To really understand how to play soccer, I encourage you to explore the rules in more depth. But this basic overview should get you started. As you will have seen in the rules, the maximum number of players a team can field at once is Soccer games involving youth players are often played on soccer fields smaller than a full-size field.
Because of the small space, fewer players are on the field at one time. Have a look at my article all about youth soccer positions here for more info. Each of these areas can be broken down into more specific positions.
If you want to know what those are, check out my article — Soccer Positions: a complete guide — but for the purpose of this article, let me explain these four areas. The goalkeeper is the player ultimately responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring a goal. To play goalie, a player needs to be willing to put themselves between the ball and the goal they are defending in any situation.
A goalkeeper must also have excellent reflexes and the ability to distribute the ball effectively to the other players on their team. To play defense, a player needs to be strong and confident when making a tackle. They should be acutely aware of where all other players on the field are at all times.
They should also be prepared to provide cover for another player on their team when called upon. A midfielder is a player responsible for connecting the defense and forward players. The ball usually comes through the midfield players as it travels from the back to the front of the soccer field. The midfielders are often responsible for setting up an attack.
To play midfield, a player needs to have a high level of fitness. They usually cover more ground than any other player on the team. A midfielder also needs to have a high level of passing ability as they have the responsibility to move the ball around the field.
If you want to see how to play in one specific midfield position, I recommend you check out my guide on how to play as winger in soccer. The forward on a soccer team is ultimately responsible for scoring and creating goals for the team. To play forward in soccer, a player should try to create opportunities to take a shot at goal. They should always be looking for and moving into space to maximize their chance of receiving the ball and taking a shot. They should also be aware of where the other players are on the field, specifically the goalie.
To start with, a soccer game last for a total of 90 minutes. This is split into two halves of 45 minutes each. Some sports use quarters, soccer divides a game into halves. Find out more about this article I wrote here. There are no timeouts during a soccer game ; only the occasional drinks break if the referee decides the weather is hot enough to warrant this. If there is an injury or another stoppage in play, the referee will keep track of how long the game has paused.
The referee will then add this time to the end of the half. This is why you will sometimes see a game-ending after 92, 93, or 94 minutes rather than stopping at the minute mark.
During tournament games, there is also the possibility of extra time being added onto the end of the game if the game has ended in a tie. This is due to the need for a winner to be decided on in a knockout competition.
If this happens, then the referee will add an extra 30 minutes of playing time to the end of the game. If the scores are still tied at the end of this, then a penalty-kick competition, or penalty-shootout , will take place until a winner is established.
The next thing you need to play soccer is the correct equipment. And the one piece of equipment that is more important than anything else is a soccer ball. Without a soccer ball, you would just have a group of people running around a field! You will be fine starting with a good quality ball such as one of these from Amazon. When you are just practicing or kicking a ball around with friends, then wear something you are comfortable in. However, when you play in a structured game, there are usually specific requirements on what you wear.
If you join a soccer team, then the jersey, shorts, and socks will often be provided for you. Outside of an official game, it is worth having these items of clothing yourself.
This gives you the option of playing soccer whenever you feel like it. If you want to keep the ball in your team's possession, you're going to need to dribble well. Dribbling is all about touching the ball strong enough to carry it forward, but light enough so that it stays at your feet. The easiest way to dribble for beginners is probably with the inside of your foot. Learn to dribble at different speeds.
When you're running down the sideline and you've beaten your defender, your dribbling will look a lot different from when you're taking on a defender head-on. Work on your passing skills.
Passing is all about putting the ball exactly where you want it. In order to pass a soccer ball, kick the ball using the inside of your foot. This will give you less power but more accuracy. Once you master the basic pass, you can then try to slice and hook the ball in order to pass it to one of your teammates. If your teammate is running, always kick the ball ahead of them so that they can run to the ball in stride.
To hook the ball, use the inside of your foot but turn it more forward a degree angle toward your target instead of closer to 90 degrees as you strike the ball. Slicing takes a bit more practice since you need to strike the ball with the outside of your foot while your leg sweeps in a hooking motion. Tip: Pass with your toes pointed upward and your heel pointed down. Hone your shooting skills. If you're really close to the goal and all you need is accuracy, you can shoot using the sweet spot of the inside of your foot, like a pass.
Normally, though, you're going to be farther away and will need power as well as accuracy. Keep your foot pointed down at the ground as you follow through. Use your hips to swing through the ball. Bring your foot across your body if necessary to generate even more power. This should cause both feet to lift from the ground. Build your skills as a defender. Defending the goal from an opposing attacker is an underrated achievement. Instead, keep your eye on the ball at all times.
Stay in between the ball and the goal. In other words, don't let the ball get behind you. Right after an attacker hits the ball on the dribble—that's the time when you should step in and either tackle or kick the ball toward an open teammate.
This is called anticipating the dribble, and it's essential for knocking the ball from an attacking player. Part 2. Understand the object of the game. You win a soccer match by scoring more goals than the opponent scores. All other players may use any part of their bodies except their arms and hands.
A regulation game also called a match is typically 90 minutes long, made up of 2 halves of 45 minutes each. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Recognize the positions in soccer. There are 11 total players per team on the field to start the game. Although the positions can be rearranged however the coach sees fit, there are usually 4 defenders, 4 midfielders, 2 strikers, and 1 goalie.
They need to make good outlet clearing passes and are usually bigger physically than other players. Midfielders do the most running, as they play a combination of defense and offense. They usually orchestrate the attack and need to be good at holding onto the ball and passing. They need to be quick, agile, and able to shoot with power and accuracy within seconds. They are often the fastest players on the field. The goalie protects the yard penalty area and is the only player who can use their hands but only in their own penalty area.
The goalie has to be agile, flexible, quick to anticipate, and good at communication. Note that kickoffs start the game and the beginning of the second half. At the time of kickoff, each team's players need to be entirely on their own half of the field and the opposition must not be within the center circle as the yard mandatory distance on a restart.
Once the whistle has blown and the ball is kicked, the laws allow it to go backwards or forwards, the players can move freely into both halves of play. Teams change sides at halftime and the team who did not kick off does so in the 2nd half. Note: There is also a kickoff after each goal is scored by the team that was scored on. Learn when and how to do throw-ins.
Throw-ins happen when the ball goes completely over 1 of the 2 touchlines. Possession goes to the team who wasn't the last to touch it.
This team gets to throw the ball in from the place where it went out of bounds. A player must bring the ball up with both hands behind their head, and release the ball over their head with both hands.
A player cannot lift either of their feet completely off the ground while they are throwing the ball, though the players typically drags 1 foot 0. Recognize the difference between a corner kick and a goal kick. If the ball goes over the goal line but not into the goal and was last touched by the defending team, the ball goes to the closest goal line corner and becomes a corner kick, with possession going to the attacking team. The keeper often takes a goal kick but any one of the 11 players can.
On any free kick taken from within the 6-yard goal area the defenders can place the ball anywhere within the area. The ball is not in play until it completely leaves the 18 yard PA penalty area. Recognize when a player is offside. Offside is one of the more crucial rules in soccer, and it's designed to keep soccer teams from cherry-picking, or packing the yard penalty area with players.
Tip: The offside position is exempt on throw-ins, corner kicks, and goal kicks. Identify the difference between a direct free kick and an indirect free kick. A direct free kick is when you can kick the ball directly into the goal for a score without the ball touching another player first.
An indirect free kick must be touched by another player before counting as a score. Indirect free kicks are granted by the referee due to other types of infractions or game stoppages. During an indirect free kick, the referee will keep one arm raised until the ball is touched by a second player. Recognize that only a DFK direct free kick foul inside the yard penalty area results in a penalty kick.
A penalty kick happens when a defender fouls an opponent in his or her own yard or penalty box. All other players except the goalie and the player taking the penalty kick line up outside the penalty area behind the PA spot. The goalie must have part of both feet on the goal line and cannot move off of it before the ball is kicked. After the ball is kicked forward, it is live, meaning it can now be played by any player from either team except the kicker.
He must wait until one of the other players do so first includes the opposing keeper before he can play the ball a second time. Any player can take the penalty kick, not just the player who was fouled. Know the grounds for a caution for which a yellow card is shown. A referee issues a caution and shows a yellow card, both as a warning to the player and as a lesson for all other players as to what is not tolerated or unacceptable behavior. Two yellow cards result in a red card, after which that player must leave the game permanently.
Note that both yellow and red cards accumulate throughout the season. Reasons for cautions include: [13] X Research source Any USB actions during the match whether the ball is in play or not misconduct. Reckless play, any foul or action during play which compromises the safety of an opponent.
Tactical fouls designed to thwart or break up an attack. Delaying restarts or failure to respect distance on free kicks. When you do find a team to play for, make it your mission to compete hard during training sessions to secure your position and role on the team.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Learning how to play soccer is one of the best thing someone can do at any age. But, it can be hard to know where to start Getting Started The great thing about learning how to play soccer is that all you need is a ball. Practice, Practice, Practice. With the ball at your feet, the first step is to work on some of the basic skills of the game.
Ball Control If your only option is to practice individually, find a wall that you can kick against. Your goal is to kick the ball against the wall and then control the rebound. This will also give you the opportunity to work on one-touch passing. Just like the other skills, it will take you some time to improve. Study the Game Rules and Positions.
A few examples… a.
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