LIttle kickers

Tim Robbins

Hi,
anyone do little kickers? How did they find it?
Do parents usually hang around for the class?

What way does it work?

Do you need to have your kid in a soccer top?

Thanks.

Kaylee

Hi Tim,

We've had our little guy in it on and off for a few years. We've found that it very much depends on the 2 coaches who are usually 20 somethings - to our untrained eyes some are better than others at coaching kids. Our little man enjoys it though.

What happens can vary a bit there doesn't seem to be any sort of schedule or grand plan (:p open to correction on this!) The kids line up and say their names and then there is some sort of group game maybe a few ball control games. At some stage the kids will be brought a couple of times up to run around cones and then kick the ball into the net. Some of the coaches play games that encourage real football skills like encouraging them to kick the ball with both feet etc. Sometimes the games seem a bit more chaotic/free. Obviously they want to make the thing fun as well! Then they get into a circle and pass the ball around and get football stamps on their arms (which they love).

Sometimes there are kids that are too young there - parents often run along with smaller kids to show them what to do. But I think that it can be hard for the coaches to deal with a group with varying ages.

I should add that I know very little about football ( prob obvious from the above!) my husband usually goes and stays for the duration. They like having that attention. People probably do drop kids off - but I think most stay?

The Little Kickers kit has to be purchased I think - maybe this is optional but we were asked to buy ours.

It's good to go to in the winter when they don't get much chance to run around, and it's probably good at building confidence they get a big clap when they score.

Sorry for the long post - hope this helped! I sometimes wondered if it wasn't a little pricey for what you get - but anyway our little chap has outgrown it now so we'll have to be thinking of something else for him.

beeroclock

http://www.littlekickers.ie/signup.aspx

Going to take my guy along when hes older

quad_red

@Kaylee,

When you say too young, how young is that?

We're new to an area (just bought in Skerries) are our little man (2 years 4 months) is a little lost without any pals.

Was thinking Little Kickers would be ideal but I don't want to go and find it's all four/five year olds who would have no interest in a wee man.

Thanks,
Quad

Kaylee

Hi Quad,

Thinking back it might be that the age range is too big for the coaches to keep things organised - i think it's 18mths to 5years. So a 4 year old is going to be a bit held back by the 2 years olds and 18 month olds, iykwim (although some of those 2 year olds have great ball skills :P ) So while the coach corrals the smaller kids and helps them to take shots at the goal the other kids are standing in a line just messing and waiting their turn.

That said... my little guy is 6 now and we started him at age 3 in Little Kickers and he is with the town boys soccer team now and is pretty confident with the ball. My husband was always very keen to get him involved with soccer from early on, just so as he would be handy enough not to be embarrassed on the pitch when he is older.

You mentioned that he is a little lost without pals... well I'm not sure that the kids get to know each other that well in LK - but they have a lovely touch at the end when all the kids sit in a circle and pass the ball to each other and get football stamps on their arms -I think that was the bit my little guy liked the best