U12 THEME: DAWN OF TACTICAL AWARENESS
Recreation Program
CHARACTERSTICS OF U-12 PLAYERS
§ The average age for the beginning of pubescences in girls is 10 years with a range of 7-14, for boys is age 12 with a range of 9-16.
§ Flexibility training is key to prevention of injuries.
§ Overuse injuries, burnout and high attrition rates are associated with high-intensity children’s programs that fail to stress development and learning enjoyment.
§ Begin to develop abilities to sustain complex coordinated skill sequences.
§ Changes in thought process are the result of an increased ability to acquire and apply knowledge.
§ Begin to think in abstract terms and can address hypothetical situations.
§ A systematic approach to problem solving appears at this stage; the game of soccer must present the ability to think creatively and solve problems while moving.
§ More TV, less structured play.
§ Beginning to spend more time with friends and less with parents.
§ Popularity influences self-esteem.
§ Whether a child enters puberty early or late has important psychological implications.
§ Children are susceptible to peer pressure.
§ Most children seek peers that are most like them in age, race, sex, and socioeconomic status; opportunity to introduce the value of cultural diversity.
§ Developing a conscience, morality and a scale of values.