"Unlucky" -- the participation trophy of soccer tems

Uhh, Unlucky is used across pretty much every sport (whether the incident was actually unlucky or not)...

Pitcher deflects a ball up the middle away from his middle infield? Unlucky.

WR bobbles a pass up into the air and it's picked off (*cough* Tampa Bay *cough*)? Unlucky.

Those damn tems.

I think you have completely missed the boat on this one. Kids make mistakes in all sports but there is a difference between soccer and other sports.

Soccer is a difficult game to get tactically. The best players often are not the greatest physical specimens but the ones who can break down the game to the instinctual level in their heads.

For instance, when a SS misses a base hit up the middle it is poor execution, there isn't much thought that goes into it. He needed to get to the ball and make a play. The kid is not an adult is not the complete player he will be physically.

Or when a receiver drops a ball or fails to catch one, those are execution issues for kids. These are related to poor execution from kids who are not yet at full potential.

The same thing applies to soccer as they are kids who have not yet completed their technical or phsyical development. When the failure is technical/physical in nature (strike off target, pass too weak or strong, failure to run down a pass into space, turn or touch into the open space let down by an inability to control the ball, etc) but the tacial decision was correct then you want to encourage a repeat of that behavior (even if the action was a failure), not scold a kid for failure to execute due to a poor physical or technical issue. Hence the term unlucky, usually in the same breath as the statement "good idea".

It is a way to express to kids that their tactical action was correct but the execution was lacking. You want them to continue to make that same decision in the game until (hopefully) their technical and physical ability catches up to their tactical decision making. That is how you develop a complete soccer player. If you scold a kid for poor execution they are much less likely to make that same (correct)desicion in the future.

I hate ‘good pass’ when in fact it was just a ‘good thought’ or more likely just ‘bad pass’ but yea you’re right...you’d never say that.

Pass execution should never be luck though, get your body in the correct position and make a good pass. When young players who don’t often connect on passes try and be too cute it pisses me off...and we’re no longer in ‘good thought’ territory. It’s just lazy and show off, and you couldn’t even do that with 10 tries.

I swear though, coaches think they work on passing enough and put-it-to luck or lack there of...when kids just need to get goddamn better. Grinds my gears to see midfielders who can’t put the ball in the right spot. Sure as F isn’t unlucky.

quote:

---

I hate ‘good pass’ when in fact it was just a ‘good thought’ or more likely just ‘bad pass’ but yea you’re right...you’d never say that.

---

This. If you're in a competitive environment, the kids are there to get better. "Good idea" and "right play, clean it up" are simple enough. My first priority is their thought process. Teach them to play chess, not checkers... at the same time, develop touch. Patience is gigantic, and for some reason patience on the part of coaches is rare. The skills will catch up as long as you keep developing them.

I fired a coach that had stewardship of my team when he said "they're trying to play like Barcelona, but they're not Barcelona," frustrated they were playing one and two touch ball even though they would they make mistakes in the process... Of course they will make mistakes now, they're 11 and 12. It's our job to help them develop the skill.
Too many coaches are worried about records over the development of the players for high level competition at an older age. At some point, "kick the ball up the field and have a fast kid go get it" doesn't work anymore.

quote:

---

Pass execution should never be luck though, get your body in the correct position and make a good pass. When young players who don’t often connect on passes try and be too cute it pisses me off...and we’re no longer in ‘good thought’ territory. It’s just lazy and show off, and you couldn’t even do that with 10 tries.

---

Outside of the foot weak pass instead of opening hips and hitting it solid because "I'm too good for fundamentals" mentality. Goes right along with "I'm a forward. I always play forward."

In general soccer coaches should be more honest with players, relative to the level of play. If you’re competing to win state and be a regionally competitive team there should be football style candor from the coaches.

It was refreshing to hear the coaches when my son started playing Jr High football. I had been waiting for that through three years of soccer, and finally...and this was at a private catholic school.

LINK

quote:

---

I hate ‘good pass’ when in fact it was just a ‘good thought’ or more likely just ‘bad pass’ but yea you’re right...you’d never say that.

Pass execution should never be luck though, get your body in the correct position and make a good pass. When young players who don’t often connect on passes try and be too cute it pisses me off...and we’re no longer in ‘good thought’ territory. It’s just lazy and show off, and you couldn’t even do that with 10 tries.

I swear though, coaches think they work on passing enough and put-it-to luck or lack there of...when kids just need to get goddamn better. Grinds my gears to see midfielders who can’t put the ball in the right spot. Sure as F isn’t unlucky.

---

There is obviously a lot of nuance to this, though. If they exhibit the correct fundamentals or try a high risk pass that doesn't work out, it's not always down to being lazy or a show off. The other team is working equally hard (theoretically) to thwart the attempted pass.

So, I agree with you on one hand and disagree on the other. If you try some sort of back pass or no look pass to be cute and it is intercepted, I would hope no coach says "unlucky" to that. However, if a player attempts a weighted through ball that is intercepted or runs long, (but it was a sound idea) that could be "unlucky".

No one is perfect and not even Messi/Ronaldo have a 100% pass completion record. Obviously, you would hope that a player does not interpret "unlucky" as "do that exactly like that over and over, hoping that one day it works." If that is the case, I would hope a good coach could help communicate adjustments to technique to match the physical with the mental side.