Originally Posted by
jessepinkman
at SAP level?
Where there's not even actual positions in the context of 11 v 11, so the passages of play will be different to real football?
SAP = Skills Acquisition Phase, so they should be acquiring the skills necessary to be a good footballer. You need experience all over the pitch to do that. How many failed strikers or number 10s do we produce in this country who would have had a much, much better chance at turning pro if they had pursued life as a two-footed left fullback?
Even once theyre in an 11 v 11 environment eg all of youth football they should be gaining experience in 'complimentary' positions. Eg, CB/LB/RB spending some time in the 6 to assist with their distribution and to put a bit more pressure on them/give them less time on the ball. Or a winger/striker spending some time in a fullback role that is encouraged to get forward/create overloads etc.
Makes them a better player, and sometimes you find that their skillsets are better suited there as they get older and understand the game more.
By playing kids in the one spot their whole life, they get to senior football and can only do one thing, and if someone is better than them in their position, they have to switch clubs or get used to the bench.
So, I agree with you about putting a player in complementary areas, but you can do that in 14s-16s, when they are learning how the game works, tactics, positional roles etc. As little ones, playing all over the pitch gives them exposure to every single skill, and tbh as a youth coach, humbles them a little bit. Too many kids think they're a striker and a striker only, which isn't always something that you cant fix - its when the parent does too thats the killer.