How to Play Soccer – The Fundamental Skills You Need to Master
So you want to learn how to play soccer? Well you have come to the right place. To become a good soccer player you need to master several skills. You cannot just focus on one single skill, instead, you must also have other good skills like good control on the ball or quality passes.
You must always tend to improve your soccer skills because there is always something you can improve in your game. So, let's take a look at main how to play soccer skills that you need to master as soccer player.
How To Play Soccer -The Formations
A soccer formation describes how the players in a soccer team are positioned on the field. Different formations are used from match to match depending on the skill of your opponents. If your opponents are ultra defensive then of course a more offensive formation like 4-3-3 is preferable.
But if your opponents are ultra offensive than a 4-4-2 formation is more preferable. For example the 4-4-2 describes the formation of playing with 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and two forwards/centers, and is the most widely used formation in soccer today.
How to Play Soccer - Dribbling
In soccer, dribbling is one of the most difficult skills to master but also one of the most useful attacking moves. In a typical soccer game, you and your teammates attempt to propel the ball toward your opponent's goal through individual ball control, such as dribbling your opponents.
If you master the art of dribbling you will be pretty hard to stop and opponents will need to make unsuccessful tackles on you which will result in useful free kicks and sometimes even penalty kicks.
How to Play Soccer - Heading
To dominate the game in the air you need to have good heading skills. Heading can be painful in beginning because you must hit the ball with right part of your head. But don't worry about headache because there is no medical evidence proving that heading in soccer should cause brain damage. There are four main methods for hitting a ball.
How to Play Soccer - Passing
To perform well in soccer you need to have good passing skills. Passing may seem easy from first sight and in fact it is. What makes passing difficult is the tempo of a match. A low tempo will give you more time to think and you will not make so many mistakes as in high tempo where you need to think fast and pass the ball with accuracy.
How to Play Soccer - Positions
First player in front of the goalkeeper is called defender. As a defender your mission is to stop your opponents from shooting and getting into your goal kick area. There are also teams playing with a defender closer to the goalkeeper than regularly. This position is called libero or sweeper. The libero/sweeper must always be the last player in defense and help his/her defenders.
Behind your forwards and defensive line there are midfielders. As a midfielder your task is to score goals and to stop your opponent's midfielders from scoring. Usually a midfielder is either offensive (means playing higher in the field) or defensive (which means playing nearer your defensive line).
In front of the midfielders there are forwards and centers. The main difference between these two is that a forward normally has good sprinting abilities while centers are stronger and better target players.
How to Play Soccer - Shooting
Good shooting abilities are vital if you want to score goals. With soccer shooting mastered, you will be able to score more goals. Good scoring ability is also important because it may increase your chances of becoming a professional soccer player.
How to Play Soccer -Kicking
Having god kicking skills is not the same as good shooting abilities. A good example on this is the free kick. A direct free kick is a great chance to score goal especially if you have a good technical shoot. You don't have to be the hardest shooting player in your team to become a good free kick taker; instead, you should focus on hitting the goal. A hard shot is more difficult to control and will often end up 50 yards behind the goal.
The Rules
To learn how to play soccer or simply to understand how soccer is played you need to look at some of the basic rules. Let's start...
Each soccer team consists of eleven players who plays together (similar to a orchestra) to score points. These points are called goals and the team that scores most goals during a match is the winner.
A goal is scored when the ball is over the whole goal line. As a soccer player you can use your whole body to control the ball (beside your arms). Only the goalkeeper is allowed to grip the ball with hands. However, as a goalkeeper you may only use your hands to grip the ball while standing in your goal area.
Outside the goal area you have same responsibility as the rest of your team and cannot use your hands anymore. However, you can act like any player on the field and you may also score if you get a chance of course 
Typically a soccer match last 90 minutes with two 45 minute halves. However, the younger the players are the shorter matches, generally
The soccer ball should be of size 5 for adults and 4 and lower for players younger than 12. You will also need a pair of shin-guards to protect the front of your lower legs against slide tackles. You will also need a pair of shoes but this is only necessary during a regular soccer game. Rings and earring must also be removed before the start of match.
A soccer field can range in size dependent upon the league you are playing, how old you are, indoor field, outdoor field, etc. The most common size of a soccer field will range from 100-130 yards in length. There are also flags on each corner to mark the corner spot. On a soccer field there are usually eleven soccer positions including a goalkeeper.
Author: Mirsad Hasic
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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