What is Soccer?

 

Games in which the ball is kicked have been played around the world in various forms for centuries: soldiers in ancient China played ”football” as part of their army training. In 15th-century England, the sport was banned by the king because men preferred it to practicing their archery, and many were so badly injured in the violent matches that they could not fight in the army. Soccer is one of a group of sports-including football and rugby-that grew out of these early “games”. It is the most popular sport in the world and is played and enjoyed by millions. It has been an Olympic event since 1908.

 

Soccer is a running and kicking game in which the ball is controlled by the foot. The game is played by two teams of 11 players each. The object of soccer is to score points by getting the ball into the opponent’s goal. In order to do this, each team member needs to work together in an organized manner.

Player Positions 

 Each team has 11 players. One player must be the goalkeeper. The others, known in general terms as field players, are defenders, midfielders, and forwards. The number of players at each position depends on the playing style favored by the coach. A common breakdown would be three defenders, three midfielders, and four forwards. The defenders help the goalkeeper prevent a goal, the midfielders help the defenders and the forwards, and the forwards are the players that try to score a goal.

 

Glossary  of Soccer Terms 

Clear:                   Removing the ball from the goal area by a defensive player.      

Corner Kick:         A place kick made by the attacking team from the corner arc. This occurs when the defending team sends the ball over the end line or over the goal.  

Direct Free Kick:           A direct free kick is one where a goal may be scored directly.

Dribbling:             A method of advancing the ball by using soft taps with the inside of the feet to control and propel the ball along the ground.  

Dropped Ball:        When the ball is put into play by the referee by being dropped between the two opponents. This occurs when the referee stops play for no penalty situation.

Free Kick:            A place kick which puts the ball into play from a designated spot for an infraction of the rules. The kick is awarded to a team when the opposing team is penalized. For a serious infraction such as a personal foul, it is a direct free kick; otherwise, it is an indirect free kick. Opponents must be 10 yards away from the ball.  

Foul:                     A rule infraction which results in a free kick. Some fouls are tripping, pushing, shoving, handball, kicking an opponent, holding, and unsportsmanlike conduct. If a player continues to foul s/he is carded YELLOW first. This means “caution” and is officially recorded. If this continues further, the player is given a RED card and ejected from the game.  

Goal Kick:             A place kick made by the defending team from the goal area when the ball goes out of bounds across the goal line and was last touched by a member of the attacking team. All opposing players must be outside the penalty area when a goal kick is made.

Goal Keeper or     

Goalie:                   A player who guards the goal. Unlike other players, the goalie can touch and throw the ball provided s/he is in the penalty area.  

 Heading:               To hit the ball with the head. Heading is second in importance only to kicking. It is essential in defensive play and in corner kick offense. The player must jump to meet the ball with a stiff neck and back straight. Contact the ball on the forehead between the eyebrows and the hairline. 

Indirect

Free Kick:            A kick that cannot score a goal until another player has touched the ball. It is awarded when a minor infraction occurs such as a goalie taking too many steps with the ball.

 

Kick Off:              An indirect free kick used to put the ball in play from the center circle at the beginning of the game and at the half. The kick-off occurs after each score as well.  

Penalty Kick:        This is awarded to the attack team when the defense commits a foul within the penalty area. All players stand outside the penalty area except the player taking the penalty kick and the goalkeeper defending the goal. The penalty kick mark is 12 yards from the goal.

Punting:                A kick used only by the goalkeeper. The ball is held in the hands and is kicked by the foot before it hits the ground. The punt must be kicked within the penalty area.   

Shooting:              Kicking or heading the ball towards the goal with the intention of scoring.

Slide Tackle:        Taking the ball away from an opponent by sliding into the ball and kicking it away.

Throw-In:             Occurs when the ball goes out of bounds on the sideline. The ball is thrown from the point where it went out of bounds by the opposite team. The throw-in is a two-hand overhead pass.

Wall:               A human barrier of at least three players who play in front of the goal to guard against free kicks to the goal. The wall must be 10 yards from the ball when it is kicked.

 

Basic Rules of Soccer 

The object of the game is for two teams consisting of 11 players compete to put the ball into their opponent’s goal. The highest score wins. At the start of the game, the selection of goals or choice of kicking-off is decided by a coin flip. The center forward kicks the ball from the center circle to a teammate.

·         Unnecessary roughness, pushing, tripping, or touching the ball with the arms or hands are fouls and the offending team is penalized by a penalty kick or a free kick.    

·         A penalty kick is awarded when the foul is committed in the penalty area by the defense. The offensive team will take the penalty kick from the 12 yard penalty mark with all players except the goalie outside of the penalty area.  

·         A free kick is awarded for fouls outside the penalty area. It is kicked from the spot of the foul and opponents must be 10 yards away until the ball is kicked. There are two types of free kicks, the direct free kick and the indirect free kick.

·         The direct free kick is one where a goal may be scored directly. That is, the player kicking the ball may try to score a goal.

·         The indirect free kick is one where the ball must be kicked to another teammate before a goal shot is attempted. The indirect free kick is awarded for improper language and unsportsmanlike conduct, when a player kicks a ball twice during a kick-off, free kick, goal kick, or corner kick, and for offsides.

·         The offsides penalty was created to discourage players from staying close to the goal and getting an easy score. When the offensive team gets the ball into their opponent’s side of the field, there must be at least two defensive players (goalie is not included) between any offensive player and the goal at the moment the ball is played. Therefore, if an offensive player with the ball and his teammates have at least two defensive players between them and the goal, the player with the ball may pass the ball to an open space. His teammate can then run towards the ball and try for a goal. Offsides is not called when an offensive player receives the ball from a corner kick, a throw-in, or a goal kick. 

 

 

 

 
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