Left Footed

Something I should have looked into long before now. Does anyone know of a club or specific coach that knows how to develop and utilize left footed players? I had believed that as players developed with age or if playing at the highest level (arguably) like USSDA, that being a left foot dominant player would be advantageous, however it remains a source of frustration for my DD and probably moreso for me. It's my current experience at U14 and even U15, players play and coaches coach to right sided play. I understand players naturally wanting to defer to their strong side, but what about the coaching aspect?

There used to be a club called left foot soccer, that I assumed focused on the left foot but I don't think they're around anymore.

I know what you mean. While not in DA, DD's current coach uses her on left side because she can use both well, but seems like the ball always stays on left side.

soccerjack wrote:There used to be a club called left foot soccer, that I assumed focused on the left foot but I don't think they're around anymore.

Never heard of 'em.

LFS- folded into Solar a while back. Name came from brek Shea’s art studio.

Some may not recognize them if their kid didn't play on a top team in the old 04 age group.

From The Official NTX Coaching Manual:

If a left-foot player shows up at your tryout, put her out on the left flank in scrimmage. This is the best position to observe her movement without the ball since she certainly won't touch it out there.

Proceed with all standard right-foot shooting and dribbling drills. Tell her repeatedly she needs to improve her weak foot.

If she or her parents request to play centrally, laugh heartily. Then place her at left back.

Two options:

1. Contact JK at Solar who developed LFS. You will more-than-likely receive a 6 page (if printed) email on all the tips, tricks of the glorious left footed Barca way.

2. Declare your DD's gender status is undetermined at this point. Then take Ze (pronoun intended) to a boys academy where they will have the $, coaches and possibly politically correct bias to develop a budding left footed star.

Interesting question. I have a U14 DD that is left footed. She has had quite a few coaches thru the years with all stressing the need to be able to play equally with both feet. As have the coaches for my son who is right footed. They still have their dominant side, but are more than willing and able to use the other. Sorry to hear that your daughter hasn’t found that coach.

It always seems to me that the ball stays on the attacking left of the field because everyone who is right-footed is naturally kicking the ball that direction.

That said, we used to thrive just because we had a strong left-footed player to 'surprise' the other team with crosses. So, it seems a coach would want to coach specifically to utilize the left-footed player. It is hard for these kids to adapt on the fly to combat it.