When kids are young, they need to play all positions

I think the OP is missing a very basic principal here in that you can play any child you want in any position and you want but their success to a greater or lesser extent relies on the skills they have. The skills are the fundamentals or the building blocks and their playing time gives them the intelligence and experience to play.


Gilly said:
That's all well and good, but you force kids into positions they don't want to be in and they'll stop playing.

Every so often giving them experience in a different position is OK, but forcing them to play all positions for their own good is a false economy
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Absolutely bang on. I can speak from some experience of this having coached a set of kids from the age of 5 and are currently 7. And being a qualified FA Coach. Out of our group of 15 players I have one kid who I could play in "Defence", "Midfield" or "Attack" Not positionally as a centre mid or Right Back but just in a role. When they start hitting 9,10 & 11 you have a better idea of where you could play them. The OP should remember that Positional play is mainly there to facilitate tactics and nothing more.

At a very early age, footballing kids should have as much time as they can being coached in small sided games where they get as much time on the ball as they can. That helps the develop the ability to attack, dribble and defend etc etc etc. Other than Goalkeeper I wouldn't dream of trying to coach a player into a position, nor would I agree that forced positional sense makes a better all round player.

Fernando Torres, isn't currently the best number nine in europe(arguably the world) because at the age of 7 he was stuck in net. He is that because he has been given the skills and week in week out those skills were put up against the best defenders in his age group
 
Loki said:
IFernando Torres, isn't currently the best number nine in europe(arguably the world) because at the age of 7 he was stuck in net. He is that because he has been given the skills and week in week out those skills were put up against the best defenders in his age group
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It's funny you say that. He actually was a keeper as a kid untill he took a shot in the face which knocked his 2 front teeth out :p
 
BaZ87 said:
It's funny you say that. He actually was a keeper as a kid untill he took a shot in the face which knocked his 2 front teeth out :p
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Maybe it does work this way. Stick a potentially great striker in the net and let them learn the psychology/movements of a goalkeeper, so when they come up against them then can decide in an instant which way the keeper might go or what he might do and increase their chance of slotting past them. :)
 
He was about 5. I don't think he was concerning himself with psychology or movements of a goalkeeper. He probably just liked jumping in mud :p
 
foz2000 said:
Gomez of spurs used to play up front and then changed to be a keeper at 18.
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And so did Schmeichel. So what? You're talking minor cases.
Rooney was brought up to be a forward and is now one of the most highly regarded in World football, if he wasted his time in all other positions you think he'd be the same player?

Jack of all trades, master of none comes to mind.
 
NokkonWud said:
Total Football then?
What have the Dutch ever won?

Absolute nonsense. Train kids in positions.
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The population of the netherlands is 16 million, now compare that to some
of the most sucessful national teams:

Brazil - 200M
Italy 58M
Germany - 82M
Argentina 40M
France - 61M

How many other countries have such a good talent to population ratio?
 
Kids should play all positions on the pitch up until around 14-15.

There is no way that at 10 when their bodies are still growing that they know what sort of player they are going to be strongest as in 10 years time.
 
BaZ87 said:
On form tonight aren't you, you cheeky ****er :p
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A'Thank-you.

ManOfTheYear said:
The population of the netherlands is 16 million, now compare that to some
of the most sucessful national teams:

Brazil - 200M
Italy 58M
Germany - 82M
Argentina 40M
France - 61M

How many other countries have such a good talent to population ratio?
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Doesn't really matter. All those countries play other sports in massive numbers, the Dutch only have Football!
 
ManOfTheYear said:
Kids should play all positions on the pitch up until around 14-15.

There is no way that at 10 when their bodies are still growing that they know what sort of player they are going to be strongest as in 10 years time.
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I disagree, I knew a lad who at 10 and 11 was superior to the kids who were 15-16 in goal. Sadly he moved away from the area I lived and we lost all contact. I can only think he gave up because he definitely could have made it.

Quite bizarrely, my friend who made it as a lower league professional footballer on Right-Wing/Center-Midfield was always a far superior goalkeeper throughout school :p.
 
NokkonWud said:
And so did Schmeichel. So what? You're talking minor cases.
Rooney was brought up to be a forward and is now one of the most highly regarded in World football, if he wasted his time in all other positions you think he'd be the same player?

Jack of all trades, master of none comes to mind.
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I actually meant that gomez should've stayed up front rather than going to be a keeper cuz he's shi**
 
ManOfTheYear said:
Kids should play all positions on the pitch up until around 14-15.

There is no way that at 10 when their bodies are still growing that they know what sort of player they are going to be strongest as in 10 years time.
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Wrong and flawed.

Give them the skills and they can play in multiple positions. Just playing in different positions does not expose players to better skills or better standards of coaching
 
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