Do you want to know how to play soccer? It is not difficult to understand why more people are getting attracted to soccer, proving it to be one of the world’s most popular sports. And if your interest in watching the game makes you want to learn it, then take pleasure from the fact you can benefit from doing so. But before setting out to the field, you would benefit a lot if you can go through soccer basics. A jumpstart would be understanding the common soccer terms. This is to aid you in better understanding whatever it is your trainer will be telling you about during coaching sessions. One common term in the game of soccer is position. This pertains to the spot on the field where you would play, and also denotes what your role would be. There are four basic positions: goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and striker.
Formation is another word which should be clear to any beginner. This describes how players are positioned in the field and is planned for by the coach based on the strategy he has drawn out for a particular game. When you hear someone talk about the 4-4-2 formation while watching the game of the football team of Barcelona sporting club, then you would understand there are 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers. For soccer action terms, you are likely to encounter center, charging, foot trap, header and save. Center or cross is a term used to describe the ball being passed from either side of the field and onto the center of the field. Charging is defined as the method used by a player to cause the one in possession of the ball to lose his balance. Foot trap means the use of the foot to control a rolling or low bouncing ball. Header is the word used to describe that a player passes or shoots the ball with his head. Save is the act done by a goalkeeper to prevent a shot.
Beginners should also be aware of the following terms used in soccer: substitute, match officials, set-pieces and cards. While watching Ricardo Kaka in his game, you are likely to encounter the word substitute which refers to a reserve player who substitutes an injured or tired player or is brought into the game as part of the coach’s tactics. Match officials are the men who ensure that soccer is played fairly and according to the rules set. Cards, which can either be yellow or red, are given to a player for committing a foul; the yellow being awarded for minor infractions and the red for repeated foul play.
