U12Issue 04
Is it better to do "head start" training that makes the transition to 11-a-side football easier from the autumn of sixth grade? Tell me recommended coaching up to entry into junior high school
Ikegami Sei, who has coached over 600,000 children, advises a volunteer U12 coach not to prepare players for 11-a-side before middle school. Keep playing 8-a-side until March: at 12 the priority is scanning, the third-man run and linking defence to midfield to attack, and early heading or long kicking of a size 5 ball can cause injuries such as lumbar spondylolysis.