Youth soccer training tips, development insights, and updates from the FlickTec team.
The Laws of the Game give exactly one pressure range, and it is written for a size 5 ball. Here is what your child's size 3 or 4 actually needs, why the range printed on the ball beats every chart online, and how much air a cold field quietly takes out.
U.S. Soccer's published age framework starts at 5U, so any program sold for a 3-year-old was designed by the club selling it. Here is what good actually looks like — including the four things U.S. Soccer asks a U-6 coach to teach.
A referee who sweeps both arms forward has not missed the foul — they have agreed with you and started a clock. Here is what the advantage rule actually says, and when the whistle still comes back.
Youth soccer quietly selects for size — but not everywhere. Here is what the selection research says about which positions size actually decides, and what a smaller player should train instead.
Most youth keepers are taught to dive before they can catch. Here are ten goalkeeper drills for kids in the order US Youth Soccer and the FA actually teach them — four against a wall, four with one parent serving, two for team practice.
A wall never moves, never closes your child down, and never needs the ball played into the correct foot. Here are ten passing drills that do — ordered from clean technique to 4v4 under pressure.
The best soccer gifts for kids match the format your child actually plays — right ball size, shin guards their socks can cover, and a reason to touch a ball in January. Plus the popular gifts the Laws of the Game don't allow on the field.
Coaches still say "she's our 6" and "we need a 10" — but almost nobody wears the number that matches their job any more. Here's what each number from 1 to 11 actually means, and why your child's jersey number probably means nothing at all.
Most youth soccer selection at ages 10–14 measures how far a child's body has developed, not how good a player they are. Here is what the research says about late developers, what to say in the first 48 hours, and what actually happens to players who get released.
The Laws of the Game say the captain "has no special status or privileges" — but since 2024 the armband is compulsory, and since 2025 the captain may be the only player allowed to approach the referee. Here is what the role actually carries in youth soccer.
