Sunday 26 February 2012

Youth Sport Weekend: Futsal Fun! (with linky)

Today was the last Futsal (indoor soccer) game for my big girl Flash!

Flash just loves playing Futsal and it doesn’t seem to bother her, or the boys, that she is the only girl on the team. When she plays Futsal and soccer, the pressure of her high-level individual sports of swimming and athletics melts away into the fun , enthusiasm and camaraderie of team sport. She is by no means the best player, and their team doesn’t always win. Even though everyone, including Flash, likes to win, she is really learning that  winning and being the best is not as important as being part of the team.

Flash has been playing soccer since she was 4 years old, but this was the first season that we have played Futsal. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t complexly sure about the indoor soccer concept  at first, but  Flash just loves it. and it has completely won me over!



Because of the smaller playing space and the bigger, harder (slower) ball, Futsal is really good for ball control and skill development in soccer. Because the play is so fast, it teaches them to concentrate and to follow the game more closely. Playing Futsal over the summer also keeps their match skills and fitness levels up for the winter soccer season. We find Futsal is fast, exciting and just a whole lot of fun!

For the parents it’s great too, because we get to sit comfortably and chat watch instead of standing in the cold. The games are quite short, and they seem to go even faster because it’s so exciting. ….and I don’t have to worry about flash getting sunburnt or having the games rained out!

The one hesitation I have with Flash playing Futsal is that injuries seem quite common. Just this year, I have has friends from older futsal age groups with a broken arms, damaged knees and ankles. As with any sport, there is a inherent risk of injury, but I think the risk is kept minimal in the younger age groups on the mixed teams, as they are not as aggressive as the older age groups.

I’m glad my daughter loves playing soccer, because I think it is really important for her to play a team sport. I can see in her face, the joy she gets from being part of her team. I have also been reading a lot lately, how over specialization in sport at an early age is detrimental to their later development, so I think playing Futsal is great to keep that variety up.

I also love that she gets to enjoy the social ascpet of a team sport and she also gets learn the valuable lessons of team work.

I’d really recommend futsal for under 10 year old players as a fun and exciting summer game although, I still think it a little odd that outdoor soccer is played in the middle of winter…where players and spectators are forced to endure the cold, wind, rain or sleet! But, in warm summer mornings, we are playing inside?

Has your child been involved in a youth sport this weekend? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below, or on the SportyMummy  facebook page. You can also link the URL of your blog post to the linky tool below. 

One of my aims for this little SportyMummy blog, is to develop a Youth Sports community where parents can support, encourage and motivate each other to support their children’s participation in youth sports. If your children have participated in a youth sport or an active pursuit, you can link up your post with the linky below and share the fun!




16 comments:

  1. Although all my children were all elite athletes in individual sports, they also played team sports at school. My youngest 2 also played Basketball at State and National level which was excellent for building the important skills of teamwork, cooperation and a whole lot of fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Liz! I'm glad to hear your children played team sports as well. Sometimes I wonder if participating in multiple sports is too much for my kids....but I think the benefits far outweigh the negatives!

      Delete
  2. Always had my kids in team sports, started with soccer, so important for them to learn the skills of working with others. The girls are playing netball and basketball, my son this year has stopped team sport and is surfing and skating, he skates in a group and they film each other! He always struggled being part of a team, I think for him having ADHD he found the whole team thing hard as his brain was wired to be all about him, not the bigger picture. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your comment Jen! You make a great point! Team sports are not for everyone...in fact I preferred playing individual sport too. But I guess the way to figure out if your kids enjoy teams sport it to give it a go!

      Delete
  3. Phew, sounds very demanding, and heaps of contact! Glad your daughter had a great game, sounds like fun!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds like fun! I used I play soccer as a kid and I loved it!

    I'm taking my kids to a hockey try out day in a couple of weeks, and I think that will be fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's great Jess....I hope you blog about it....I'm looking forward to hearing hoe it goes!!

      Delete
  5. we too are a sports family. I saw the advantages the most in high school and college...sports kept them involved, busy and the very best ...tired!!! a beautiful thing to hear from an 18 yr old on a friday night!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Experienced the highs and the lows of youth sports this weekend. My daughter's 5 grade select basketball team won a semi-final game in the tournament to decide the 6th grade league championship. Her 5th grade team is one of the best in the country. My daughter made a critical 3 pointer in the 4th quarter. Several hours later, my son played perhaps his last basketball game. (He goes off to HS next year and will likely concentrate on baseball) His team lost in the city tournament - he is the leader on the team, the go to player, but he made a critical error late in the game led to the defeat. One kid won and one kid lost. One was happy and confident. The other was dejected and questioning himself. Each learned valuable life lessons. Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with youth sport this week. Your house must be full of emotion this week-end and that must be very challenging as a parent!

      I think my favorite part of youth sports is the life lessons that it teaches kids. Resilience, or the ability to bounce back after defeat, is one of the most important ones....

      Delete
  7. I'm enjoying hearing about your kids' involvement in sports! We are also a sports family, although many times I feel like my hubby has forced it upon me, kicking and screaming. He and I are from two drastically different spectrums. I have been active my entire life (walking, aerobics, running), but I have never been a team sports kind of girl. My hubby on the other hand, played baseball, football, and basketball.

    He can't envision not allowing our 3 boys the opportunity to play as many sports as they want. I, on the other hand, say, "Can't we just chill out sometimes?" Fortunately after 10 years of marriage, he's relaxed a little bit and I've genuinely started enjoying their activities. My thirteen-year-old is finishing up ice hockey right now, my eight-year-old just ended basketball and starts baseball practice this week, and Jake, well, he's always swinging a bat and chasing after his brothers. He can run a mile with me without stopping though, so maybe he'll be my running partner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks you so much for sharing some of your families sport! I was never a team sport player myself, although I do like to ride my bike and run...a lot :)I think it's a great experience for the kids though....
      ...but my partner just wants to sleep in!!.....

      I'd love to her some more about your experiences with ice-hockey, basketball and baseball in the future!

      Delete
  8. Just thought I'd forward you this post link to a running blog I follow. It is a letter from a mother to her daughter about their first run together. It's so great, I think you would enjoy it! Teaching our kids to take care of their bodies is such a valuable lesson. http://anothermotherrunner.com/2012/02/12/a-letter-from-a-mother-to-her-running-daughter/

    ReplyDelete