WHAT IS A PERFECT SUMMER FOR YOUNG SOCCER PLAYER?

With summer approaching, we’d like to share our insights on what makes for a productive and enjoyable summer for youth soccer players. While every player’s experience is unique, influenced by their energy and passion for the sport, we believe there are four key areas parents should focus on when planning their child’s summer activities. Here are our recommendations to help ensure a well-rounded and fulfilling summer for young soccer enthusiasts:

Soccer camps as a way to improve

The fact is that the majority of young players will participate in some soccer camps this Summer.

There are several benefits of attending a Summer soccer camp:

• Exposure to Diverse Coaching Styles: Attending a summer camp introduces players to different coaches, offering new perspectives and techniques. Even if players are fond of their team coach, this variety can enrich their experience and broaden their skills.
• Intensive Skill Development: Camps provide a concentrated training environment where players spend significantly more time with the ball each day compared to regular training sessions. This intensive focus often leads to noticeable improvement by the end of the camp.
• Social Interaction: Camps are great places for kids to meet new peers, potentially forming lifelong friendships. This social aspect is especially valuable for young players, enhancing their enjoyment and engagement with the sport.

However, it’s important to also consider the potential negative effects of camps:

• Heat and Outdoor Conditions: Most camps are held outdoors, and summer temperatures can be extremely high, especially in places like Colorado. It’s crucial to ensure players stay well-hydrated, get enough rest (including sufficient sleep), and have proper recovery time between camp days. Parents should monitor their child’s fatigue levels and be prepared to adjust the amount of training if necessary, even if it means some inconvenience regarding money or scheduling.
• Potential for Negative Experiences: Sometimes, a child might have a negative experience due to issues with coaches, other players, or other factors. Parents can help turn these negative experiences into valuable lessons by responding quickly and discussing concerns with the coaching staff. While camp organizers strive to provide a positive experience for all participants, they often need parental input to address specific needs and ensure each child has the best possible experience.

Competitive games/tournaments in Summer

We are referring to any type of competition where scores are kept and teams are ranked, such as traditional tournaments, 3v3 competitions, or Futsal tournaments. Here are a few important considerations for your child participating in these tournaments during the summer:

• Physical and Emotional Exhaustion: Competitive tournaments are not only physically demanding but also emotionally taxing. Ensure players stay fresh and balanced. Summer is a unique time without the usual demands of school and team soccer, both of which are also emotionally demanding. We recommend keeping summer emotionally distinct for your player to prevent burnout.
• Risk of Injury: While any physical activity carries some risk, competitive games can lead players to push their limits, sometimes risking injury to themselves or others. Additionally, tired bodies are more prone to injuries, especially in the later stages of a tournament. Monitor your child’s condition and ensure they get adequate rest.
• The Fun of Competition: Despite the challenges, tournaments offer the excitement and enjoyment of competition. We recognize this and simply advise being mindful of the number of tournaments to avoid overloading your player.

Activities unrelated to soccer

Summer is a great time to try something new!

• Different Sports: Encourage your child to explore activities like skateboarding, ice skating, acrobatics, or rock climbing.
• Educational Activities: Engage them in learning opportunities such as chess, drawing, or various types of art.
• Adventure Activities: Consider activities like camping in the forest, horse riding, or attending a “nature explorer camp.”

We’re not suggesting your child aims to become a professional artist or horse rider, but these experiences can greatly enrich their lives. They contribute to personal growth, character building, and provide unforgettable memories. Remember, there’s a 99% chance that your 5 or 10-year-old won’t become a professional soccer player, so summer is a perfect time to broaden their horizons with diverse activities!

Vacation and Rest Time

We all remember coming back to school and seeing friends who have grown significantly over the summer. Research shows that rest from physically demanding activities is crucial for young bodies to grow. Additionally, summer provides a wonderful opportunity for families to spend quality time together, more so than during the busy school year. Summer is the perfect time to visit relatives, explore new places, and enjoy the mountains or the beach. One key recommendation: while on vacation, avoid reminding your player about soccer. If they naturally want to play or join a group of kids for a game, that’s great! But don’t push them to practice. Just as you enjoy a break from work on vacation, let your child fully enjoy their time off too.

Conclusions

We’ve highlighted four key areas that we believe can profoundly impact your child’s development, both as a player and as an individual. Parenting involves deciding how much time to allocate to each of these areas. While we can’t prescribe specific ratios for your child, as every child is unique and influenced by various factors, you know your child best and can design the most suitable summer schedule for them. Our collective wish is for your child to begin the new school and soccer year in August as a more accomplished player and person!

SIQ Summer camps

We’d also like to mention that SIQ is passionate about being part of your child’s development journey, offering a variety of camps and training options throughout the summer. What sets our approach apart from many other excellent organizations is our holistic approach to soccer player development. At SIQ camps, players engage in the following activities daily:

• Speed, Agility, and Coordination Exercises: From basic movements for young players to on-ball activities for the more experienced, we focus on enhancing players’ physical abilities.
• Individual Skill Development: Every player leaves our camps with increased confidence on the ball and a diverse repertoire of moves.
• Position-Specific Fundamentals: Each day is dedicated to a specific position or function on the field, starting from defending and progressing to finishing.
• Game-Related Scenarios: Through SIQ’s renowned positional possession games, players improve their understanding of the game. These drills are at the heart of our curriculum, and all SIQ coaches are adept at coaching them.
• Fun and Engaging Homework: Our homework is far from traditional schoolwork! Before each week of camp, we send several entertaining and educational soccer videos for coaches to discuss the topic of the day.

We’re committed to providing a comprehensive and enjoyable experience that nurtures your child’s skills and passion for soccer.

Join the Conversation!

This blog series is meant to be interactive. We invite you to express your opinions, ask questions, and help us create a lively place for community discussion on soccer training. Please remember, there is no single right way to coach—each method has its advantages depending on the coach’s vision and effectiveness in communication.

We look forward to your participation and to cultivating a rich dialogue about soccer training philosophy. Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on our Blog!