Beginning
Before you play soccer, you should always have a warm-up. This warm-up should include a cardio aspect to get your heart pumping. Then you should stretch your muscles (i.e. your hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, ankles, arms, shoulders, and neck) this will help you to prevent injuries. Using the proper equipment will also help you to prevent injuries, and will also improve your game play. You should always were soccer cleats, shin pads, and long socks to cover your shin pads when you play soccer.
Defending
The key to defending is not to commit.
Let you opponent choose which side he/she will
go, to try to get around you, and then you can try and get the ball. Do not
try to get the ball before they choose a side of you to go around. If you do, it
is called committing, and that will make it easy for your opponent to get
around you, by simply going around you on the opposite side from where you have put your
foot out. Try to keep the your body between your net and the opposing player who has the ball.
This will make it harder for the opposing team to score against yours.
Passing
When passing the ball, use the inside of your foot. Never try to use your toe. Kicking the soccer ball with your toe may cause injury to yourself, and is highly inaccurate. Using the inside of your foot will allow you to make a straight pass to a teammate. Turn your foot 90 degrees away from your body, so you can strike the ball with the straight, flat side of your shoe. This will make the ball go straight in the direction you want it to.
Shooting
When shooting the ball, turn your toe slightly, so that more of the ball is hitting on the inner part of your cleat, and try to get the ball to hit on top of your laces. This will give you a very powerful shoot. Before you kick the ball to shoot at the net, you should take a running start. This will cause the ball to move faster because your foot will have more power behind it when it hits the ball.
Dribbling
Dribbling is one of the most important parts of soccer. You need to practice dribbling and controlling the ball, so that you will b able to take possession and control of the soccer ball while in a game. Do not kick the ball very hard when you are dribbling, or else it will get to far ahead of you and you will lose control of it. Try to keep the ball close to your body, using both feet to keep it moving in front of you, as you head towards your opponents net. Once you get good at dribbling the ball you can try to do a step over. This is were you are dribbling normally, and then you take your foot as if you are going to kick it ahead of you, but you step over the ball and let it continue through in front of you. After it gets ahead of you, you gain control of the ball again and continue dribbling. That is a good trick to use when you are trying to avoid a defenseman from the other team.
Goalkeeping
When you are playing as the goal keeper, try to communicate to the players on your team, often you will be able to see things happening on the field that your teams mates may miss, for example and open player on the other team. The goalie is the only player that is allowed to use their hands to move the ball. Using your hands will also help you when defending your team's net. The goalie is only allowed to use their hands when they are within the goalies box. The goalies box is generally 18 yards. If the goalie saves the ball before it goes out of the boundaries, the goalie may carry the ball to the end of their 18-yard box and drop kick the ball. But if the ball is kicked out of boundaries behind the net by an opposing player, the goalie must place the ball on the inner box, and kick the ball off of the ground. A teammate may take the goalie's kick off of the ground if the goalie wishes them to do so. When catching a low ball, crouch down in front of the ball and use both hands to pick it up. If the ball is in the air, position your face in the path of the ball when you try to catch it. This will make it easier and more comfortable for you.
Last revised: Sept. 02, 2005