re: New U.S. youth soccer Player Development Initiatives

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Banning punts and drop kicks forces you to play out of the back or as far as the GK can throw it (or the GK can put it on the ground and kick it). They are already playing on a small field. Tries to prevent GKs from kicking it 3/4 of the way down the field, also reduces the chances of of heads colliding trying to win the ball in the air.

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Yep. Young GKs learn about distribution and all players get more comfortable with the ball at their feet.

Not a fan of the GK bit. As a GK coach I taught them distribution and decision making using the punt. We didn't whack it up the field. I like the idea of building out the back but the decision making and coaching is incredibly important. At RIII ODP a few years back the GKs were rolling the ball into an outside back who was immediately under pressure during the game because they were trained to do so in training. They were not given cues to look for on why to throw vs punt.