question for folks on the most highly competitive teams.
how are games coached? are players allotted equal playing time or do the top players play more in competitive game?
is winning a high priority or is it playing everyone and giving everyone their opportunity?
are players coached to their skill set, meaning do they have particular roles or is it coached like a post camp all star team, roll the ball out and rotate players (staying within their respective positions) thru regardless of situations?
how is game IQ taught and developed? Is true game coaching, situational coaching and substituting being used/taught? are games coached like a HS/college game?
if you have to ask this question at the club level then you should go play rec
Not very nice but I’ll give a few answers. Games are being played to win, not all kids see the field at 2026. Playing time is earned in practice.
Players are coached to their skill set and specialize (defensive middie vs scorer etc). Better teams/organizations teach a system so players can shuffle into a role with different personnel and not miss a beat.
IQ is drilled in practice so the coaches can “let them play” in games. Oddly enough, HS and college has to coach much more due to roster size and having multiple coaches running every facet of the game. This age group has the advantage of being together for multiple years in a system so the coaches can make adjustments in games but don’t need to go crazy with on field direction.
