Our coach was beyond pissed after last Saturday’s game. Guys were shouting over each other, passes went nowhere, total mess. He made us run laps till our legs felt like jelly, then dropped the bomb: “Figure out how to talk, or enjoy running every practice.” Brutal.
The Awful Starting Point
Monday practice, coach made us play 5v5 in this cramped corner of the field. Instant chaos. I was yelling “Man on!” like crazy to my teammate Josh, but he was busy screaming “Pass! Pass!” at the top of his lungs to someone else. Nobody listened. Coach blew the whistle dead. “You all sound like seagulls fighting over chips,” he groaned. “Start over. Learn to LISTEN first.”
The First Try: Call Names, Duh
Coach made a new rule: you HAD to shout the receiver’s name before passing. Seemed stupid simple. First try? I yelled “MARK!” as a defender closed in on me, spun around, and belted “SARAH!”. Lo and behold, Sarah snapped her head up, got ready, and actually took my pass cleanly. My teammate Josh? He just screamed “PASS!” again – ball got intercepted immediately. Coach pointed at Josh: “Name. Use it.” Next time? Josh grumbled, but shouted “ETHAN!” – and Ethan got the ball. Lightbulb moment.
Cutting Out The Clutter
Coach hated long sentences. “Short words. Strong words,” he barked. We started practicing passing drills with only these allowed:
- One word for threats: “Man!”, “Time!”, “Turn!”
- One word for action: “Pass!”, “Shoot!”, “Hold!”
- Receiver name: “Mike!”
Suddenly, it wasn’t noise, it was intel. Hearing “CHRIS! MAN!” meant Chris knew I saw a defender closing on him. Simple. Life-saving.
Speak Up, Don’t Whisper
We tried it quieter once. Disaster. Half the team mumbled like they were sharing secrets. Coach made us stand 20 yards apart yelling basic stuff: “SARAH! PASS BACK!”. Felt silly at first, shouting basic commands. But in Wednesday’s scrimmage? I was wide open near the goal. Normally, I’d wave frantically. This time, Sarah spotted me, took a breath, and BOOMED: “LEO! SHOOT!” Loud. Clear. No confusion. I one-touched it into the net. Heck yes.
The Real Game Test
This afternoon’s match was the judge. We went back to the basics, hardcore:
- Every. Single. Pass. Name called first. “JOSH!”… pass. “MIA!”… pass.
- No essays. “SAM! TIME!” (meaning Sam had space). “ALEX! MAN!” (back off!).
- Volume cranked. No polite indoor voices. Project like bad actors.
- Listen, don’t just wait to yell. Shutting up sometimes is key.
We actually understood each other. Passes connected faster. We covered gaps without tripping over each other. Won 3-1. Felt smoother, smarter. Coach just nodded after the game. Didn’t make us run. That’s the biggest win. Turns out, yelling the right thing, the right way, isn’t noise – it’s how you win.
