Start time of sessions ... does it matter?

Our best session of the year, so far, had a 7:30pm start time.  Drawing from my experience I would say that the start time of sessions is a big deal.  When it's the dead of winter and you can't be picky about availability, you take what you get and sometimes it's the kids that suffer.

During tryouts we started at 5pm on Tuesdays and 8:30pm on Thursdays.  For most of the boys, I would have to guess that one of those times might have been difficult.

If you didn't have a snack after school then you came to 5pm training hungry.  If your parents rushed home to get you, you might have had a stressed-out ride coming in.  If you were up early you might have already been tired for 8:30pm training. if you started tired, you were probably read for bed at 9:30.

You also have to consider your situation.  Are you going to be tired?  Rushed?  Possibly late?  Pressed to leave immediately after training?

When my middle son was U13 and trying for the Regional team, were were doing winter training at 7am or 9am Sundays in Caledon (1.75 hours from home).  My son made the first cut, lasted  2 more sessions then told me he was not going anymore.  The year before, the Regional program trained at 9:00pm and 10:30pm on Saturday nights at the same facility.

You need to know the age of your boys and what works for them.  After all, it's their team.  Realities such as facility availability come into play during the winter, but there is enough flexibility during the summer to accommodate.

Also remember to consider the day of the week and what might be going on outside of soccer.  Events to consider are school trips, school social events, days of religious significance, etc.

It is recommended that you have at least one training session per week at the same time your games start.

Session start times are always difficult to juggle.  During the winter you are slotted in between leagues and competing with other programs for field time.  During the summer you are dealing with players who have been swimming or out in the sun all day.  I find my most successful practices happen after dinner while the school year is still in session.

So while you are reflecting on your session plan and personal delivery, remember to also make note of the time of day and what's going on before and after training.