What is FOOTBALL:
Soccer is usually described as the most "beautiful game" in the world, out of many other sports. The exciting emotion and loyalty that soccer gives us means that this sport has a lot that we need to know and learn from it. Soccer also delivers its dynamic actions, unique skills, and the most important is the full 90 minutes of playing football.
Field AND plAYERS:
A soccer field measures up to 130 yards (120 m) long and 76 yards (70 m) wide. With 11 players on both sides competing for the ball.
Fit and fast:
Soccer is an athletic, high intensity sport, so the players need to be really fit to perform at their best throughout of a match. Even the most expert players have to practice and train for their skills and fitness before any match.
The brain game:
Soccer is a sport that needs a player to have speed, power, stamina, and skill, but also with demands mental agility. Players with the ability to think one more step ahead of the opposition, then there might be a chance to score a goal or create an attacking opportunities for his team. The same to the managers and coaches, during the game they need to have several key decisions to make, whether to change the format or use substitutions.
SOCCER'S ORIGINS:
A tavern in Victorian England seems an unlikely place to launch a sport that would become the world's biggest and most popular. Yet that is exactly what occurred in 1863 at the Freemason's Tavern in London, England. There, representatives of 12 clubs met to form the Football Association (FA) and drew up a single set of rules for the game.
BASIC SKILLS:
People say that soccer is one of the easiest sports in the world, but deep inside soccer there's a whole new world that need us to explore. Soccer is a game that is based on good passes, controlling the ball, and making you available to get the ball and score.
Referee:
Referees are soccer's guardians to keep the game playing safely; they are also the ones who keep everything in order by laws. The only thing they have to do is to prevent injuries, safety, and cheating in the game.
Defending:
Compared to strikers or midfielders, defenders are the most important players in the team to be able to win a game. A team with good and secure defense can make a whole lot of different. A good defender requires strength and excellent heading and tackling skills.
Goalkeeping:
Goalkeepers are not as important as strikers, because they can score goals for a team, but you cannot have a bad goalkeeper if you want to win a game. They have a different role from their teammates and even look a little different since they have to wear a shirt that distinguishes them from other players. When things are going well for a team goalies can be forgotten but when they make a mistake that will leads to a goal. Goalkeepers can also be game winners thanks to their saves and decisions. They need to have a lot of concentration, bravery, lightning reactions.
aTTACKING:
There are many ways in which a team can score a goal or create a chance to attack, from a fast drive into space by an attacking player who is sprinting forward and pushing the ball ahead.
Goal Scoring:
Players who score goals frequently/regularly are the most valuable of all. But scoring a goal is not just reserved for a striker, the whole team needs to work together, create chances to attack and score a goal.
Free kicks:
Referees award a free kick when a player breaks one of the laws of the game. There are two types of free kicks - indirect, which cannot be scored a goal without a second player to touch it, then there is direct, which can be scored from directly.
Passing:
Quick passing is the way to move the ball to your teammates or through the opposite opponents to score a goal. Passing is the most common/simple skill used in a game. The most common pass in soccer is the side foot pass. This sees the ball rolled across the field using the inside of the shoe.
Shielding, running, and turning:
Once a player has received and controlled the ball, they need to make their next move. In many situations, the player may shield the ball, run, or turn with the ball.
CROSSING AND HEADING:
A cross is a long, high pass from near the sidelines into the penalty area. Crosses are very useful for getting the ball behind the defenders or even score a goal.
Formations:
The way in which soccer team is lined up on the field is known as formation. The decision of choosing whether an attacking formation or defense formation could be the biggest change to win/lose a game.