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>>My experience was that the parents of Under-6 and Under-8 players were the most difficult. Like most good parents, I suppose, they often thought their kids were perfect in every way. Sometimes soccer was the first realization that their child was average or below average in anything. The other thing that was difficult was so many of them tried to coach from the sidelines. At that age most of the players go onto the field barely knowing which direction their team is going, much less capable of processing half a dozen hollered instructions at once. AYSO, which is the largest youth soccer organization in the U.S. (and I believe in the world) has some really good age-appropriate guidelines for coaches. At U-6 there are only about 4 things you want them to learn, like how to kick the ball and how to receive a pass. Not that many of them are interested in passing the ball at that age, LOL.
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>When my boys were 5/6 years old their summer program included soccer. Not organized or instructional in any way. They just went on the field and started kicking the ball. It didn't bear any resemblance to soccer. There was a goalie, a crowd of kids, and the other goalie. The ball would pop out every once in a while and the crowd would chase it en masse. No resemblance to soccer but, except for the occasional wailing of a kid that got kicked, they all had a great time.
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>As they got older we discovered that both of them had their father's talent for the game. That is, as a soccer player, I was pretty good setter in volleyball.

You are way ahead of me in volleyball. I am the kind of person who plays volleyball at picnics. My younger daughter turned out to be pretty good at it (if I may be allowed a moment of parental pride). She played several sports growing up and settled on volleyball as the one she would focus on. She made an elite club team and her school teams from 5th grade on. As a freshman she was promoted to the sophomore team -- "our freshmore," her teammates called her -- and then played varsity for 3 years. She was a co-captain her senior year. She was an outside hitter. It must have aggravated her coach, who was a setter in college, that all her setters were mediocre at best.

A couple of weekends ago Emily played volleyball for the first time in a couple of years. The Big 10 is way above her skill level and she didn't try out. Her freshman coach, now the varsity coach, put on an alumni game and invited Emily to play. Afterward she said she was sore all over. She is working as a lifeguard this summer and you have to pass a strenuous swimming test every year to keep your certification, so she is not out of shape. I guess volleyball exercises different muscles.

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