Boys Soccer is a Contact Sport!
My thirteen-year-old son is playing soccer this fall, and let’s just say it’s been an eye opener for me. I know from watching Italian Serie A, as well as my daughter’s high school varsity team, that soccer is a contact sport. There’s plenty of body to body contact when going for headers or protecting the ball from a defender.
But who knew a bunch of middle school kids would be going at each other like Roller Derby stars? Okay, maybe not quite that bad. But these boys are definitely mixing it up.
In the first game, there were boys knocked down on their butts, boys tripped to prevent a quick counter attack, boys pushed off the ball and to the ground like this was an Australian rugby match. Don’t worry, the refs are calling everything, and no one’s getting hurt. But in three games, there have already been three yellow cards handed out.
I’m not at all worried for my son. He’s as tough as the next kid. No matter that some of these boys are a foot taller and weigh twice as much as others (like my son) who haven’t hit their big growth spurt just yet. All the kids go at it, period.
My proud father moment came this past weekend. Not from the decent shot my son got on goal, or for the skill he showed in executing a give-and-go with a teammate.
No, it happened when my son was chasing down a loose ball against a boy from the other team. It was a foot race to see who would get their first. Five yards from the coveted target, my son gritted his teeth, got fire in his eyes, puffed up his chest, and gave his bigger opponent a massive shoulder to shoulder bump that visibly pushed the other kid off his line. (Totally legal in soccer, at any level.) Yes, my son won that ball.
Kick ass first, and kick the ball later. That’s my boy!
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Comment by The Exception
| October 1st, 2009
And this is why my dancer daughter doesn’t do soccer!! ;)
Sounds like he had a great game and his number one fan was right there to see it – front and center!!
The Exception´s last blog ..Happiness and Believing
Comment by Ginger Magnolia
| October 1st, 2009
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
Ginger Magnolia´s last blog ..Tap Dancing
Comment by Heather
| October 1st, 2009
Awesome! I love soccer! I used to play for our Air Force Hospital team. It was only intramural soccer, but it was still fun and still a lot of contact! I’ve had and seen my share of injuries from that sport!
Comment by justrun
| October 1st, 2009
Sigh. Boys. Brute over grace. ;)
Comment by QTMama
| October 1st, 2009
JustRun beat me to it, that was my comment almost to the tee!
QTMama´s last blog ..It’s Date Night! And My Wingman is Comin’ To Town
Comment by Danielle
| October 1st, 2009
I sooo get this. My team is very aggressive and a lot of the other teams get mad at us. I am constantly telling them. “Hey, this is full contact and you signed up” DEAL WITH IT!!!!
Me thinks I may be a bit too competitive. ;)
Anyway, Go dads son!! Whoot whoot!!!
Danielle´s last blog ..Can you add? What is 2 + 1?
Comment by Mindy/Single Mom Says...
| October 1st, 2009
All part of the game! And better on the field than off.
Mindy/Single Mom Says…´s last blog ..A Very Good Day
Comment by Barry
| October 1st, 2009
Just remember part of the biggest problems in youth sports is the parents. You should have two goals, one is to win, that is the reason they keep score, but not at all costs. The second and as important if not more, is that they learn life lessons. Youth sports is the perfect classroom for kids to learn how to deal with life from success to failure. 70% of kids quit youth sports by the age of 13 because it no longer is fun. Your kids most likely will not have a professional career. Keep it all in focus. Good sportsmanship is a more important lesson than winning the game. It will serve them more in life.
Barry´s last blog ..No Need To Travel Alone!
Comment by Senorita
| October 1st, 2009
Soccer is really the only sport I can tolerate watching.
Sounds like your son is turning into a man on the field.
Senorita´s last blog ..My New York Friends
Comment by T
| October 1st, 2009
Sweet!!!
And so fun to watch! When Rose was playing last year, I was ALWAYS hoarse from cheering.
T´s last blog ..Opposites
Comment by BigLittleWolf
| October 1st, 2009
Man oh man… all I can say is I’m glad my boys were never into those contact sports… uh… those particular contact sports, that is…
BigLittleWolf´s last blog ..Narcissistic relationship? Use it or lose it.
Comment by ilinap
| October 1st, 2009
“Kick ass first, and kick the ball later” should be emblazoned on the team shirts. And want to see a contact sport, check out little kids playing lacrosse. Cringe worthy.
ilinap´s last blog ..Journal Therapy
Comment by M
| October 1st, 2009
The first time my 9 year old played goalie I pretty much freaked. She’s a small 9 and in a co-ed league that goes to 12. There’s some pretty big ole fellers out there.
But the first time she made a huge stop, I bout ran out on the damn field I was so excited :)
M´s last blog ..Ducks Unlimited Guy (or Girl!)
Comment by Damo
| October 1st, 2009
Good comment Barry.
Sport is a great healthy educator. We should all encourage kids to continue into their adult lives. Imagine the healthy society we can be.
Go Ginger…cheer squad!
Comment by Kirk
| October 1st, 2009
Puberty — growth spurts the great equalizer. I kept trying to get my boys to understand, one week you are up, the next you are down and it sometimes does quit changing until college (RE David Robinson of the US Naval Acadamy). Good stuff when the shows confidence and courage.
Just avoid this stuff — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF6Skj7WGoM&NR=1
Comment by dadshouse
| October 1st, 2009
Kirk – where did you find that video? Oh my! Five minutes of head butts, punches, kicks, and other cheap shots taken on soccer pitches throughout Europe, all set to the dulcimer tunes of Godsmack. Wow.
I agree on the growth spurt thing – I grew 2 inches and put on 30 pounds in college.
Barry – I agree the parents can be a problem. I’m very grateful to be on club teams where the parents don’t yell like that. We all go wine tasting after the game, instead!
Comment by Andrea
| October 2nd, 2009
My nephew, who’s all of 12, started playing football this year. I can’t even think about tiny T (who was 3 lbs 4 oz at birth) playing contact football.
It’s good to be exercising but I think I’m going to encourage my kids to play chess.
Andrea´s last blog ..Of all the ridiculous things…
Comment by Gunfighter
| October 5th, 2009
I was so proud the first time my ten year old daughter was carded for shoving another girl. All of the moms were tsk tsking while the dads were pounding me on the back and shaking my hand. The other kid had been elbowing her left and right, and she decided she was done taking it and gave some of her own back!
Gunfighter´s last blog ..All Are Welcome… Finally!
Comment by Sarah Millery
| October 13th, 2009
I always like the smaller things that others don’t notice, like getting to the ball first. Most people seem to be focused on a hard shot at goal, or some foot trickery, so it is quite often that the hard workers get overlooked!
As for the contact part of the sport, well at least its not ice hockey with the sticks and all:)
Comment by Keven@Soccer Goalie Equipment
| November 7th, 2009
It wasn’t all that long ago that American soccer was heavily reliant on ‘brutal’ tactics. It was as if we couldn’t let go of American football mentality (I’m talking about international soccer at the highest level). It has been very nice to see that over the past 15 years or so, the US has become much more talented in the game. Sure, it’s a physical sport and don’t let any American football player try to tell you it’s not (as they play beneath an armory of padding…) But the fact is, without brains, skills and finesse, the game loses a lot of aspects that lead to it being known the world over as ‘the beautiful game’.
Still, but a bunch of pre-pubescent and full-on pubescent boys out on a field running around and you better believe there’s gonna be some contact!
Keven@Soccer Goalie Equipment´s last blog ..Soccer Goalie Equipment – Why It Matters