Thursday, September 17, 2009

Why Little League Is Better Than Youth Soccer








Now, let's look at Little League baseball.









1 comment:

  1. Intersting post. But the game is not the problem; it is the way it is it treated. Important variable to note here: soccer is not an american sport, but, as the rest of the world knows, it is extremely simple to play, and requires very, very little resources. In many parts of the world, all you need is a little bit of space, with a relatively round (soft) object (in places of deep poverty, a ball of rags does just fine). With this, you have the world's most popular sport. Note that in the rest of the world there are also two things you often dont have in the states: coaches who actually have played, or who know the technicalities of play and position; and exposure, via TV or simply hours of creative play, to high quality stuff that a young kid then goes out and spends hours trying to perfect. In the US, kiddie soccer is often coached by parents as glorified baby sitters--not wanting to be harsh here, but most coaches are parents who have never played, or played very little, or who have a low view of the game anyway. Kids who play are rarely treated to high quality stuff to look at and emulate (too much competition from other US sports, sorry)--soccer is something done in their spare time. And I can tell you form experience, there is not coddling in other parts of the world: either you are good, or you are not, but even if you are not, there are assuredly others of your skill level you can futz around with...because they love the game.

    This from a soccer dad, who is watching his som blossom because of the discipline required to play a game that requires both mind, body and heart. The headless chicken stuff you describe (and I have seen it in the US, when my son played there, so no argument there), is a bit of a counterfeit.