salt and peppering the 11v11 and 8v8. They also have the depth to do so. Heard a rumor that they might mix the up and coming central team with north to create a super team. The central team in no joke. They have beaten all the top teams in age group. (not the North By end of Spring (only 5/6 months away) the boys will make the transition from 8v8 to 11v11. Go soccer!!
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Post by allthingsoccer on Nov 20, 2014 8:37:47 GMT -5
Good questions...
MLS ATL will for sure shake things big time. I think more for the older kids U14+.
Here's are a few things that may happen...
* No pay to play for Academy level players * More resources put into the success of development. * Better quality coaching (maybe, maybe not) * MLS Brand (more eyeballs for recruitment??)
You will see that most top level players will tryout for MLS Academy. By being on a MLS Academy team does that help you chances of moving up the ranks to MLS??
Other club affiliations...?? Not sure on this one. As a business stand point you could go with the more National brand and that would be Concorde. Atlanta Concorde?? lol... Being that Mr. Blank has a long relationship with the club (and still does) it is possible.
Most MLS clubs from what I have seen have grown from the bottom up. Well have to wait and see.
Cant wait!!
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Post by allthingsoccer on Nov 14, 2014 8:32:10 GMT -5
We moved from Florida to Georgia a year or so ago. Why is it that from U8-U12 (academy) NO off sides??
Yeah crazy... No off-sides at all. It was real hard for my son to make the transition from no offside to the standard w/ off sides. It the strangest thing. We played at Disney and other high level tournaments and no off sides.
Does anyone know why?
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Post by allthingsoccer on Nov 12, 2014 23:05:35 GMT -5
Totally agree that most kids that are "good" from U8-U12 might not be as good when older. Just as the kids that were "ok" are now good. It happens all the time. From U9 to U12 the kids that have played together on a top team by U15/16 you might have two or three from that original team make it or even still play soccer. injury, burnt out, lack of progress, lack of commitment etc, etc, etc.....
Pool system is 50/50 for me. I like a lot of things about both. However, at DA level you have same head coach. Why wouldn't they have a pooling system at that level. Ok I'm thinking out-loud.... from U8-U14 you have a pooled system. No same coach but all different ones. So for 6 years you have how many coaches trying to implement his or her ideals. (Good/Bad). So would a fair guess be 10-15 different coaches over a 6 year stretch??
That to me seems like a really high number of coaches teaching my child. A higher percentage of bad habits being passed on. I don't want to sound harsh but I have experienced this first hand. 3 coaches trying to teach/ train bad habits. It didnt work out so well. I guess what I'm trying to say... it is what it is. Damned if you do damned if you don't. As long as your player is happy and enjoying themselves then its ok....right?...what if the team the player was on wasnt as good as a team that the player can make. Do you help direct that player down the more challenging path or the same "funner" path? When do you step in? Do you step in?
I do know you can not wait too long to get your player good training early. Yes, people always say it's about the touches. I agree 100% but it's also the quality of the touches you do. I have heard/seen horror stories that parents have been through to finally have found the right solution, only to wonder if it wasnt too late.
By U8 these players need to be learning technical. Getting as many "quality" touches as possible. 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 sided games. Street ball style. Have some that are just street ball and others a more guided training.
Unfortunately for us parents it's very hard to "figure" out the best path for our player/s. We still have no clear cut path like the main 3 (Football, Baseball, and Basketball) do. It seems to be still wild, wild west. Florida soccer operates totally different from Georgia soccer...Why is that? Even the rules are different. No major but still different.
I guess the MLS Academy will make things better?
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Post by allthingsoccer on Nov 11, 2014 14:23:05 GMT -5
CF North Black.
I think we have the same Coach.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Nov 11, 2014 12:06:29 GMT -5
Special1-
I agree about the points system. I lived in Europe and South America and they all have a standard league for younger age groups. It is still not about “winning” as they say here in the states but we all know that isn’t everyone agenda.
I’m not sure where this comes from as we are all about “winning”. Winning is everything here in the states. I understand that we don’t put the pressure on the kids to “win” at this young age but society does. It’s all around us. The Little League World Series is for 11-13. Do you think they care about “development” and not winning? Football- Is that not all about winning? Most middle schools offer it. Even youth basketball has a national ranking system. Shoot even my child’s class “wins” if they raise the most money. It seems that soccer here in the states is more focused on development and not the winning mentality it is for the other sports. Why is that?
I have never pushed my child that winning is everything. He has done that all on his own. As do most of the kids that are really competitive. Who came up with that it’s more about development and not winning? I’m just curious.
Btw.. Some clubs in Texas have already started to create leagues with rankings starting at U8, it’s just a matter of time before it will be the norm.
___________________________________________________________________________________
As you move up in age it will get better. CF is not really a pooling type of club. They usually have one team, one coach and sometimes same coach for several years.
I have been in pooling before and I have mixed views. I like in pooling you have different coaches which have different techniques and the player can benefit. I also like that they player has to compete each week for the top team.
However… You might have a great wine but when you blend it together with another good wine you might not always get a great wine. So having multiple great coaches sometimes doesn’t mix well with development. Also, it’s stressful enough for players to want to be on the best team. Why put them through that stress every week. Most want to make the top team every week.
Yes, CF fields are not the best. This really goes for the North branch. I have heard they have made tons of offers with the city but nothing really solid. They are making effort but it is a slow process.
It’s just not CF that cancels practice. This goes for pretty much all clubs. Most clubs do not own the fields they lease/partnership with the county ran fields. So the county will cancel fields not the club.
If this happens I suggest that you figure something out as a back-up. Our team does two options… We do speed and agility indoors or we have an hr practice at an indoor location. Yes it costs extra but worth the extra touches.
Last year we had 4 tournaments cancel on us do to weather…urg!! It’s part of the game here in GA.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Oct 14, 2014 10:50:19 GMT -5
This is crazy. Really. Most of teams from GA said top flight.?? I don't agree at all. If we end up playing the mid level teams from GA I'm going to scream.
Only really 3 teams that should be in top flight at Disney.
The breakdown was 24 teams wished to play or were assigned to the Most Competitive flight - Premier. Due to having more than 16 teams we will have two separate but equally balanced flights of 12 teams each. The flights will be Red and Black which are the colors of ESPN. It does not matter which bracket appears first they will be considered equal.
The remaining 16 teams will be placed in the Championship flight. This follows the format of our Christmas Showcase format.
I do plan on having the schedule released by the weekend.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Oct 14, 2014 10:42:37 GMT -5
I know it's crazy. We see the same thing. We play lots of 6v6, 8v8 and 11v11 between our inter-club teams. More competitive really. Hope Disney provides what we are missing. It better for what we are spending
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Post by allthingsoccer on Oct 13, 2014 13:14:49 GMT -5
I agree that a standard has to be put in place or it will get out of hand. (already is)
The issue has to be addressed for top younger teams to be able to play up an age group or two. Maybe the top 3-5 teams in the age group get invited to play classic at U12. The key word here is invited. This would mean controlled so we don't have the wild wild west and as an earlier post mentioned at U9 for 11v11... (that was funny). Be all kidding aside it is a huge problem. This starts at U10 that the team just plays teams not at same level. How does one develop having 10 games at 9-0, 5-0 etc... They dont.
Soccergator is right that the DOC's must start talking. The DOC's of the top teams need to talk and agree to play one another at the very least and then talk about the future of those top teams. Challenge them as a player and as a team. If that means have them play one another twice a season and then play a few top teams an age level up so be it. We only play one team in the top 5 for our age group and the other one already cancelled. Why schedule us to play teams that we have to go a man down or play keep away. Urg! Sorry just really frustrated. We pay a small fortune to help develop our kids and the club/ league does nothing. I know I'm not the only one for sure.
The standard isnt just GA soccer btw... My son played U7-u9 academy in Florida and they didnt even have off-sides.... Craziest thing ever. We have no set standard at all for soccer. Yes much easier to have a state standard but we are a long ways away from a unified big picture.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Oct 13, 2014 8:25:04 GMT -5
soccergator... not sure where you heard that from but if thats the case then I'm all for it. The U12 boys are killing C2 and moving to C1. How can you hold a team back from further development? So the U12 team shouldnt have moved to C2? Last year they should stayed playing 8v8 all year round?? How is that benefiting the development of the player.
Even this year we have one or two teams in U11 that are not developing as a team and hurting player development. So 9-0, 13-0, 7-0 games are really what we want for our kids. I heard that the North black team took a player out (played a man down on purpose) and they still won 9-0.
DOC's are already doing it. You already have 4 or 5 U12's playing classic.
It's hard to schedule if no one wants to play you. I know this is true for two top U11 teams.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Oct 13, 2014 8:08:07 GMT -5
I'm all for it.
I mean my sons team is a top U11 team and we already play up and play U12's 2nd teams. When we play our age group its not even fun or beneficial for growth. Maybe 1 or 2 games out of the season will be close in our age group. Even then, when we play, up the games are still 5-0, 4-1 etc... They can't play top level U12 because the top U12 are already playing and scheduled. So it's getting harder and harder to get good solid games. The only way is to go play in tournaments which is a huge extra cost.
The top U12 team is playing C2 and is moving to C1 in spring. We are switching to 11v11 in Spring and going into C2 next year just to get better comp.
GA hasnt dropped the ball. 11v11 is all around us. The Disney showcase for example has 2x U12 11v11 divisions. They are under the U13 tab. And most other top tournaments are doing this as well in other states. The time to control it has past. If the largest tournaments in the US are opening the doors for 11v11 in U12 then most clubs will push for it.
So if most top U12 teams are 11v11 then what's happening is that the top U11 teams are splitting 8v8 and 11v11. If they have the numbers some U11 teams are playing 11v11 in Spring to get ready for Classic 2/3 the following year.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Oct 10, 2014 12:26:23 GMT -5
Academy level soccer from U9-U12 should give all players an opportunity to play. 50% of play time as mentioned before is the minimum requirements.
You may run into some cases that some players will play longer than others. I recommend that you speak with the coach in private. I would do it in a way that he/she wont get offensive but understands your concerns. Most of the time they will respond well.
Our coach rotates players around to give them an opportunity to play different positions. We also have some players that play a full 100% but with that being said our coach has put other players in instead and it quickly changes the score of the game. Yes, it's about development but also soccer is a big business. If you are the top team for age group it's hard to juggle and stay really competitive. You want to recruit more talent for future and unfortunately the main way to do that is win. Catch 22 for sure.
As for full time goalkeeper... I'm open for it. I mean during regular team practice most should be working as a field player to keep up with technical aspects. Maybe time to time in goal if a drill requires a goalkeeper. This will also help the player gain respect from others on the team which is really important. The goalkeeper should also do more specialized training. Provided by the club or a goalkeeper academy.
Also, some clubs will allow the keeper to play as a guest player on other club teams. My sons plays full time keeper for his ages groups top team and then plays as a field player for the 2nd or 3rd team. He loves it! I would see if this is an option for your child. Its a win win for your child. I'm not saying every week but if you can get 5 or 6 games during the season it will make a huge difference in your child.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Sept 26, 2014 14:41:06 GMT -5
Well the players will have options...
If you don't make or want to go to MLS then be a star at club and DA. Lots to think about.
Do you think the quality of coaching is going to be better at MLS than what we have now at club? Not too sure about that. Why bring over a coach from England to train our kids. They havnt produced a solid WC team in years. Some of the coaching is real solid.
I think the MLS will hire local coaches as well. Some great local coaches.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Sept 26, 2014 11:51:34 GMT -5
I agree that is great for soccer in Georgia. Its great for players as well. It's going to be real hard for the current clubs to keep the best talent for sure.
I have heard similar chatter about the USDA as well. This is really going to stir the pot for sure. I can understand that they are trying to create a set standard of MLS development but this is a little confusing. This really makes it hard for a parent to figure out what the best direction to go.
So you will have MLS Academy League and a Development Academy League. I'm sure you wont be able to play both..lol...
They really need to figure out this College thing out. Sure they develop the players from U? to U18/19. What happens after?
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Post by allthingsoccer on Sept 25, 2014 15:09:48 GMT -5
This thread is to discuss opinions about Atl MLS Academy and what it means for local clubs, players, and coaches.
Will the top coaches bring their teams over as a bargaining chip? How will it shape the landscape of GA soccer? Will it be free for top players? How did other MLS Academy teams effect local markets?
As a parent, what are your concerns?
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Post by allthingsoccer on Sept 20, 2014 7:30:04 GMT -5
Top U11 teams are already playing 11v11.
Most will play 8v8 in Fall and then play a sprinkle of 11v11 in Spring. Then go full 11v11 at U12. Keep in mind this is usually the top 5 in the state follow this kind of schedule. It has a lot to do with being able to recruit more top players.
I think it's fine for the top teams to do so if they can. Why hold back a team to play 8v8 when they clearly can advance skill level at 11v11?
The only thing I think is a huge disadvantage is for the keeper. Much bigger ball and the goals...lol have you seen a U11 keeper in the big goals... Most cant even touch the cross bar. Keep in mind that top U11 keepers already train with the #5 and in bigger goals just for this reason.
I think it's going to be real hard for GA Soccer to even try and control U11 playing up to U12 11v11 and then moving to Classic 2/3 the following year. I see it as a clear path for the boy/girls.
If they can compete at a higher level why stop them? We should be encouraging this growth... Maybe one day it will bring us the CUP.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Sept 18, 2014 11:01:47 GMT -5
Yep GA has some of the best players and coaching for sure. TFCA is a strong team/club (I think a good DA as well). Tampa has a strong team at this age group and south fl as well. Its going to be tough battles for sure.
Teams have a huge advantage in having a full time keeper. I see it as well and you’re right, you can see who is full and who is not.
More and more parents are getting more "specialized" training for their youngster. This has been in the past a huge oversight by the clubs.
As a parent, you of course you want the best for your child. The keeper position is the most complex of all. He/She must do regular team training and be at the same level as the other field players. At the same time learn this new “specialized” position. Wow that’s a lot for a 10/11 year old and my hat goes out to the player.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Sept 18, 2014 10:08:02 GMT -5
Agree... The top 4 for sure would make it in. I heard the same about the new central team... Should be interesting on how all the brackets will be set. Going to be great for the boys to play top level teams all weekend long. Can't wait to watch some good match ups.
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Post by allthingsoccer on Sept 17, 2014 20:09:40 GMT -5
Wonder when they will post accepted teams. How many U11 team's from GA made it? Norcross, SSA, and Concorde??
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