Working the ball vs. giving it the big boot

garageoffice wrote:

haterinho wrote:Agree with this 100pct. There are really good possession teams, and really good direct teams, but the most dangerous teams have the personnel and skill to do both and can switch on demand as needed.

This is exactly what I would expect.  A truly good team should develop the skill and soccer IQ to possess the ball consistently combined with the athleticism to compete 50/50 and take advantage of direct opportunities.  Also, I would expect there are plenty of times that one style or the other would be more effective against a given team.

And you would be correct.  The best teams can and do adapt.  As simple as it sounds, the teams with the better players most often win.  We can discuss tactics all day, and I would, but it really comes down to the quality on the field.  How you define quality is another matter.

Passing, like anything in soccer, should be done purposefully, and the purpose will necessarily change with the context.

In competitive soccer coaches succeed by winning games.  At younger ages while few girls possess much in the way of ball skills, the easiest way to win is to match off your most athletic girls against the opponent's weakest.  Kick the ball into the front third and let your bigger, faster forward outrun the defenders to the ball.  This isn't a good long term strategy but helps the coach post W's and recruit the better players.  The cream rises to the top.  

At the same time, the girls are gaining skills and those opponents are starting to put some talent on the defensive end.  The Kickball teams start losing a few more games each season.  Those coaches who focus on skill development start winning a few more.  At some point, we reach a tipping point,  probably somewhere around puberty when physical development advantages narrow.  The possession driven teams start finishing on top and they start pulling in the better athletes.  The Kick Ball teams start folding or playing in the lower divisions.  Cream still rises to the top and quality is narrowed to fewer teams.

The key to me is to find a coach that will give maximum playing time to  your daughter while requiring use of newly developed skills.  While you want your kid to play at the highest possible level, the key word is play.  Watching other girls play 50 minutes a soccer game is not going to build a better soccer player for the future;  a better volleyball or basketball player maybe.  But not a soccer player.