Soccer
INTRODUCTION
Soccer is a fast-moving, action-packed sport. It is one of the most popular sports in the world today. Soccer, which is technically known as “association football,” was in fact the forerunner of modern football. Soccer was the only football-type game in the United States until American-style football became popular in the 1870s. Today, soccer is included in the physical education programs of many schools. In addition, many elementary and high school students play it in organized after-school programs. Soccer demands physically fit players since the game includes running as much as three or four miles per match.
HISTORY OF SOCCER
In 400 B. C., the Chinese played a version of soccer, using a ball stuffed with hair. The Romans also played a version of soccer called “harpastan.” Julius Caesar reportedly used this game as training for his armies. Soccer was finally accepted as a “respectable” game. On May 21, 1904, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (F. I. F. A.) was founded for the purpose of formulating rules and regulations to govern the game of soccer. The F. I. F. A. today is responsible for all international games, as well as the World Cup Tournament, which is held every four years.
HOW SOCCER IS PLAYED
Points are made in soccer by kicking or butting the ball into the goal net. Players are not allowed to touch or carry the ball.
Soccer is played on a larger field than any sport except polo (where horses do most of the work). The field is commonly called a Pitch. A regulation game consists of two 45-minute periods. There are no time-out and substitutions are limited.
A match is played between two teams of 11 players each. Each team defends a goal and tries to score in the opponent’s goal. Each team designates one goalkeeper whose job is to protect the team’s goal. The goalkeeper is allowed to control the ball with his or her hands within the penalty area. Fields players may not use their hands or arms to control the ball, but instead they must use their feet, legs, body, or head. Goals are tallied by kicking or heading the ball into the opponent’s goal. Each goal counts as one point, and the team that scores the most goals wins the match.
Players are permitted to move anywhere on the playing field although each has specific responsibilities within the system of play used by the team. The alignment of the 10 field players can vary. Most systems of play deploy three or four defenders, four or five midfielders, and two or three forwards. Player alignment can be written using number such as a 4 -4 – 4 (4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 forwards).
The Eleven Players include:
a goalkeeper, two backs, three midfielders, three strikers, two wingers
The goalkeeper stays close to the net, and is the only player who is allowed to use his or her hands.
The two backs are located near the goal area and protect the
goalkeeper. Midfielders (including right, center and left) are in constant motion during the game.
These players run back and forth across the field throughout the game.
Strikers are considered the best all-around players. They must be adept at accurate passing as well as precision shooting with both feet.
The wingers (right and left outside forwards) are similar to basketball guards. These players must be able to control the ball in order to score the maximum number of points.
A coin toss generally determines which team kicks off to start the game. Once the play begins, the action is continuous. The clock stops only after a goal is scored, on a penalty kick, or at the discretion of the referee. After a goal, the team scored against restarts play with a kick off at the center of the field.
The Pitch (see diagram)
The soccer field must be 100 to 130 yards long and 50 to 100 yards wide. The length must always exceed the width. The end boundaries (where the goals are located) of the field are called goal lines or end-lines. The side boundaries are called the Touchlines. The halfway line divides the pitch into two equal halves and the center spot marks the center of the field. A goal is positioned at each end of the field on the center of the goal line / end -line. The dimensions of each goal are 8 feet high and 24 feet wide. The goal area is a rectangular box drawn along each goal line / end-line.
Laws (rules) of the Game
Soccer is a simple game with only 17 basic rules. The official FIFA laws of the game are standard throughout the world and pertain to all international competition. When a soccer player commits a foul, the opposing team gets a free kick. Fouls are given for such things as kicking an opponent, jumping an opponent, striking or pushing an opponent and handling the ball with the hands.
Officials
The referee enforces the laws of the game and has ultimate authority on the field. Two linesmen assist the referee. The linesmen indicates when the ball is out of play and determine which team is entitled to the throw-in, goal kick, corner kick, or off-sides.
Start of Play
A player takes a place kick from the center spot of the field to initiate play. Opponents must position themselves outside the center circle in their own half of the field. The ball is “in play” when it travels into the opponent’s half of the field the distance of its own circumference. The kicker is not permitted to play the ball a second time until another player touches it. A similar place kick restarts the game after a goal has been scored and also begins the second half of play. A goal can be scored directly from the kick off.
Ball In and Out of Play (throw-in, goal kick, corner kick)
The ball is considered “out of play” when it completely crosses a touchline or goal line, whether on the ground or in the air, or when the referee stops the game. When the ball travels out of play over the touchline it is returned to play by a throw-infrom the spot where the ball was last in play.
A ball last touched by a member of the attacking team that passes over the goal line, excluding the portion of line between the goal posts and under the crossbar, is returned to play by a goal kickawarded to the defending team.
A ball last touched by a member of the defending team that passes over the goal line, excluding the portion of line between the goal posts and under the crossbar, is returned to play by a corner kick awarded to the attacking team.
Scoring
A goal is scored when the ball passes completely over the goal line, between the goal posts and under the crossbar. The game is termed a drawif both teams score an equal number of goals during regulation time.
Offside
A player is in an offside position if he or she is nearer the opponent’s goal line than the ball is at the moment the ball is played (kicked, passed).
Free Kicks (direct and indirect)
There are two types of Free Kicks - Direct and Indirect. A goal can be scored directly by the kicker from a direct free kick. To score from an indirect free kick the ball must be played or touched by a player other than the kicker before it passes over the goal line. Defending players must position at least 10 yards from the ball for both direct and indirect kicks. Fouls can either occur in a direct or indirect free kick.
Cautions and Ejections (yellow Card and red Card)
It is the referee’s discretion to reprimand a player who continually commits flagrant violations of the laws. The referee issues ayellow card to officially caution a player. A yellow card violation conveys a warning to the player that he or she will be ejected from the game if similar violations continue. The referee issues a red card to signal that a player has been ejected from the game. A player issued a red card cannot return to the game and cannot be replaced by a substitute.
Penalty Kick
The most severe sanction for a direct foul, other than ejection from the game, is the penalty kick. A penalty kick results when a player commits a direct foul offense within his or her team’s penalty area; it can be awarded irrespective of the position of the ball. The kick is taken from the penalty spot 12 yards front and center of the goal. All players except the kicker and the goalkeeper must position outside the penalty area at least 10 yards from the penalty spot.
PLAYING TECHNIQUES
A unique aspect of the game of soccer is that the entire body, except for the arms and hands,is involved in the game. This is one majorreason that soccer requires so much practice,especially for the beginning player. Even thesimplest-looking moves are difficult to master.Experienced players practice constantly inorder to maintain a high level of skill.
KICKING
Kicking is a critical skill in soccer. The soccer kick does not use a regular kicking motion, whichincludes the toe. Instead, a soccer kick is really aninstep kick which, properly performed, can sendballs soaring up to 70 miles per hour. Professional
observers say that properly-executed kicks separate the skilled players from the beginners.
TRAPPING/ Collecting
“Trapping” the ball means that a player attempts to control a ball by stopping it or changing its direction. Trapping can be performed with any part of the body except the arms.Once the ball is trapped, it can be passed to another player or advanced on the field. Aplayer may also attempt to make a goal with a trapped ball.
HEADING
This technique is used when the ball is too high to reach with any other
body part. Incredible as it sounds, statistically a high percentage of goals
have been head shots! Timing is of critical importance in head shots. The player must meet theball rather than allowing the ball to come down to meet him or her. Thepower in this shot results from the body being flexed backward as the
ball is hit with the fl at part of the forehead.
PASSING
Passing is the most critical move in soccer. It is an excellent way to advance the ball and requires highly coordinatedteamwork.While passing is somewhat similar to kicking, passing requiresconsiderable practice to learn the exact amount of
power needed to move the ball. The “push pass” (an insidethe-foot pass) is the most popular pass and can move ballsup to 20 feet when properly executed.
DRIBBLING
Soccer dribbling is not the same move as basketball dribbling. However, both sports use this technique to move the ball alongfrom one point to another.In soccer, dribbling means touching or pushing the ball with theinside and outside portions of the foot. The object of dribbling in soccer is to move the ball approximately 10-12 inches.
EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING
In soccer, attire that allows for freedom of movement and comfort are the main clothing requirements. Professional teams usually wear shorts, a jersey top and shin pads forlower leg protection. The required attire for a field player consists of a jersey, shorts, socks, shin guards, and shoes (boots). The goalkeeper wears a shirt and shorts with padding at the elbows and hips in colors that distinguish (are different) him or her from the other players and the referee.
Soccer shoes are perhaps the player’s most important piece of equipment. They are manufactured to conform to specific regulations. Most professional soccer shoes have rubberstuds or rippled rubber soles in order that they can be used on all types of surfaces.
The soccer ball is made of leather or other approved materials. The official FIFA ball is 27 to 28 inches in circumference and weighs between 14 and 16 ounces.
The World Cup
To participate in the World Cup is the dream of millions of young soccer players. The World Cup takes place every four years and is the most important soccer competitionin the world. (For comparison, World Cup Soccer in 2010 had 715,100,000 TV viewersand the 2010 Superbowl had 106,500,000 viewers.)
The 2010 World Cup took place in South Africa. South Africa was the first African nation to host the finals. The matches were played in ten stadiums in cities around the country,with the final played at the Soccer City stadium in the capital city, Johannesburg.
Thirty-two teams were selected for participation via a worldwide qualification tournament that began in August 2007. In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in round-robingroups of four teams for points, with thetop two teams in each group proceeding. These sixteen teams advanced to the knockout stage,where three rounds of play decided which teamswould participate in the final match.Host nation South Africa, along with previous world champions Italy, was eliminated in the first round of the tournament, with powerhouse nations Argentina, Brazil and Germanyleaving the tournament in the knockout stage. In the final, the European championsand second-ranked team Spain defeated two-time finalist the Netherlands 1–0 after extratime, with Andrés Iniesta’s goal giving Spain its first-ever world championship. The 2010 finals marked the first time a European nation had won the tournament outsideof its home continent, as well as the first time that two different European teams hadbecome world champions in succession.
The Division I Men’s NCAA College Cup is a tournament of 48 teams who play for the
NCAA Championship.
Future World Cup
Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup beginning Thursday, June12, 2014, and ends Sunday, July13, 2014. Russia will host the 2018 World Cup and in 2022 the World Cup will be hosted by Qatar.
Basic Soccer Position Terms
Backs – Refers to defenders.
Defender – A player who works mainly in the defensive third of the field. They are primarily focused on stopping the opposition’s attackers from scoring.
Forward – A player who is responsible for most of a team's scoring. They play in front of the rest of their team (or in the attaching third of the field) where they can take most of the shots.
Fullback – a rear defender.
Goalie – Abbreviation for Goalkeeper.
Goalkeeper – I bet you know this one. The player positioned directly in front of the goal who tries to prevent shots from crossing the goalline; the only player allowed to use their hands and arms, though only within the 18-yard penalty area.
Keeper – Abbreviation for Goalkeeper.
Midfielder – A player generally positioned in the middle third of the field between the forwards and defenders. Their job is to link the defense and the offense through ball control and passing. They play both an attacking role and a defensive role.
Striker – Generally the same as a forward, though it sometimes refers to a forward that is his team’s primary scoring threat.
Sweeper – Not always used. In some formations, a single defender that plays closest to their own goal behind the rest of the defenders; a team's last line of defense in front of the goalkeeper.
Marking: Tight coverage of an opponent. Man on Man coverage.
Restart: A method of initiating play after a stop in the action. Restarts include: free kicks, throw-ins, corner kicks, goal kicks, and the drop ball.
Support: Movement of players into positions that provide passing opportunities for the teammate with the ball.
Zonal Defense: System in which each player is responsible for defending a certain area of the field.
Soccer Field Diagram
Player Positions