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Help/Advice needed for 7yr old in Ottawa Region


KAS

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Hi guys,

I need some help. Here's a story followed by some questions for those who know Ottawa area soccer:

Last summer I was worried about the health of my then 8yr old Godson as he was very overweight (93lbs!), so I went shopping around my area in Whitby (near Toronto) and bought some equipment for a variety of different sports and brought them to him in the Ottawa area and showed him how to play. The idea was to use cheap beginner stuff to expose him to sports, and if he took to anything then I would buy better stuff later and encourage him from a distance. Unfortunately, nothing stuck (he does Judo to keep his weight in check), but quite unexpectantly, his skinny little sister became obsessed with soccer!

One of the things I bought was a Nike soccer starter kit that included a size 4 ball, four cones/tees, and really lame plastic shin guards in a carrying case. I got this from a soccer specialty store in the Whitby Mall. This little girl (now 7.5) wears her only "soccer shirt" (it just says "soccer" on it) everyday. The shinguards fell apart and had to be thrown out because she wore them all the time and wanted to wear them to bed!!! It's like the story of Guy Lafleur wanting to sleep with his skates on as a kid.

Ok, she's hooked, but coming from a split family with money issues (that's why I buy the stuff), she hasn't played in a league. She has only played informally during recess at school and with the ball at home. She is dedicated though, and a fast runner for her age. Yesterday I went to the same soccer store in Whitby and I bought another size 4 ball (old one slightly chewed-up by family dog), a ball-return training device, a rather unhelpful DVD, and some very nice Adidas cleats that I'm bringing her tommorrow. I will show her some very basic skills (the Double Scissors can wait, as can diving, head butting, and faking injury until the trainer brings the "Magic Water"), but I'm not a qualified coach. She is 7.5 (8 in January) and will be put into house league next year, but some "catch-up" would be nice.

Ok Ottawa area people, the questions:

1) Since she spends half her time in Rockland, and the other half in Fournier (very small place East of Rockland), I was thinking about suggesting the local Rockland club. Has anyone here heard of Rockland United Soccer Club? Are they OK? Their website seemed fine, and are affiliated with everyone like the OSA, but any additional info would be great.

2) Is there any other club that should be looked at?

3) I know that they are not the priority, but is there any indoor winter leagues/training available around Ottawa for a girl who will be 8 in January?

4) Are there any affordable camps this late summer/fall that she could still be put into for a bit of instruction?

5) Any good training DVDs for that age level that I can buy at a retail store? Where?

6) Anything I'm missing?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm sure that I know enough basic skills to teach a 7yr old, but it has been a long time since I played (I don't even have cleats), and I would love to give her some better instruction. Since I live near Toronto, I only see her maybe 2-3 times a year at best, and if she plays in Rockland next year, it will be on a U-9 team. The fact that she can run well for her age is probably all that matters at that level (track-meet boom-ball I imagine), but any suggestions would be great.

I am leaving tommorrow and will be without internet during the 3-4 days that I'm there. I will check here tomorrow right before I leave for any ideas you have, and will follow up when I return. Thanks in advance.

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just to reinforce...

because she is only 7 soccer specific training is not that big a deal. if yer gonna play with her. use the cones. number them. have her dribble from one to the other, stating which one you want her to go to at random. don't worry about technique. just play games. focus on one skill in the game. ie, if yer playing a shooting game just focus on what part of the ball she strikes (and don't worry about what part of the foot until she shows she is ready for the progression). stuff like that.

you need not worry about her "competitiveness" with the other kids in the u9 league. it'll vary from kid to kid, month to month, year to year until her early teens!

wish i could help more with the club questions.

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BUMP!!!

Just thought I would try again to see if anyone here is familiar with the soccer leagues in the Ottawa area (particularly to the East). Here are some questions and an update:

1) Does anyone know anything about Rockland United Soccer Club that I can't get from their website? Are they a good club?

2) Does anyone know about clubs further East of there - especially in Hawkesbury, Van Kleek Hill, and Alexandria? I know there is soccer there, but I don't know the clubs (Timbits?), and I think the seasons are just 2 months instead of 4 months in Rockland.

3) Are there any clubs East of Ottawa (between Orleans and Hawkesbury/Alexandria) that I should look at as being suitable for a 7-8 yr old girl?

4) Any good instructional DVDs for that young an age?

5) Anything I'm missing?

Update: I was up there for a few days on a family visit. You should have seen the look on her face when she opened the Adidas box and pulled out her first pair of cleats!

We had two practice days. I started with showing her how to kick properly, and then moved to passing. I taught her to stop/trap/control the ball first before kicking it. I then put out the four cones and had her take the ball through the cones and back to practice ball control. I had her do it using both feet, then just her right (dominate foot) using both the inside and outside of her foot. Avoiding anything crazy that would be impossible like step-overs (obviously!), I showed how you use both the inside and outside of the foot to take the ball around an opponent. She's a very quick and keen learner, but I figured that this was the limit for even an unusually bright 7yr old, so I stopped there.

In the scrimages, me and another guy played incompetent keepers while she went 1-on-1 with her much bigger 10yr old stepsister who practiced with us but doesn't play. She is very quick for her age. I was shocked when she used the outside of her foot to take the ball cleanly around her stepsister as I had shown her. At first, I thought it was just a fluke - any kid will occassionally do something great by accident - but I'm pretty sure it was deliberate and thought out.

Anyways, she now has equipment to play with, a few drills to pratice, and some siblings to help her. I think she is good for next season.

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that is truly exciting news to hear kaplan.

you could try manchester united's training video "play like champions." they break down a large handful of skills step-by-step with expert examples, and it has loads of fun things on the dvd. any 7 year old could learn from this video.

amazon has a lot of soccer videos, as do numerous soccer equipment sites on the net which you could google.

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Get the older brother involved. And not to keep his weight in check but to have fun with his sister. He may not teach her anything in terms of soccer but it will give her some competition, at the familly level. If you say she's fast, get her to move as fast as she can - WITH THE BALL - At 7-8 being quick is great, being quick with the ball is rare. My youngest just turned 7 and plays U-9A and got most of his skills and drive from trying to beat his brothers. Bottom line is, in this day and age is still for them to have Fun. You are obviously a great guy for hanging with them, keep it up.

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quote:Originally posted by bettermirror

you could try manchester united's training video "play like champions." they break down a large handful of skills step-by-step with expert examples, and it has loads of fun things on the dvd. any 7 year old could learn from this video.

amazon has a lot of soccer videos, as do numerous soccer equipment sites on the net which you could google.

I've seen ManU videos on TV (Can't remember if it was GOL or FSW) as well as the "Really Bend it Like Beckham" series on Gol TV, and like the other videos I've looked, they mostly seem to be aimed towards a slightly older kid (I guess 10-12). Perhaps the skills at that age level are just too simple to make a video necessary? I'll keep looking, but I think that I might just wait to see her do a season of house league, and if she is still interested, then she may be able to learn from a video.

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quote:Originally posted by CDN4EVR

Get the older brother involved. And not to keep his weight in check but to have fun with his sister. He may not teach her anything in terms of soccer but it will give her some competition, at the familly level. If you say she's fast, get her to move as fast as she can - WITH THE BALL - At 7-8 being quick is great, being quick with the ball is rare. My youngest just turned 7 and plays U-9A and got most of his skills and drive from trying to beat his brothers.

I think you're right about the speed on the ball. I can't see many of them being too quick without kicking the ball too far forward and risk losing possession. Since I probably won't see her again for quite some time (just occassional chats on the phone), I don't think I can hope for much more than just her practicing what I already showed her. Hopefully, that will be enough.

As for her brother, I don't think it will happen. I love my Godson, but he is not an athlete, and not the least bit interested. Despite being two years younger and half his size, I'm sure that she is already quicker (with ALOT more endurance). There are, however, older stepsiblings in both households that she lives in. In the one I visited, there are two who are athletic and were part of the practices, so they can and probably will practice with her what I taught to them. They were the two who participated in the scrimage, and she does ok against her 10yr old stepsister, but it is a challenge.

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quote:Originally posted by jordan

cumberland has a youth program.. thats close, they probbably rent space at gloucester dome for the winter months...thats close i guess

That might not be far enough to the East to suit both sets of parents, but I'll look into it. Thanks.

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quote:Originally posted by CDN4EVR

KAS, have you looked into the Ottawa Fury. They also have a tier system that leads to the "First Team" but cant tell you just how young they start. and I believe they are just outside of Ottawa.

The Fury was one of the first clubs I checked. Their academy starts at age 11. They seem to be a primarily South Ottawa club as they play their games at Carleton University (I was a student there from 1996-2000). I thought about taking my cousin to see the women's team play, but their regular season was already over. Maybe next year if I can schedule it.

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quote:Originally posted by MM2

Not being sure exactly where you are, another club to the east of Ottawa is the Russell Soccer Club. The have an excellent house league and a competitive program starting at U-9. Their fees also are lower then most other clubs. They have a website at http://www.russellsoccer.com

Thanks for the tip on Russell, but it is a bit too far. At this point, the only likely options to the East of Rockland would probably have to be in Van Kleek Hill, Hawkesbury, or Alexandria. Unfortunately, although I hear of kids playing there, I'm having a hard time finding any club info for these places - which makes me think that they are very minor set-ups (probably just Timbits stuff and playing 2 months instead of 4).

My little cousin splits her time between Rockland and a tiny town named Fournier (near Van Kleek Hill). Obviously, the Rockland club makes alot of sense, and would currently be my choice if I actually had a say, but the parent in Fournier wants something closer to there. I couldn't think of any proper clubs near there (maybe this is just to piss me off and make me do more research), but it would be nice to find an alternative to the Rockland club in Van Kleek Hill/Hawkesbury/Alexandria that was just as good in terms of size and length of season, so that I could avoid the arguments. Great kid - difficult parents.

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Ok, insomnia has inspired me to do some more research. There is the Glengarry Soccer League, which is based in Alexandria and has teams in the surrounding area. There are some Van Kleek Hill teams, but not in the right gender/age group. So I guess this is an option to consider.

So, has anyone ever heard of the Glengarry Soccer League? Comparing website info, population bases, and using my instincts, I would guess that the Rockland club is better, but I would love to hear from anyone who has real knowledge of either club.

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