Some parents may be rightfully concerned about having their kids playing with older kids. Especially if you have a kid that’s a goalkeeper. Even though soccer is a contact sport it’s not that much of a contact sport to the point where you’d be too worried about having your kids playing with older ones. Except for the goalkeeper who has to deal with harder shots and potentially getting checked back into the goal after trying to collect a high ball. I’ve recently been doing a lot of research when it comes to goalkeeper development. Ultimately I do get the sense that we have to find a middle ground. Particularly when it comes to the challenges that we’re putting our kids up against. Especially in the earlier stages of development.
I’m going to try and explain what I just said in a practical manner. I’m still from the generation that was told to man up. Playing with older kids was a badge of honor. You had to deal with harder shots than the ones that you were used to. Not backing down from contact particularly in those 1v1 situations was also a teaching point. If you get knocked back you need to take it on the chin and keep coming back. Just because I come from that doesn’t mean that I agree 100% with the way things were. Like I said there needs to be a balance and coaches should manage it. If coaches can’t manage it I do believe this can be one of those moments where it makes sense for parents to step in and bar their kids from playing with others above their age level.
Benefits Of Having Kids Play With Others Above Their Age Group
There are going to be benefits to punching up in weight classes. The first thing that I would point out as an advantage is this idea of leveling up competition. Generally speaking older kids are going to have a better understanding of the game. This can translate into things like game speed and obviously this ability to hit better and harder shots. Having your kids go up against better competition on a consistent basis is always going to be something that’s bound to help them improve their game. Apart from the harder shots this step up in competition can help kids get a sense of what the “next level” looks like. So let’s say for example you have a kid who’s getting ready to go to high school in about a year.
If they are able to play with kids who already play at the highschool level for a good amount of time before they get there, there’s a better chance that they’ll be ready to play as freshmen. Since they’re going to be used to playing at that level already. With younger kids it can be a bit more difficult to quantify the benefit. The concept is pretty much the same. I would say it’s not great to get thrown into the deep end at a higher level of competition. Seeing that higher level of play in practice before every stepping into a real game is going to again help them mature. Also, when the time comes and they step into a higher age group they’ll be more confident because they’ve seen a higher level of play before.
Cons Of The Decision
We can’t lose sight of the fact that in certain situations you are putting a kid at a higher risk of injury when they are competing against bigger stronger kids. Especially if the younger child does not have the right technique to be able to handle some of the more powerful shots. That’s really my main concern. Especially if you’re going to put them in a training scenario, which is what I would recommend starting out in. I’d never put smaller kids into a full contact game scenario with older ones if I’ve never thrown them out there in training. Before putting them out there in training, now specifically speaking about goalkeepers, I’d need to be confident as a coach that the smaller kid has decent enough technique to not get hurt.
What happens is that the shots that are going to be coming in should have more power behind them than what these kids will see within their age group. More powerful shots and a poor technique puts kids at a higher risk of injury. The next step is obviously the game scenario. That also presents a higher risk of injury particularly in high ball situations. So in this case with shorter skinnier kids I may feel comfortable putting them out there in training with older kids. What I would limit is the full contact plays. I wouldn’t want them in a jump ball with someone who has a significant weight and height advantage. That’s always going to end up bad.
Some Kids Will Be Able To Handle It Others Won’t
This is basically part of the same idea that I’m putting forward. A lot of times whether or not a kid is going to be able to compete in another age group has less to do with age and more with technique and physicality. In fact, both coaches and parents can make a mistake thinking that my kid’s big enough they can handle it. It’s not just about how big a kid is or not. If they don’t have the right technique, harder shots are going to be a real danger for them. A lot of times when we have kids in that developmental stage they may look big, but the bones on the inside are going to be just as fragile as any kid their age.
The benefits that you can get from competing at a higher level in my eyes are significant. In fact, I would always recommend that you at least train with people that are above your playing level. What’s going to happen is that you’re going to be able to pick certain things up to add to your game. Ultimately it’s a great way to develop as a player. As a coach and with parents we’d need to sit down and evaluate each situation on a per-case basis. Some kids may be physically ready and ok technique wise, but may not be ready mentally for the challenge. As you move up in difficulty it’s natural to see more shots finding the back of the net. That can take a mental toll on some kids who just may not be ready.
Using The Right Gear Can Help The Transition
Some people may get the sense that goalkeeper gloves only get more expensive because they’re made by some of the more popular brands. Yet, what you can buy for under 20 dollars is going to serve you just as well as the pair of gloves that costs 150. That’s actually kind of true, but that doesn’t mean some gloves aren’t better than others. For example if you’re worried about your kid facing harder shots it could be a good idea to look into buying goalkeeper gloves with finger spines. The extra finger protection may help them both on a literal level and a physiological one. Actually a lot of the injuries or just aches and pains that young goalkeepers get come from a lack of confidence.
What happens is that they’ll be afraid to put their hand behind a hard shot. The worst thing that you can do in that situation is put your hand just softly behind the ball without any real conviction. That’s usually going to lead to a bad outcome because you won’t have enough strength behind the ball to counteract the speed. These gloves that I’m talking about can help boost that sense of confidence. That will lead kids to put their hands behind the ball with more conviction, less fear, and that can prevent more injuries than the gloves themselves. The same concept can apply to elbow and knee pads for kids who play on rough fields. It’s not just that the pads are going to help you out, it’s that you’ll feel more confident when wearing them.
Tips To Make The Decision
If you’re a parent that’s on the fence about making this decision and you don’t feel like you know the game enough I hope for everyone’s sake you trust the coaches around you. Especially if they are the ones that come up to you and let you know that this option of training or playing with older kids is available. Like I said there are benefits to upgrading the level of competition that your kid goes up against. At these early stages one of the best ways to do that is to give them a chance to compete in a higher age group. Having said this, and actually everything that I’ve talked about in this article it’s not a must to go play with older kids.
The thing is, when you’ve got a good young goalkeeper on your hands there’s a good chance that they’ll get asked to participate with older kids. This is just because it’s not easy at all to develop a good goalkeeper. If your kid is all in on goalkeeping and coaches see that they’re going to want him or her to play with them. Even if the team is arguably at a higher level than what your kid should be playing in. When you get to about 14 years old in some places you could find yourself playing in leagues with no age limit. If you have the quality to make the jump it’s a great way to develop quickly as a player. Again, there’s also no shame in not being ready. I’d rather be cautious if you’re on the fence about this decision.
