Frequently Asked Questions

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What is Multipositional Play?

This is a core part of Charles' philosophy for early and long-term development.

Players need to experience as many positions on the field as possible during their early learning and training. This includes learning goalkeeping as part of the first 6 Levels of Soccer Genius Training.

Multipositional learning and play has proven to:

Develop complete players with a full set of game relevant talents
Significantly improve offensive and defensive skills and positioning
Increase on-field awareness and tactical abilities
Allow players the freedom to experience and discover the full-range of soccer playing opportunities
Prepare players for the complex nature of elite systems of play
Deliver many, many more benefits.

When does my child get a set position to play?

Players begin to identify 2-3 positions that they perform best at during the 14-17 year old development stage.

Position specialization before this time often leads to incomplete development, unbalanced skillsets, and the inability to "see the big picture" on the field.

What if I have more than one child registering?

That's great! A family of Soccer Geniuses.

5% discount applies to any additional family members.

Do I register my child with a local soccer club as well?

This is your choice. Soccer Genius Training serves as a stand-alone program for youth 7-12 years old; with training, practice and games all included in a balanced, age-appropriate, long-term system. It can also be used to enhance the play and enjoyment of those currently registered to play on a team with a soccer club.

Do I register my child in the local soccer league as well?

Again, this will be your choice although it is not necessary in order to get the full benefits of the Soccer Genius program, which includes regular games and tournaments for the upper levels.

How are competitions and games organized?

Age-appropriate competitions are an essential and fun part of a Soccer Geniuses long-term development. Players are first taught the necessary skills of the game, introduced to individual competition, then small groups, building their way up to the more complex and demanding 11 v 11 systems of play.

Competitions and games are done in four stages:

Individual challenges based on established Soccer Genius Benchmarks including skills, knowledge, fair play, leadership and 1 v 1 to 3 v 3 play.
Small-sided in-house competitions and Program-wide bi-monthly events. Plus, a Unique Soccer Genius Cup year-round competition.
Invitational and travel tournament play. (Ages 13 and up)
Possible league play. (Ages 13 and up)

Can my child play on school teams?

This is a choice the player and family will have to make. Each family and player has unique needs, circumstances and values as far as scheduling, travel, school expectations and 'down-time'.

School teams can be a great way to test out the Soccer Genius learning and an important part of social and personal development.

It is important to make sure the child is not over-scheduled or being over-trained in any physical activity. These two behaviours often lead to early burn-out, unnecessary injury and increased life-stresses.

The Development First 7-12 year old program is designed as a balanced approach to a young athlete's development. School team play can often be a fun and rewarding factor in this stage.

The time and physical commitments of the Competitive Performance Program (13-17yrs) may conflict with the requirements of school teams.

Charles is happy to help inform that choice on a 'one case at a time' basis.

Can my child play other sports?

Yes. In fact, Soccer Genius Training encourages multi-sport participation as a healthy and balanced part of athletic development.

We will often see young players participate in swimming, martial arts, recreational dance and other healthy activities. We suggest, however, to limit the amount of formal scheduled training/practice time in any given week.

Older youth athletes (14+) often participate in 2 sports quite successfully - as long as they are able to balance scheduling and ensure that their combined weekly formal practice/play time is 5 days or less/week.

Please keep in mind the need to monitor for signs of consistent fatigue, 'car shuttling' stress, player burn-out and/or over-use injuries. Developing teens need a great deal of rest to replenish the massive amounts of energy they expend growing each day.

What happens if my child has to miss a training session?

Missed training sessions happen. We understand that. Families take vacations. Unforeseen events happen. Life happens.

No worries. Take a make-up class at no extra charge.

It is not necessary to inform us if a session is to be missed.

My child's team has games and practices on Soccer Genius class nights. Can I get a refund for these nights?

No refunds will be issued for classes missed due to team games and/or practices.

What happens if my child has an injury?

First off, we wish your child a full and timely recovery :)

We also treat injuries and injury recovery very seriously.

Please inform Charles as soon as possible about any injury and expected recovery times.

We request that players returning from injury receive medical clearance from their doctor.

Prorated fee reduction is available for serious injuries that require longer-term recovery (ex. 1 month+).

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