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Post by egbbfb03 on Mar 23, 2021 6:28:00 GMT -5
Morning folks.
My son plays on 2nd level team for our club. My understanding from coaches is son is very technical and understands the game well but one thing holding him back is his size. No problem and I tend to agree. His leg strengrh at his age U14 is just not there yet.
Question to the board......he weighs just about 91 lbs and some kids on his team are 140-150 lbs. He understands this but wants to focus on getting his kicking stronger. How much of this difference in leg strength is due to his size (vs. 150 lb kids) and how much is the actual technique of how you kick the ball?
He kicks the ball fine but he wants to work on kicking harder. Do we focus on weight training for his legs/core or focus more on technique? Any suggestions appreciated.
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Post by slickdaddy96 on Mar 23, 2021 6:52:27 GMT -5
First off I will assume your kid is at least 13. That is the minimum age most doctors say they should start weight training. My kid is in a similar boat though his kicks are fine, he just isn't as big as most center backs normally are. That doesn't hurt him in club as he plays mostly full games still, where it hurts him is playing as a freshman on the JV team where there are 2 sophomore/juniors and 2 bigger freshman on the back line, and thus he is getting minimum playing time just based on his size when he has better soccer IQ and technique than at least 2 of them if not 3 of them. He has started working out and using protein powders and has already gained 6 pounds of muscle mass. He is working with a family member that knows what he is doing and could be a personal trainer if he wanted to be. I am so far impressed just with the little bit of strength he has gained in just a few months. I hope by Fall and Spring of next season he is big enough where there is no question of size being the issue anymore.
My advice is he needs to work on weight training and the kick will come with that. He seems to be undersized for his age based on my memory of what the kid's on my son's team were at U14. He needs to find someone that knows what they are doing with weight training though, because technique is key when trying to gain muscle mass.
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Post by oraclesfriend on Mar 23, 2021 7:07:42 GMT -5
Certainly CAREFUL weight training and core strengthening will help but that is going to take a fair bit of time (many months) until it would make a difference. If you train technique of the strike that would improve him in a matter of weeks. We did a program with my U13 (at the time) child and got great improvement in about 5-6 weeks and it only got better from there.
Technique is far more important than leg strength when discussing striking. Given his small stature I would work on weight training anyway though because many clubs and coaches will still want to see him be physically strong regardless of anything else (unfortunately).
Check out captainelite.com
They have the technical training my kids have been doing and they have many elite players doing it. It is inexpensive and you don't even need a private trainer.
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Post by cleansheet on Mar 23, 2021 8:45:37 GMT -5
Morning folks. My son plays on 2nd level team for our club. My understanding from coaches is son is very technical and understands the game well but one thing holding him back is his size. No problem and I tend to agree. His leg strengrh at his age U14 is just not there yet. Question to the board......he weighs just about 91 lbs and some kids on his team are 140-150 lbs. He understands this but wants to focus on getting his kicking stronger. How much of this difference in leg strength is due to his size (vs. 150 lb kids) and how much is the actual technique of how you kick the ball? He kicks the ball fine but he wants to work on kicking harder. Do we focus on weight training for his legs/core or focus more on technique? Any suggestions appreciated. I know someone who’s teen wasn’t growing compared to other kids and was short and skinny. They consulted a doctor and gave him HGH This wasn’t done for him to get better at any sport, this was about his life. Eight years later the kid is great and he’s 5’11’’. Don’t take this as a recommendation please. Just a good story. |
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Post by slickdaddy96 on Mar 23, 2021 8:59:49 GMT -5
Morning folks. My son plays on 2nd level team for our club. My understanding from coaches is son is very technical and understands the game well but one thing holding him back is his size. No problem and I tend to agree. His leg strengrh at his age U14 is just not there yet. Question to the board......he weighs just about 91 lbs and some kids on his team are 140-150 lbs. He understands this but wants to focus on getting his kicking stronger. How much of this difference in leg strength is due to his size (vs. 150 lb kids) and how much is the actual technique of how you kick the ball? He kicks the ball fine but he wants to work on kicking harder. Do we focus on weight training for his legs/core or focus more on technique? Any suggestions appreciated. I know someone who’s teen wasn’t growing compared to other kids and was short and skinny. They consulted a doctor and gave him HGH This wasn’t done for him to get better at any sport, this was about his life. Eight years later the kid is great and he’s 5’11’’. Don’t take this as a recommendation please. Just a good story. I would agree if he is severely undersized compared to other kids his age then you definitely should consult a doctor about getting hormone treatment. Nothing wrong with that. Heck Messi had to do it as well. I know several kids that are friend's with my son that are on them due to being extremely small and short. |
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Post by vinrock23 on Mar 23, 2021 11:38:58 GMT -5
I agree with many of the things suggested. Technique is just as important if not more than size. For instance if you look at some Tennis players how they strike and serve the ball it is all rotation, racket head speed, pronation etc. Alot starts from the core. My son studied martial arts from about 7 years old along with playing soccer, not knowing how it would help, but it did along the way. His strike has always been harder than other team mates less injury and longevity of work rate. I believe the constant balance of spare and stretching and kicking bags/dummies sometimes 100's per hour of training helped. All that being said, I believe more so than his legs, his core is most important with the ability to stay stable while kicking helps tremendously. Lots of core training, some body weight exercises (air squats, lunges, burpees, jump rope) also kick a punching bag or freestand bag helps strengthen legs (kicking leg and standing leg) along with muscles around the ankle and knee. strength bands are awesome also. So, that's what I got. Oh yes Zlatan takes martial arts, he has a nice kick!
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Post by ball2futbol on Mar 23, 2021 12:25:19 GMT -5
Have to agree with martial arts especially if natural size/strength is an issue. Core and balance development it creates is difficult to duplicate, coupled with the leg strength, it translates very well to soccer. Never too late either to incorporate the basics!
I wont get into the HGH debate being administered to pre-high school age athletes?! My advice is work with a trainer on explosive weight or resistance training and plenty of protein (powder or natural form)... along with a bowl of pasta every night will do the trick too!
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Post by DunwoodySoccerDad on Mar 23, 2021 12:49:35 GMT -5
With regards to HGH for kids, understand that there is a lengthy process you have to go through in order for a doctor to prescribe it. It's not just "oh your kid is small, thought about HGH? Here's a script." I have a daughter (does not play soccer) who is in month 15 of taking daily growth hormone shots. She started seeing her endocrinologist a good 2 years before the first shot was ever administered. Lots of testing & monitoring of growth to see if it's truly a hormone issue, which for my daughter it was. She's a grown a lot but still short for her age and will continue taking it until she stops growing. It's very expensive but thankfully through health insurance and other discounts it's affordable for us.
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Post by slickdaddy96 on Mar 23, 2021 13:20:50 GMT -5
With regards to HGH for kids, understand that there is a lengthy process you have to go through in order for a doctor to prescribe it. It's not just "oh your kid is small, thought about HGH? Here's a script." I have a daughter (does not play soccer) who is in month 15 of taking daily growth hormone shots. She started seeing her endocrinologist a good 2 years before the first shot was ever administered. Lots of testing & monitoring of growth to see if it's truly a hormone issue, which for my daughter it was. She's a grown a lot but still short for her age and will continue taking it until she stops growing. It's very expensive but thankfully through health insurance and other discounts it's affordable for us. I agree the people I know with kids on it have lots of doctor monitoring and it took years to even get on it, but those kids were really really undersized for their age. |
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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 23, 2021 13:38:12 GMT -5
I'd start with technique and get privates on finishing and striking a ball properly. I know of many big boys, who can't strike a ball for poop.
Then there is the next piece, does he/she have the physical strength to strike a ball during a 60-80 minute match - I've seen this very often, kid in training an warmups, can hit a ball 30 yards with pace, but during a game, after making a run or beating a few defenders, doesn't have the strength to finish properly during a match.
start with privates and technique
and then nutrition - these kids burn calories like madman, most probably don't take in enough calories.
His time will come, these boys grow like weeds, it's inevitable. Then at 9th grade i think boys can get more serious about weights. Upper body strength is just as important as lower body strength.
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Post by onekickpop on Mar 23, 2021 14:22:04 GMT -5
Yikes to this topic! HGH? Protein shakes?
I hate to say it but I will - your kid is perfectly normal. While a bit unorthodox here I will offer my opinion: more functional fitness. Pull ups, box jumps, squats, lunges, reverse walks, jumping rope, hip extensions. In short, bullet proof his body as he grows. Suggestion 2: play other sports. I’ve watched DA/ECNL/private trained/TOCA trained/Eddie Johnson and other trained kids get knocked on their butt, out dribbled, out hustled, and outshot constantly. What is constant are the true well rounded athletes are the standouts here. Kicking the ball hard is great; beating physical defenders with game smarts and reading the field/anticipating passes is better. Some of the best goals I have seen are simply passed into the corners around the goalie. Simple build up plays. We all love that beautiful upper 90 shot but I’d rather see a more high percentage ACCURATE shooter than someone with enough power to tear a net who barely gets one on target.
Let your kid grow as he will. Feed him/her well, plenty of rest, plenty of homework. 140-150 pound 13 year old is not a standard or a requirement although many think it is. And respectfully in my opinion, unless a doctor recommends it for health reasons HGH and other solutions should not even be considered.
Last comment - one of the most creative ways I have seen to work on agility, foot speed and leg strength is simply practicing jumps and flips on a trampoline (having fun). Best of luck to you!
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Post by oraclesfriend on Mar 23, 2021 14:48:28 GMT -5
Yikes to this topic! HGH? Protein shakes? I hate to say it but I will - your kid is perfectly normal. While a bit unorthodox here I will offer my opinion: more functional fitness. Pull ups, box jumps, squats, lunges, reverse walks, jumping rope, hip extensions. In short, bullet proof his body as he grows. Suggestion 2: play other sports. I’ve watched DA/ECNL/private trained/TOCA trained/Eddie Johnson and other trained kids get knocked on their butt, out dribbled, out hustled, and outshot constantly. What is constant are the true well rounded athletes are the standouts here. Kicking the ball hard is great; beating physical defenders with game smarts and reading the field/anticipating passes is better. Some of the best goals I have seen are simply passed into the corners around the goalie. Simple build up plays. We all love that beautiful upper 90 shot but I’d rather see a more high percentage ACCURATE shooter than someone with enough power to tear a net who barely gets one on target. Let your kid grow as he will. Feed him/her well, plenty of rest, plenty of homework. 140-150 pound 13 year old is not a standard or a requirement although many think it is. And respectfully in my opinion, unless a doctor recommends it for health reasons HGH and other solutions should not even be considered. Last comment - one of the most creative ways I have seen to work on agility, foot speed and leg strength is simply practicing jumps and flips on a trampoline (having fun). Best of luck to you! I loved everything you said until the trampoline. Those things keep ortho docs like me in business. ACL tears galore. Broken elbows and forearms and ankles. No thank you. A trampoline is fine if you are a trained gymnast with supervision. At people's home they are money makers for me. We don't have one and never will. |
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Post by onekickpop on Mar 23, 2021 14:59:58 GMT -5
🤣 obviously speaking from experience. Children’s Healthcare knows us by name but it’s not due to the trampoline. Knock on wood when the boys and their friends are out there everyone stays pretty safe.
Negative mark for mention of the trampoline given your professional experience as i can only imagine the injuries you see. The rest of my argument stands. Soccer will not become the sport of 6’4” 225 muscled giants and our kids need to just have fun and train to be fit, strong and well rounded athletes.
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Post by slickdaddy96 on Mar 23, 2021 16:01:55 GMT -5
🤣 obviously speaking from experience. Children’s Healthcare knows us by name but it’s not due to the trampoline. Knock on wood when the boys and their friends are out there everyone stays pretty safe. Negative mark for mention of the trampoline given your professional experience as i can only imagine the injuries you see. The rest of my argument stands. Soccer will not become the sport of 6’4” 225 muscled giants and our kids need to just have fun and train to be fit, strong and well rounded athletes. I don't think anyone here is suggesting make your 13 year old kid 145-150 pounds and use HGH without it being a health thing with an underperforming endocrine system. His kid 91 lbs and that is indeed a bit underweight for a 13 year old kid. They should be at least 100-120 going by average 13 year old. As far as HGH goes most likely people that are on it have consulted an endocrine specialist way earlier in chlidhood, and again no one here is suggesting using it for growth for sports. As far as protein goes. As Soccerhouse said above these kids are burning massive amounts of calories. They are not eating enough to recoup it. I know my kid does not. He doesn't get enough protein so he does indeed drink a protein powder shake (nothing extra in just protein) daily. He is almost 15 and there is no issue with that from the trainer, coach, or his doctor. They agree he is likely not getting enough protein or even calories in general based on his activity level. I think you read into what people are saying a lot more than what they are meaning. No one is going to jeopardize their kid's health to make them better at a sport man. |
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Post by rifle on Mar 23, 2021 17:59:59 GMT -5
Sounds to me like the boy needs some puberty. And there ain’t a thing you can do except give him time. Being in the 2nd team is fine at this point. Myself and my two sons had a drivers license before puberty and it can be frustrating when the rest of the team/class/world is ahead of you. But it’ll happen when it happens. Anything you can do in the meantime to improve technique would be helpful.
Watch some videos of Ederson if you want to know how to strike a ball.
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Post by bogan on Mar 23, 2021 18:09:19 GMT -5
I was thinking anabolic steroids, HGH, along with trampoline practice at home everyday while playing with lawn darts. Sorry-had to.😜
Seriously, my son is behind as well...he’s 14.5 and has just lost the last 3 of his baby teeth. Playing U-13 he was 85 pounds and had to drink protein shakes to gain weight 3x a day (doctors orders). He’s now 123 lbs and getting taller (5’6”). He will never be tall because his parents aren’t but he’s skillful and his athleticism will catch up. Kids just develop differently.
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Post by BubbleDad on Mar 23, 2021 21:25:13 GMT -5
I started weight training with my daughter at U14. Here is a great regiment that helps build muscle and cut down on injuries:
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Post by soccerspin on Mar 23, 2021 23:08:32 GMT -5
100lbs is 50th percentile for a 13 yr old boy. 91 lbs is not that far off - maybe 25th percentile. What’s most important about a child’s growth is their trajectory which is tracked from birth. So long as it doesn’t have a significant plateau or sharp moves up or down, there’s not likely an issue.
Completely agree with earlier comments regarding calories. Between being a teenager and playing a high intensity sport like soccer, it’s extremely difficult to get enough calories. Pump in as much as you can.
My kid is also on the smaller end and will likely be a late bloomer like one of his parents. 😉 He strikes the ball better than kids bigger than him. So while strength is important, technique is essential.
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Post by krazykickers on Mar 28, 2021 21:45:30 GMT -5
Be proactive now. Set up an appointment with an endocrinologist ASAP. An endo will not and should not start any medical interventions with your son until the age of 14 but the doctor will need preliminary stats of weight and height to see if there has been any growth. At 14 the Endo will order tests for testosterone levels, etc. Most boys at age 14 will have @ 400ngs of testosterone but my son had less than 5ngs of testosterone. Moreover the LSH which signals the male to make testosterone was broken for my son. His body could not and would not be able to produce testosterone. By the age of 14 he had not grown for 3 years, had zero muscle and low endurance. When a child with less than 5ngs of testosterone goes against another male with 400ngs of testosterone, it’s like matching a ladybug vs a Ferrari. My son had testosterone shots for a year. He’s 6’2 now. And a beast. If you wait, time will pass your son by. It will not hurt to see an endocrinologist.
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Post by egbbfb03 on Mar 29, 2021 8:48:34 GMT -5
Appreciate all of the insight and suggestions. Very good stuff.......
I think for now we are going to keep it simple and focus on technical work and weight training.
I appreciate the insight regarding HGH and all of that. This is certainly not a knock on HGH but I just don't think "we" (our family) want to go down that path right now.
Best of luck to all your kids.....
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