Sideline parents

[Unregistered]

Do some of you really have such narrow views? Why don't we just have all soccer games played inside of an enormously high walled in field so no one but the players can see or hear anything. Seriously, it's a sport and during my athletic career I loved when there was hooting and hollering during a game, it's a lot of what made it fun. The fan passion - good, bad, and ugly (saw a lot more of it than these kids do) is what boiled my own juices and got me playing harder. I never heard the words, it was the emotion that you could feel. Shutting up the opposing fans with a big play is an awesome feeling.. almost better than sex. That's completely missing these days. It's no wonder most of the players play like they are giving 3/4 effort when you watch a club soccer game. Its like watching paint dry as it is and now some of you want to extinguish what little passion there is. For what, so the kids can hear some overly self important club coach bark out instructions like they were god? If that is what you want for your kids you know nothing about sports.

Good point. It appears that folks today are so easily offended. Go big or go home.

[Unregistered]

What did your parents yell out to you during games?

Cheering during a game is and has always been fine. The issue I have is about the ignorance behind parents trying to direct their child from the sidelines. Comments can be so classless...Beat him to the ball, Jimmy! Hit back, Jimmy! Hustle, Jimmy, get the ball, Jimmy! Kick the ball, Jimmy! Leave the kid alone because you don't matter during the game.

Parents are not the coach. Coaches shouldn't be barking the whole match either, but directions should come from the coach only. Otherwise, it's mixed messages, wrong messages and a total distraction.

I was more motivated not by our own parents but the ignorant ones I heard from the other team. When parents were ignorant, I did my best to score and shut them up. When a coach wouldn't shut up, I did my best to score as many goals as possible. Hope there are lots of players still motivated like this, so keep yelling parents!

Do some of you really have such narrow views? Why don't we just have all soccer games played inside of an enormously high walled in field so no one but the players can see or hear anything. Seriously, it's a sport and during my athletic career I loved when there was hooting and hollering during a game, it's a lot of what made it fun. The fan passion - good, bad, and ugly (saw a lot more of it than these kids do) is what boiled my own juices and got me playing harder. I never heard the words, it was the emotion that you could feel. Shutting up the opposing fans with a big play is an awesome feeling.. almost better than sex. That's completely missing these days. It's no wonder most of the players play like they are giving 3/4 effort when you watch a club soccer game. Its like watching paint dry as it is and now some of you want to extinguish what little passion there is. For what, so the kids can hear some overly self important club coach bark out instructions like they were god? If that is what you want for your kids you know nothing about sports.

[Unregistered]

Good point. It appears that folks today are so easily offended. Go big or go home.

Right because I just can't get enough of a parent yelling out "Jimmy! Take out number 12".....

[Unregistered]

What did your parents yell out to you during games?

Cheering during a game is and has always been fine. The issue I have is about the ignorance behind parents trying to direct their child from the sidelines. Comments can be so classless...Beat him to the ball, Jimmy! Hit back, Jimmy! Hustle, Jimmy, get the ball, Jimmy! Kick the ball, Jimmy! Leave the kid alone because you don't matter during the game.

Parents are not the coach. Coaches shouldn't be barking the whole match either, but directions should come from the coach only. Otherwise, it's mixed messages, wrong messages and a total distraction.

I was more motivated not by our own parents but the ignorant ones I heard from the other team. When parents were ignorant, I did my best to score and shut them up. When a coach wouldn't shut up, I did my best to score as many goals as possible. Hope there are lots of players still motivated like this, so keep yelling parents!

I can't ever remember what parents said on the sidelines when I played. Basketball too. Man, what a distraction if you allow yourself to process that. The only thing I cared about was what my teammates said and to a certain degree, what the coach said if I could hear him across the field. And it would seem like an obvious disadvantage if are changing your style of play based on what parents or other coaches were yelling. Pretend the other team is speaking a foreign language and I think you'll play better. Soccer is hard enough without the mental distractions.

[Unregistered]

What did your parents yell out to you during games?

Cheering during a game is and has always been fine. The issue I have is about the ignorance behind parents trying to direct their child from the sidelines. Comments can be so classless...Beat him to the ball, Jimmy! Hit back, Jimmy! Hustle, Jimmy, get the ball, Jimmy! Kick the ball, Jimmy! Leave the kid alone because you don't matter during the game.

Parents are not the coach. Coaches shouldn't be barking the whole match either, but directions should come from the coach only. Otherwise, it's mixed messages, wrong messages and a total distraction.

I was more motivated not by our own parents but the ignorant ones I heard from the other team. When parents were ignorant, I did my best to score and shut them up. When a coach wouldn't shut up, I did my best to score as many goals as possible. Hope there are lots of players still motivated like this, so keep yelling parents!

Former coach here. I had a U14 player who was pinpoint accurate with cleared balls. More than once I saw her drill a loudmouth parent on the sidelines square in the coconut. Sometimes it was a parent of her teammates. It was really hard for all of us not to burst out laughing whenever she did it. She would always apologize profusely which made us want to laugh even harder. She is the CFO of a large financial services firm now just in case you think she was a miscreant.

[Unregistered]

Didn't change my style of play, the motivation gave me a higher level of intensity. There was no mental distraction. In fact, it gave me even more concentration and focus. Worked out very well for me. Did this in all sports I played, not just soccer. Also found motivation in some opponents as well.

I can't ever remember what parents said on the sidelines when I played. Basketball too. Man, what a distraction if you allow yourself to process that. The only thing I cared about was what my teammates said and to a certain degree, what the coach said if I could hear him across the field. And it would seem like an obvious disadvantage if are changing your style of play based on what parents or other coaches were yelling. Pretend the other team is speaking a foreign language and I think you'll play better. Soccer is hard enough without the mental distractions.

[Unregistered]

Love it. Now that's a player!!

Former coach here. I had a U14 player who was pinpoint accurate with cleared balls. More than once I saw her drill a loudmouth parent on the sidelines square in the coconut. Sometimes it was a parent of her teammates. It was really hard for all of us not to burst out laughing whenever she did it. She would always apologize profusely which made us want to laugh even harder. She is the CFO of a large financial services firm now just in case you think she was a miscreant.

[Unregistered]

Didn't change my style of play, the motivation gave me a higher level of intensity. There was no mental distraction. In fact, it gave me even more concentration and focus. Worked out very well for me. Did this in all sports I played, not just soccer. Also found motivation in some opponents as well.

OK, sounds like you had good self control and knew how to funnel the emotion. I saw too many others "lose it" and get off their game when the opposing coach, teammates, parents would say nasty things.

[Unregistered]

If something irritated me, exactly, I channeled the emotion into intensity. There's no reason to lose it. It's a fine line to walk, but like I said it served me well.

OK, sounds like you had good self control and knew how to funnel the emotion. I saw too many others "lose it" and get off their game when the opposing coach, teammates, parents would say nasty things.

[Unregistered]

Former coach here. I had a U14 player who was pinpoint accurate with cleared balls. More than once I saw her drill a loudmouth parent on the sidelines square in the coconut. Sometimes it was a parent of her teammates. It was really hard for all of us not to burst out laughing whenever she did it. She would always apologize profusely which made us want to laugh even harder. She is the CFO of a large financial services firm now just in case you think she was a miscreant.

I call exaggeration here. More likely a low liner into the opposing team's cheering section. Even the pros don't have head hunting accuracy like that.

[Unregistered]

What did your parents yell out to you during games?

Cheering during a game is and has always been fine. The issue I have is about the ignorance behind parents trying to direct their child from the sidelines. Comments can be so classless...Beat him to the ball, Jimmy! Hit back, Jimmy! Hustle, Jimmy, get the ball, Jimmy! Kick the ball, Jimmy! Leave the kid alone because you don't matter during the game.

Parents are not the coach. Coaches shouldn't be barking the whole match either, but directions should come from the coach only. Otherwise, it's mixed messages, wrong messages and a total distraction.

I was more motivated not by our own parents but the ignorant ones I heard from the other team. When parents were ignorant, I did my best to score and shut them up. When a coach wouldn't shut up, I did my best to score as many goals as possible. Hope there are lots of players still motivated like this, so keep yelling parents!

I adhor this behavior but I cherished the handful of times the kid on the field turned to mom or dad and shouted out "shut up" because they had enough of the stupid talk. Or the kid whose parent blurted out the useful advice of "kick it" a few seconds too late and the kid stopped running down the field and screamed "I just did!" right at them and then started running again. The crowd just cracks up and mom or dad feel oh so big. Priceless.

[Unregistered]

I call exaggeration here. More likely a low liner into the opposing team's cheering section. Even the pros don't have head hunting accuracy like that.

Yes they do.

[Unregistered]

Yes they do.

Then there would never be a missed PK.

[Unregistered]

6. I pray that ref's who are incompetent find another way to earn a few extra bucks.
7. I would love to see ref's with a God complex and rabbit ear who go out of their way to antagonize players, coaches and parents drummed out of the game.
8. It would be great if those who can't stand sideline parents would remember that soccer is a sport and fans are supposed to be passionate, otherwise one might as well go watch mountain climbing.
It would be awesome if Doc's, coaches and ref's remembered who pays their check.. the sideline parents.

It's virtually impossible to self-identify as the World's smallest person on a site like this, but damned if you didn't manage to pull it off! Bravo sir!

[Unregistered]

Then there would never be a missed PK.

True Story: At my E license class a while back during lunch break (in a basketball court) we were messing around with the ball trying to chip it into the basket. We tried for 30 minutes without success. We could hit the backboard or the rim but that was it. The coach running the clinic came over just before we restarted class, put the ball down at halfcourt, and swished it (ALL NET!!!) on his first try. He was the Head Coach at Worcester State if I remember correctly. This was back in 1999(I think ?) in Townsend MA for any of you nattering nabobs who want to doubt me.

As for missing PK's? The goalie has a lot to do with misses..... more than you realize because most people in here have never taken a PK.