Important Soccer Terms

Defining the Field

∙Touch Line - Side line.

∙ End Line - (aka Goal Lines) The lines that define the ends of the field. Length will vary by age group & your club rules. (See "Field Diagram"). Coaches & spectators are supposed to stand along the side lines, not behind the end lines because it is too distracting.

∙ Center Circle - Circle in the center of the field; usually 6 yard radius for U-8, 8 yard radius for U-10 & 10 yard radius for U-12 & older. On a kick off, defenders must stay outside this until the ball is moved by the kicker.

∙ Goal Box - The small box in front of the goal within which the ball must be placed to take a goal kick. (The ball can also be placed on the line). Size will vary by age group & your soccer club's rules. On adult sized fields the Goal Box extends six yards from the Goal and Goal Line into the field and for this reason it is sometimes referred to as the "Six".

∙ Penalty Area - The large box in front of the goal in which the goalkeeper can touch the ball with hands. The half circle at the top of this box is the Penalty Box Arc. Size will vary by age group & your club rules. On adult sized fields, the Penalty Box extends 18 yards from the Goal Line into the field. Often referred to as the “Eighteen”.

Player Positions

∙ Forwards - Primary scorers who play closest to the other team's goal. The Right Forward ("RF") is the one on the right facing the other teams goal; LF is on the left, & CF is center. Most formations will have 2 or 3 forwards. Teach your forwards to be aggressive and opportunistic. They must fight to win the ball.

∙ Midfielders - Play between Forwards & Fullbacks. Must support the Forwards & also support the Fullbacks. Used to be called "linkmen" because they link the Fullbacks & Forwards. Must run more than any position & must have good stamina or be subbed a lot. On my U-16 recreational team we have 2 "Offensive MF's" ("OMF's") & 2 "Defensive MF's" ("DMF's"). (We play a 3-2-2-3, see "Formations"). My "MF's" move up on the attack & can move into scoring position & score if the opportunity is created. However, they must get back & cover their position & remember they are a mid-fielder. I encourage them to take long chip shots at the top of the goal, but not long grounders that the goalkeeper will easily pick up. On defense, I bring the DMF's back just outside the Penalty Box. We play a zone defense & the Defensive MF's will shift from side to side & move into the Penalty Box if necessary, depending on where the ball is, but the LMF (Left MF) & RMF (Right MF) will not go past the "center"; that way we always have someone covering the center even if the ball is far to one side. (The right and left sides are as you face the other team's goal).

∙ Fullbacks - Defenders who play closest to their own goal. The Left & Right are as you face the other teams goal. In diagrams the Left Fullbacks will be designated "LFB", center as "CFB" & right as "RFB". In Britain, they sometimes use the term full-back to refer to the right and left back, as opposed to the center back(s).

∙ Sweeper/Center Back - A fast & tough player who usually plays just behind the fullbacks, although he is allowed to roam. His job is to cover the space between the fullbacks & the goalkeeper & to stop "breakaways" & "sweep up" the ball or kick long "through balls" out of bounds so the defense has time to recover. Using a sweeper increases your "depth" & field coverage and therefore allows your fullbacks to push up to support your attack. A Sweeper is like a free safety in American football. A good sweeper must be fast & willing to make contact to steal the ball. A Sweeper can be like a coach on the field and can help direct adjustments, since he is usually the deepest field player and in a good position to view the game. The trend with pro teams is to not use a Sweeper but instead to use a "flat back four", which is 4 Fullbacks playing a zone defense and using a lot of "offside traps". A Sweeper was originally used to back up man-to-man defenses. However, using a Sweeper can also be used with a "Zone Defense" (i.e., "Spatial Defense"). A great Sweeper who has speed and great coverage skills can allow your Fullbacks to push up to support your attack, even if they aren't fast, because he will slow down the attack and give your Fullbacks time to recover.

∙ Goalkeeper - Except in small-sided play, each team must have a designated goalkeeper. He is the only player on the field who can legally use his hands and then only inside the Penalty Box. (Note that the Goalie cannot pick up the ball if it was deliberately kicked to him by a teammate... he can only pick it up if it was last touched by an opponent or if it was accidentally kicked to him by a teammate, or was passed from a teammate using the head, chest, knee, etc. instead of the feet.) Once he picks up the ball he has six seconds to punt it or release it. He is allowed to pick up the ball, run with it and then punt it, throw it, or drop it and dribble or kick it. (However, he cannot touch it with his hands outside the "Penalty Box" and once he drops it he can't touch it again with his hands until an opponent has touched it). The goalkeeper has special protections inside the Penalty Box; the ball may not be kicked if he is touching it with his hand or arm and the referee will call a foul if the goalkeeper is endangered. He must wear a shirt or jersey that is recognizably different from all other players.

Free Kicks and Set Pieces

∙ Kick-off - Each time a goal is scored, the team that didn't score gets to kick off. At each kick off, the ball is placed in the center of the "Center Mark" (on the half-way line) & both teams must be on their own half of the field & the receiving team must stay outside the Center Circle until the ball is "kicked". Moving the ball any constitutes a "kick off", even if it only goes an inch. However, the ball must move forward on the "kick off". The "kicker" may not touch the ball again until someone else (on either team) has touched it.

∙ Goal Kick - When the ball goes out of bounds over the end line & was last touched by the attacking team, it is put back into play by the defending team, who may place it anywhere within their Goal Box (including on the line) & then kick it. The kicked ball may not be touched again by anyone on either team until it clears the Penalty Box and the other team must stay outside the Penalty Box until the ball clears the Penalty Box.

∙ Corner Kick - A corner kick is a method of restarting play. When the ball goes out of bounds over the end line (aka the “Goal Line”) and was last touched by the defending team, the attacking team inbounds it from the nearest corner by kicking it in from the Corner Arc.

∙ Throw-in - Throw-ins are very important because each team will take 25 or more of them during a game. When the ball goes out of bounds over the side line (i.e. the "touch line"), it is "out" on the team that last touched the ball before it crossed totally over the side line, and the opposing team is allowed to get the ball and one of their players (often the closest, or a player designated by the coach to take the throw-ins) is allowed to inbound the ball by picking it up with his hands and throwing it back onto the field. This is called a "throw-in". This is the only time a player other than the Goalkeeper is legally allowed to pick up the ball with his hands. For a throw-in to be legal: (a) the ball must be thrown from behind & over the head (b) it must be thrown using both hands (c) the thrower must face the field (d) at the instant the ball leaves the thrower's hands, some part of both feet must be on the ground, either on or outside the side line. If the thrown ball does not enter the field, the throw-in is retaken by the same team. The thrower may not touch the ball again until it has touched another player. The penalty for an illegal throw-in is that your team loses the ball & the other team gets to take a throw-in from the same spot. A goal may not be scored on a direct throw-in (i.e., it doesn't count if it is thrown into the goal without another player touching it first). A player is not offside if he receives the ball direct from a throw-in. An opponent must stay at least 2 meters from the thrower and can be given a yellow card for standing closer than 2 meters (note that this rule probably won’t be enforced at very young ages). Also, an opponent is guilty of unsporting behavior and should be given a yellow card if he unfairly distracts or impedes the thrower (e.g., by jumping around, shouting or making gestures to intentionally distract the thrower, or by jumping in front of the thrower). When a throw-in is awarded the Assistant Referee will point the flag in the direction in which the attackers will advance (i.e. toward the goal of the team it is out on).

∙ Free Kick - When one team is penalized, the other usually gets a "free kick". There are 2 types of free kicks (direct & indirect) and a special type of Direct Free Kick called a Penalty Kick:

· Direct Free Kick - Where a goal may be scored by kicking the ball directly into the opponent's goal without anyone else touching it (although it still counts if someone else does touch it).

· Indirect Free Kick - On which a goal may be scored only if another player touches the ball before it enters the goal. Question: "How do you know if a free kick is indirect?" Answer: "The referee will raise his arm above his head and leave it up until the ball is kicked". On an indirect kick you should have one player gently tap the ball so another player standing behind the ball can kick it; or pass it to someone who shoots it. If on an Indirect Free Kick the ball is kicked into the goal without anyone else touching it (other than the kicker) the goal does not count and the other team is awarded a goal kick. However, if the ball is touched by a player on either team, including the goalkeeper, before it goes into the goal, the goal counts.

· Penalty Kick - When a player commits a foul within his own Penalty Box, which would normally result in a Direct Free Kick, the other team is given a Penalty Kick ("PK"). (See "Penalty Kick"). On Penalty Kicks, everyone but the kicker & goalkeeper must stay out of the Penalty Box until the kicker moves the ball.

Skills

∙ Passing - A pass is a kick, or a ball played with the head, chest or thigh, that is intended to be received by a teammate. Like in basketball, passing is preferable to dribbling because the ball can be moved more quickly & can better be kept away from the other team.

∙ Trapping - Receiving the ball used to be called "trapping" the ball, but today most people use the term "receiving". Receiving is a very important skill that every coach should teach. A player can "receive" the ball on a pass or a loose ball. The ball is usually received with the foot (inside, outside, top or bottom), but it can also be received with the chest, head, thigh, or any part of the body except the arms (the definition of "arm" is the movable part of the arm up to where the arm joins the shoulder).

∙ Shooting – To play the ball towards the opposing team’s goal with the intent to score.

∙ Tackling - To steal the ball. Mostly done while standing.

∙ Juggling - A training technique to teach touch & ball control, where any part of the body except the arms is used to strike the ball upward & the player sees how many times he can "juggle" it before it hits the ground.