Soccer Tactics or Life Hacks? [ Vintage Dispatches ]

This week, a “Vintage Dispatch”, originally published March 28, 2024.

Or in other words, a “rerun.”

Taking the week off for some soccer tourism. More to come on that!

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One of my personal joys of parenthood was ranging the sidelines of my daughter’s soccer fields. Watching the training, cheering on the games, seeing the growth and development of my child and her friends. I literally spent years soaking it all in.

It is only now as that phase of my daughter’s life winds down that I come to appreciate some of the real wisdom imparted over the years. My kids were blessed with great coaches who taught them the game, tactics, and competitive lessons necessary to win. Not just in soccer, but in life.

So I present to you now, life lessons from the sidelines. Or put another way - things yelled at my kid by a soccer coach that might actually be profound…

“Don’t force it!”

Soccer context: This one is fairly intuitive. If you have the ball, don’t try to make something happen that is unlikely to work. Don’t jam the ball in an awkward pass, don’t try to dribble through 5 defenders, don’t shoot at goal at an odd angle. Look for the easy, clean play…and wait for a better window of opportunity.

• Real world life advice: Life’s challenges can be difficult, your objectives blocked by numerous barriers. The direct, brute force approach probably won’t work, so look for workarounds and alternatives. Get creative, wait for better timing, and come at the problem from a different direction.

“Play the way you face.”

Soccer context: Making a turn with the ball - changing direction in soccer - is an advanced skill. It requires technical aptitude and highly attuned vision. Usually, the best thing to do is keep your body direction the same as when you receive the ball and trust your teammates to make themselves available for a pass. Don’t overcomplicate things - release the ball in the direction you are already pointed. Allow the team to change direction, as the other players are themselves facing various ways already. It speeds up play, reduces the probability of a turnover, and optimizes group dynamics.

• Real world life advice: Play to your strengths. Leverage your natural orientation and get help with major changes. The way you face - your perspective, your compass - is yours for a reason. It’s what you bring to the game. Changing it requires energy and raises the stakes. If a major change is needed, rely on your friends and colleagues to help round out the situation.

“TIME! TIME!”

Soccer context: Simply translated, you have time. There are no opposing players crashing down on you and there is room to maneuver. Take a breath, scan the field, and determine the next move.

• Real world life advice: Don’t put artificial deadlines on yourself. Time is the most valuable thing of all, when you have it, use it. Most problems change or resolve simply by waiting. Rushing - when you don’t need to - leads to self-inflicted wounds.

“Reward the runner.”

Soccer context: You’re in midfield with the ball and you notice your teammate ahead of you sprinting towards the opponents goal, getting open. Get the ball to them! Advance the attack and take advantage of their effort. Making countless runs is a thankless task and demoralizing when it goes unnoticed. But nothing gets a thumbs-up from a teammate like a well-timed pass towards them.

• Real world life advice: Recognize the effort of others around you. Delegate and distribute the responsibility. Encourage more winning behavior by feeding their ambition, sharing the glory, and taking advantage of your teammate’s efforts. After all, an assist is just as valuable as a goal.

“Play to space.”

Soccer context: Find the open space and make the pass to where your teammate is going to be, not where they are. Look for areas of the field that are uncontested, offering greater room to maneuver and that can open up new possibilities.

• Real world life advice: Think ahead, and go where the crowd isn’t. Zig when others are zagging, and you’ll often find more opportunities.

“When in doubt, kick that shit out!”

Soccer context: On defense, you’re trapped on your side of the field, opposing players closing in, no obvious way to escape. Your teammates are far away and the ball is pinging around dangerously close to your own goal. Kick the hell out of the ball. Don’t try to make a clever pass, don’t try to outmaneuver people. Just kick it. It doesn’t matter where - downfield, out of bounds, into the stands. Get it as far away from your goal as you can, buying your team time and a chance to reset.

• Real world life advice: Eject negativity from your life. Nobody has time or energy for that crap. You can’t make positive life choices when panic sets in and the doubters start to scream at you. Clear your emotional pitch before resuming your game.

“You can’t teach speed.”

Soccer context: Broadly speaking, soccer players need two of the following three characteristics to be successful: technical skills, tactical awareness, and athleticism/speed. The best players have all three, but many of the greats still can dominate the sport with just two. Luckily, the first two are teachable and trainable, and where training and effort is most rewarded For the most part, athleticism/speed is the result of the genetic lottery. You have it or you don’t.

• Real world life advice: Recognize your strengths, know your weaknesses, and focus on what you can control. Some things you simply can’t change, so don’t waste energy trying. Supplement your capabilities elsewhere.

“Play to the whistle!”

Soccer context: Don’t stop what you're doing until the referee whistles the play dead. If the ball seems out of bounds, if there may be a forthcoming substitution, or something else seemingly could interrupt the game - don’t assume that the game will stop. Sometimes this opens up unexpected opportunities, a chance at goal. Keep dribbling, make the pass, take the shot. There’s always a chance, and the game ain’t over until it’s over.

• Real world life advice: Don’t quit. Pretty simple really. You don’t know what options might manifest, so just keep going.

There you have it - wisdom from the sidelines. I hope you see some truth in these phrases - from either a soccer perspective or a life perspective.

Now…if only the Timbers and Thorns can get their soccer mojo dialed in…sigh.

Farewell photo

A little slice of life, until next time…

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Disclaimer:

All content and opinions are solely those of the author (Jack), and not representative of my employer, former employers, clients, anyone in Congress, my family, former college roommates, Baptists, the good citizens of Oregon, or my dog Mabel.