Thoughts on summer training for academy?

What is everyone thought on the training that should be done during the summer months...

I'll take a stab at this. The following is just my opinion:

Establish a three month (summer months) skills plan with a skills coach meeting once a week. Player should work on skills on her own between sessions. Skill session should be a recap of previous week to show progress, and added new challenges/skills for the next week to work on. Also, depending on age, shows player it's her responsibility to improve, no one else can do it for her.

Visit as many coaches and clubs as possible during summer, maybe one a week. Find out coach/club philosophy. Interview the coach. Example: does the coach encourage 1v1, dribbling until pressured, or quick pass. Coach's position on visiting other teams/coaches during academy season? depending on age group, intentions for Select. playing time philosophy?

Attend one summer camp. Make sure two weeks of no soccer is planned during summer. Sometimes absence from the game increases passion for the sport and also a break allows some recuperating and shows that soccer is kept in perspective.

Play 1v1 with your daughter and have family play together, it keeps the fun in the game and creates great bonding with your daughter in the sport.

soccerallday17 wrote:What is everyone thought on the training that should be done during the summer months...

Keep practicing with your team and play as much as possible. Tournaments, 3v3, futsal, indoor, pick up, playing at the park. The kid needs to get their ball get outside and play. Use the time away from a season to "have fun" playing soccer. Forget the skills coaches and running from team to team. Pic a dribbling move that you always wanted to do and work on it until you get it down. Watch some games, see the greats pull of their moves on youtube and have some fun immitating your favorite players. Summer is not an off season it is a season to be a kid, play and learn to love the beautiful game

Tiki-taka wrote:I'll take a stab at this. The following is just my opinion:

Establish a three month (summer months) skills plan with a skills coach meeting once a week. Player should work on skills on her own between sessions. Skill session should be a recap of previous week to show progress, and added new challenges/skills for the next week to work on. Also, depending on age, shows player it's her responsibility to improve, no one else can do it for her.

Visit as many coaches and clubs as possible during summer, maybe one a week. Find out coach/club philosophy. Interview the coach. Example: does the coach encourage 1v1, dribbling until pressured, or quick pass. Coach's position on visiting other teams/coaches during academy season? depending on age group, intentions for Select. playing time philosophy?

Attend one summer camp. Make sure two weeks of no soccer is planned during summer. Sometimes absence from the game increases passion for the sport and also a break allows some recuperating and shows that soccer is kept in perspective.

Play 1v1 with your daughter and have family play together, it keeps the fun in the game and creates great bonding with your daughter in the sport.

Tiki, your last point is spot on! Play a little family street soccer. The best experience is a heated battle of street soccer with your DD. Off the back curve balls in play.