YBCA

Jeff Bradley writes about being the brother of USMNT coach Bob and uncle of USMNT midfielder Michael Bradley. He describes Michael's early years while his father coached D.C. United:

Michael did nothing but hang around the D.C. United team, picking up stray soccer balls, polishing players' shoes for a buck a pair, joining in the drills and keep-away games from time to time.

When the son's or daughter's of professional athletes or coaches grow into exceptional athletes, we assume that they have a genetic advantage. Instead, Bradley's advantage was hanging around and watching professional soccer all the time. When I was 6 or 7, I played recreational soccer and I had never seen a professional soccer player or team on television, let alone practiced with one after a professional training session. That experience jump starts the magical 10,000 hours, not to mention developing the passion in the young child. 

Jeff Bradley describes a Thanksgiving when Michael was 9:

Michael missed a penalty kick and Bob laughed, saying Michael had been working on bending the ball with DC United's Bolivian midfielder Marco Etcheverry, and, hey, why not try it in a game? With two boys of my own now — both youth soccer players — I cannot say I have seen too many dads who laugh when their son experiments with something tricky and misses a penalty kick in a tournament. 

What's the point of practicing a skill if you're not going to use it in a game? Missing the PK certainly did not affect Bradley's career as a professional soccer player. Instead, his creativity and experimentation likely led to his development.

How do most coaches and parents react to such a “failure”? Is a missed PK the life-changing experience that many make out the play to be in the moment? Does the fact that his dad laughed off the mistake offer an insight into his eventual development into a professional player? 

http://espn.go.com/sports/socc…..-the-field