If you have a team- or soccer-related question that you think other parents on the team might also be interested in, let me know and I'll answer it here.

(Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed here are those of U8 coach Joseph Seeley and do not necessarily represent official club policy.)

Don't kids get bored just practicing and not playing games?

Our training sessions consist largely of short, small-sided games, with rules and field layouts varied to meet a given training objective. We vary field dimensions, the number of players, the number of goals, the number of balls, how one scores, directionality, and more. There are individual challenges, 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, multilateral (such as 2v2v2), and so on. Since one overriding goal is for players to get as many touches as possible, we rarely form teams of more than 4 players for a given game.

So it is true in a sense that all we do is practice, and we have no games with referees and the standard rules. However, our "practice" is all games, light competition, and fun, so I wouldn't say that we are not playing games. And the kids don't get bored.

Isn't this expensive for a "practice squad"?

Think of it as a youth soccer academy, not a practice squad. (See the previous question and answer.)

At $300 for fall, winter, and spring, it comes to little more than $40/month for 7 months. We think it's a great value. You can also pay $120 for a single season, if you just want to try it out or if your schedule won't handle a three-season commitment.

We know that $300 is more than some families can afford. Visit the LISC web site for scholarship information. We want kids playing soccer no matter what the family finances look like.

Can girls play on the U8 team?

Girls are very welcome, and we usually have girls on the U8 squad. At this age, there is little difference between boys and girls athletically.

We do have a U9 girls team. The travel roster for that team is full. However, if you have a daughter who would prefer to train with only girls and whose skill level is high enough, you may want to look into that option. Contact Director of Coaching Mike Kobylinski for more information.

What size ball should my player have?

A size 4 (or even size 3) ball is best for young players. Players do not start using a regular (size 5) ball in games until around age 12.

How does the LISC U8 team relate to the Champaign Park District's Soccer Academy and Micro Soccer?

• LISC provides the trainers and training plans for all three programs.
• LISC handles registration for the LISC U8 team. CPD handles registration for the other two programs.
• LISC U8 players are 6 and 7 at the start of August. Most CPD Micro Soccer players are in kindergarten and 5 years old. CPD Soccer Academy players range from 5 to 8.
• The LISC U8 team practices twice a week for around 10 weeks, for each of the fall, winter, and spring seasons. The two CPD programs meet once a week, for 5 weeks, in the fall and again in the spring. (Micro Soccer meets Saturdays, Soccer Academy on Friday evenings.)

Should my child play in the park district?

Whether to play park district soccer is up to you and your child.

US Soccer Player Development Guidelines (pp. 6-17) discourage organized matches for U8 and below. Skilled young players who dribble and score at will against other youngsters don't benefit much from the experience, and neither do their teammates and opponents. Less skilled players often end up getting very few touches on the ball during games.

On the other hand, if all of the players (on both teams) are having a good time, there's probably no harm. And LISC players and parents who have a good experience in the club while also participating in park district soccer are among the club's best recruiters.

Will there be tactical training?

We do not emphasize tactical training at the U8 level.

At this age, tactical training has little benefit relative to technical training. Without a sound technical foundation, a young athlete finds executing tactical concepts difficult and frustrating. Even players who are technically precocious benefit from improving their ball skills still further. Finally, many players this age are not cognitively ready to learn tactical concepts.

Many of the games we play do present the athletes with on-field problems to solve and decisions to make, and these experiences prepare the athletic mind for the tactical training they will begin to receive at the U9 level.

At the U8 level, the tactical concepts we will emphasize will probably be no more sophisticated than "move after you pass" and "don't take the ball from your teammate." If they're all doing that by the end of the season, they'll be tactically ahead of most U10 players.

Can my child play on an older team?

Some U8 players are on U9 rosters ("playing up") this year, based on their performance at tryouts and the expressed interests of the families. Most or all of these players were on the U8 team last year. In other years, we have kept almost all U8 players off the traveling rosters.

US Soccer Player Development Guidelines (pp. 6-17) discourage organized matches for U8 players, and we have mixed feelings about placing U8 players on a traveling U9 squad.

There is a wide range of skill and attention span among the U8s. This range presents a training challenge. However, we can and will structure training activities and games in ways that put players in competition with players of similar abilities. We do mix in with the U9s from time to time, and we expect to scrimmage against them every few weeks as well.

Don't be in a hurry to hit the traveling soccer road show. It will come soon enough. Spending a year enjoying soccer and making really good friends with the soccer ball will create a solid foundation for later success in the sport.

Do I need to be at practice?

No.

You only need to make sure your child gets dropped off and picked up on time, either by you or by someone else.

May I come to practice?

Yes.

However, you may get drafted into a game or activity if we need a body to make the numbers work out.

Getting drafted is especially likely if you cannot keep yourself from telling your child what to do. If that happens, you will probably be drafted to help out with a group of players that does not include your own.

A popular youth coaching slogan is "the game is the best teacher." Being told what to do while playing takes away the fun. The club tries to keep such instruction to a minimum, and any game-time instruction should come from the coaches.

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