Clayton starts soccer practice

My grandson began soccer practice yesterday evening. Clinic level soccer. He's 5 years old, big for his age and fairly well-coordinated. He also has a great attitude about competition: he can be focused, tries hard and follows instructions, but can loose with grace. He understands teamwork too.

I know...you think I'm biased because he is my (only) grandchild.

Actually, when my kids were young, I coached youth soccer for about 11 years...including Clayton's mother Jennifer at the clinic level...when she was 5 years old.

Let me predict the season. Remember...this is clinic level. Practice will require great patience from the coaches. They will discover very quickly that the attention span of these young people is less than the length of any practice drill or game. Every parent will react to the shin-guards: they look soooo big on 5-year-old legs, and they occasionally will be twisted to the side. But they will be needed.

I remember at least two games when I sensed too few players on the field. Sure enough, a count came up one player short. Upon looking around, we found the youngest player (I think he was a few months younger than his fifth birthday) on the playground swings. (Can't you just see the smirks on the parents faces?)

The games are predictable too. For the first two games, you will see a mass of kids around the ball, kicking away. It is highly unlikely that even the goalies will not be in this group. Coaches pleading may get them to go stand by the goal for a few minutes, but they will not be able to resist the urge to get back into the action. By about the 3-rd game these goalies will better understand the need to stay by the goal.

Then about the 5-th game, the coach may be able to convince a full-back or two to keep back from the ball. At this point the kids will surprise the coach, their parents and themselves by playing very respectable soccer...for 5-year-olds.

The coach will need to be firm with the parents from the beginning. When I coached (always with Steve, another parent), we deferred the coaching of our own kid to the other coach. We also told the parents that we wanted positive cheering from the sidelines, but no negative comments directed toward the kids (their own child, or any member of either team)...or the referees. We asked the parents to approach us with any concerns and comments. This approach worked very well...except with my own wife, the mother of my kids. I think that Marya even got a yellow card or two over the years.

I will fight the urge to get involved with the coaching...parents need to do this.

I praise God and thank Him for opportunities for children to grow and for the adults committed to nurturing and developing young people.

Don