Summer Break... What to Do?

When you look over the upcoming Cape soccer calendar, once Beach Blast is over, there's about one month for everyone to take a break and enjoy the great resort areas that we are surrounded by.  This is a good opportunity to relax both the body and mind so things are fresh again once we begin youth team training on Aug. 4.  Sometimes we tend to forget it's not only the players who need a break, but also the surrounding support system of coaches, trainers, and parents.

I get a lot of different requests/questions from trainers/parents/coaches regarding what they should be doing in the summer to keep their game sharp for the next season.  My responses are very different because each age group is unique in what direction they should move in preparing themselves for the Fall. 

U8-U10:  The very young want to enjoy being a kid at the shore.  As long as they take a ball out at least once a week to keep somewhat of a touch and want to attend a soccer camp for a few days in the summer, it's probably enough to keep them up to speed as well as  make them anxious to return in the Fall.

U11 & U12:  They are beginning to get into the game a bit and feel they want to do more in terms of the game.  I would encourage this group to have a parent or parent-coach organize one night per week to just play; more of a "street soccer" environment.  Give them an idea where and when to show up, divide the numbers, set up small sided 3v3/4v4 games and let them play pretty much unsupervised other than making sure things are safe for all involved.  Do not try to teach them.  Let them discover.

U13 & U14:  If they haven't already done so, they will be going through other physical and social changes.  Soccer is there, but it may not be the most important thing on their minds.  Good time to get some beach soccer games going and mixing the social and soccer activities.  For the serious player, they should be looking to definitely play some small sided street soccer at least once a week as well as attend a soccer camp to keep sharp for an important upcoming Fall season where they may be training and playing for both school and club.

Varsity Players:  They have probably already begun HS captain practices and are probably going at least twice a week until the official start of HS practices in late summer.  They really don't need much more, otherwise burnout will begin to take it's toll.  We also have to keep in mind that a lot of these players also play other sports and are trying to balance the demands of other coaches who say this is their season.  Keeping things fresh is a very delicate balancing act at this age for sure.

Above all, coaches and parents should resist the urge to attempt to push their players/children to keep working at maximum effort without allowing them to enjoy being a kid at the shore! No one can do this 12 months out of the year without experiencing some form of burnout.  I've always said that even on the professional level, they have about a month off in both winter and  summer to allow for both body and mind to rest and re-energize.

Enjoy the World Cup Games!!

Charlie