Blog

Youth soccer training tips, development insights, and updates from the FlickTec team.

A low-bounce futsal ball resting on the wooden floor of a school gym beside a painted court line, ready for indoor soccer drills

Indoor Soccer Drills for Kids: 12 Drills for a Hallway, Garage or Gym

A hard floor changes the game: the ball runs faster and bounces truer than grass. Here are 12 indoor soccer drills grouped by the space you actually have, from a hallway to a full gym.

A soccer backpack with cleats clipped to it resting beside a school desk, the two halves of NCAA Eligibility Center requirements for a college-bound player

What Is the NCAA Eligibility Center? Registration, Core Courses and the New Age Rule

Sixteen approved core courses, a minimum GPA and a transcript filed on time — the NCAA Eligibility Center is the part of college soccer recruiting that has nothing to do with soccer. Here is what it checks, which account your child needs, and the new age-based rule that changed the math on gap years.

A referee's whistle and stopwatch resting on the grass beside the touchline of a youth soccer field, illustrating the mercy rule in soccer

Is There a Mercy Rule in Soccer? Goal Differential Rules by Level

There is no mercy rule in the Laws of the Game, yet most American youth and high school competitions have one. Here is what triggers it, who decides, and what a blowout is actually worth in the standings.

A worn soccer ball resting on a concrete driveway in front of a plain red brick wall marked with a faint chalk target square, the simplest setup for soccer wall drills.

Soccer Wall Drills: 7 Solo Exercises for a Better First Touch

A brick wall returns the ball thousands of times without getting bored, and it punishes a sloppy pass instantly. Here are seven wall drills in the order they should be learned — plus the one thing a wall can never teach your child, according to the research.

A young soccer player waiting on the touchline of a grass field before going on, illustrating why a child may play better in practice than in games

Why Does My Child Play Better in Practice Than in Games?

A child who looks sharp on Tuesday and disappears on Saturday is usually not short of skill. What the research on pressure, nerves and performance anxiety actually says — and the cheapest way to close the gap.

A worn soccer ball and muddy youth soccer cleats resting on frosty grass during the off-season

Off-Season Soccer Training Program: An 8-Week Plan for Youth Players

Most off-season advice tells young players to do more. The detraining research says the opposite: rest first, cut the volume hard, and protect the intensity. Here is an 8-week plan built on what the evidence actually shows.

An empty high school soccer field under floodlights at dusk, at the end of the high school soccer season

How Long Is the High School Soccer Season? Dates, Games and Playoffs by State

High school soccer is dense rather than long: Maine caps a team at 14 games, Southern California at 28, and three of the five state calendars we checked are not fall seasons at all. Here are the real 2026-27 dates.

A video camera on a tripod at the edge of an empty soccer pitch, pointed down the field, ready to film footage for a college soccer recruiting video

College Soccer Recruiting Video: How Long It Should Be and What to Put In It

Two college programs publish their own recruiting-video instructions and disagree by a factor of three — 3–6 minutes versus under 2. Here is what the sources actually say, what to film by position, and which NCAA rules apply to your side.

A pair of well-used goalkeeper gloves resting palms-up on dew-covered grass beside a goalpost, the kind of pair parents buy when choosing goalkeeper gloves for kids.

Goalkeeper Gloves for Kids: Sizing, Cuts and What Actually Matters

The Laws of the Game don't require gloves at all — and a "size 4" means completely different hands at Nike and uhlsport. Here's how to size a pair for a growing hand, what the cuts actually do, and the two-minute habit that decides whether they last six weeks or four months.

A clipboard holding a youth soccer team roster sheet and pen resting on an empty team bench beside a ball

What Is a Guest Player in Youth Soccer? Rules, Forms and Limits

Asked to let your child guest play this weekend? Here's what the rules actually allow, which forms have to be filed before kickoff, and when to say no.