Football

BASIC RULES

OBJECT OF THE GAME

The aim of football is to score more goals then your opponent in a 90 minute playing time frame. The match is split up into two halves of 45 minutes. After the first 45 minutes players will take a 15 minute rest period called half time. The second 45 minutes will resume and any time deemed fit to be added on by the referee (injury time) will be accordingly.

PLAYERS AND EQUIPMENT

Each team consists of 11 players. These are made up of one goalkeeper and ten outfield players. The pitch dimensions vary from each ground but are roughly 120 yards long and 75 yards wide. On each pitch you will have a 6 yard box next to the goal mouth, an 18 yard box surrounding the 6 yard box and a centre circle. Each half of the pitch must be a mirror image of the other in terms of dimensions.

Essentially the equipment that is needed for a soccer match is pitch and a football. Additionally players can be found wearing studded football boots, shin pads and matching strips. The goalkeepers will additionally wear padded gloves as they are the only players allowed to handle the ball. Each team will have a designated captain.

SCORING

To score the ball must go into your opponent’s goal. The whole ball needs to be over the line for it to be a legitimate goal. A goal can be scored with any part of the body apart from the hand or arm up to the shoulder. The goal itself consists of a frame measuring 8 feet high and 8 yards wide.

WINNING THE GAME

To win you have to score more goals than that of your opponents. If the scores are level after 90 minutes then the game will end as a draw apart from in cup games where the game can go to extra time and even a penalty shootout to decide the winner. Players must use their feet to kick the ball and are prohibited to use their hands apart from goalkeepers who can use any part of their body within the 18 yard box (of which more can be found out in the next section).

RULES

1. A match consists of two 45 minutes halves with a 15 minute rest period in between.
2. Each team can have a minimum off 11 players (including 1 goalkeeper who is the only player allowed to handle the ball within the 18 yard box) and a minimum of 7 players are needed to constitute a match.
3. The field must be made of either artificial or natural grass. The size of pitches is allowed to vary but must be within 100-130 yards long and 50-100 yards wide. The pitch must also be marked with a rectangular shape around the outside showing out of bounds, two six yard boxes, two 18 yard boxes and a centre circle. A spot for a penalty placed 12 yards out of both goals and centre circle must also be visible.
4. The ball must have a circumference of 58-61cm and be of a circular shape.
5. Each team can name up to 7 substitute players. Substitutions can be made at any time of the match with each team being able to make a maximum of 3 substitutions per side. In the event of all three substitutes being made and a player having to leave the field for injury the team will be forced to play without a replacement for that player.
6. Each game must include one referee and two assistant referee’s (linesmen). It’s the job of the referee to act as time keeper and make any decisions which may need to be made such as fouls, free kicks, throw ins, penalties and added on time at the end of each half. The referee may consult the assistant referees at any time in the match regarding a decision. It’s the assistant referee’s job to spot offside’s in the match (see below), throw ins for either team and also assist the referee in all decision making processes where appropriate.
7. If the game needs to head to extra time as a result of both teams being level in a match then 30 minutes will be added in the form of two 15 minute halves after the allotted 90 minutes.
8. If teams are still level after extra time then a penalty shootout must take place.
9. The whole ball must cross the goal line for it to constitute as a goal.
10. For fouls committed a player could receive either a yellow or red card depending on the severity of the foul; this comes down to the referee’s discretion. The yellow is a warning and a red card is a dismissal of that player. Two yellow cards will equal one red. Once a player is sent off then they cannot be replaced.
11. If a ball goes out of play off an opponent in either of the side lines then it is given as a throw in. If it goes out of play off an attacking player on the base line then it is a goal kick. If it comes off a defending player it is a corner kick.

THE OFFSIDE RULES

Offside can be called when an attacking player is in front of the last defender when the pass is played through to them. The offside area is designed to discourage players from simply hanging around the opponent’s goal waiting for a pass. To be onside they must be placed behind the last defender when the ball is played to them. If the player is in front of that last defender then he is deemed to be offside and free kick to the defending team will be called.

A player cannot be caught offside in their own half. The goalkeeper does not count as a defender. If the ball is played backwards and the player is in front of the last defender then he is deemed to be not offside.

DEFINITIONS

PASS:

Soccer is a fast-paced game requiring speed, good footwork skills and accurate passing. The kind of pass you choose to execute depends on the defense and positioning of your opponents. Some passes are used to create a strong offensive drive and scoring opportunities, while defensive passes are used to slow down the game or maintain possession of the ball when under pressure. A good soccer player has the ability to kick several types of passes. There are several types of passes:

PUSH PASS

Sometimes referred to as a direct pass, this is probably one of the most-used passes in soccer. It tends to be a safe pass and is typically executed when you're near teammates. The best technique for the push pass is to first plant your nonkicking foot alongside the ball and point it in the direction you want the ball to go. When you contact the ball, use the inside of your kicking foot. You want to hit the middle of the ball with your kicking heel down and the toe pointing up.

LONG PASS

The long pass is used to clear the ball to the opposite side of the field to a teammate who is open and has no defenders around her. This changes the area of play and gives your team the opportunity to begin a counterattack. Executing a long pass involves hitting the ball with accuracy and power. A good technique to use is to lock the ankle of your kicking foot, hit the middle of the ball with the laces of your cleats and follow through toward your teammate with your kicking leg.

BACKWARD PASS

This is a defensive pass and is used when defending players have closed off all forward passing possibilities. It is also used when defenders put pressure on the offensive ball carrier, hoping to steal the ball or cause a passing error. The backward pass is a way to neutralize the pressure and still maintain control of the ball. The ball is passed backward with the heel or sole of your foot to another teammate.

PIERCING PASS

The piercing pass is also referred to as a tunnel pass or a through pass. The opportunity to use a piercing pass does not happen often when playing against a good defense because the defenders typically position themselves to avoid an open space, or tunnel, from the ball carrier to her attacking teammate. This pass requires good timing between teammates because the receiving teammate must not be in an offside position when the ball is passed. This is where the receiving player is closer to the goal than the last defender. When the opportunity does arise, the attacker quickly passes the ball, penetrating the defenders. This creates a scoring potential.

WALL PASS

This is a combination pass involving two teammates and is sometimes referred to as a one-two pass. This type of pass involves a wing player and an inside teammate. The wing player's position usually runs along the outside of the field. When the wall pass is executed properly, the wing player passes the ball from the outside of the field to a teammate playing a position toward the inner part of the field. This player acts as a wall and quickly passes the ball back in front of the wing player. Wall passes are most effective against slower defenses.

DRIBLING:

In association football, a dribble is one of the most difficult ball skills to master and one of the most useful attacking moves. In typical game play, players attempt to propel the ball toward their opponents' goal through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling (the usage of technical maneuvers). Dribbling can involve a wide variety of manipulative tricks and feints in order to go past an opponent; Ronaldinho would often employ elaborate skills and feints, such as the elastico, in order to beat defenders.

Dribbling is often invaluable especially in the third part of a pitch or at the wings, where most attacks take place. Dribbling creates space in tight situations where the dribbler is marked (closely guarded by a defender), and the dribbler can either score or create scoring chances after a successful dribble. However, dribbling, if poorly mastered and used, may result in the loss of possession either when the ball is intercepted or tackled by a defender. Some players prefer getting past players with speed and physicality, such as the winger Gareth Bale, some players go straight at opponents and look to go past them directly with a nutmeg (kicking the ball through their legs), such as Luis Suárez, whereas others may use feints, control, agility, and acceleration to evade tackles, such as Lionel Messi.

A skilful dribbler is often hard to dispossess; unsuccessful tackles (which do not reach the ball) may result in a useful free kick situation and a reprimand for the offender in the form of a penalty card.

Early references to dribbling come from accounts of medieval football games in England. For example, Geoffrey Chaucer offered an allusion to such ball skills in fourteenth century England. In the Canterbury Tales (written some time after 1380) he uses the following line: "rolleth under foot as doth a ball". Similarly at the end of the 15th century comes a Latin account of a football game which was played at Cawston, Nottinghamshire, England. It is included in a manuscript collection of the miracles of King Henry VI of England. Although the precise date is uncertain it certainly comes from between 1481 and 1500. This is the first account of an exclusively "kicking game" and the first description of dribbling: the game at which they had met for common recreation is called by some the foot-ball game. It is one in which young men, in country sport, propel a huge ball not by throwing it into the air but by striking it and skilfully rolling it along the ground, and that not with their hands but with their feet... kicking in opposite directions". It is known that dribbling skills were a key part of many nineteenth-century football games at English public schools with the earliest reference to ball passing coming in 1863 rules of The Football Association.

SYSTEMS OF PLAY

The 4-4-2 is the most played formation in today's soccer, at least in terms of performance. In general soccer, the 4-4-2 in much less common in practical use as too many people are afraid of the back-four and coaches and players alike feel more comfortable with a sweeper.

By the way, in the name of game systems, the goalie is omitted, it would actually be "1-4-4-2" to be totally correct. In the pictures we show below, the goalie comes forward, and the more he does, the more important he becomes in the playing system.

In this article we'll talk about the "Flat Four", one of the two most common variations of this arrangement. The "Flat Four" is considered a defensive version of 4-4-2. Sports commentators on TV like to talk about two back-fours, or a double row.

The "big brother" of the “Flat Four" differs in that its basic formation at midfield looks like a diamond and is therefore referred to internationally as "Diamond Midfield". In the picture below, you can clearly see a 4-1-2-1-2 formation in the lineup on the right. The difference between the two formations is easy to see in the picture below:

Now we'll talk about the 4-4-2 with the "Flat Four". We have numbered the players in the image to the side. These numbers denote the actual playing positions.

The 1 (Goalie)

The goalie plays along with the rest of the team in modern soccer. He's not just a goalie and is becoming integrated into the passing game more and more. Often times he plays the role of the missing sweeper.

The first 4 (Defenders)

Let's start right in front of the goalie, there is a back-four standing wide (players 2 to 5). Player 2 and 5 are the left and right fullbacks and players 4 and 3 are the center backs.

The second 4 (Midfielders)

The unique property of the "Flat Four" is only found in the midfield. Directly in front of the center of defense, there are two players in front of the back-four. Known as the "double pivot" in other systems, we have two players here (8 + 6).

With players 7 and 10 located at midfield, there are two wingers, the only thing that's missing is a playmaker.

The 2 (Strikers)

Now it's time for the strikers come into play (players 9 + 11), they need to close this gap. For that, a striker falls forward midfield to create a station to face off at One striker is playing high up the field capable of holding the ball up and laying it off to his partner. Ottmar Hitzfeld invented the term "wall players", which best describes the role of this striker.

Using the 4-4-2 with the "Flat Four", a very strong double defense wall is built, which makes it possible to double up on the opponents on the sidelines and close the center. Already at midfield, the enemy can be attacked at the wings. Passing lanes can be even easier to predict. It would be too easy then to describe the "Flat Four" as purely defensive.

In the offensive, the strengths lie clearly in the wing positions. Both the fullbacks (5 + 2) as well as two midfielders (7 + 10) provide a lot of pressure on the sidelines. Thus, a sideline defender can attack over the wing and the corresponding midfielder immediately responds defensively covering his side. Of the two central midfielders (8 + 6), one takes the offensive role and the other takes the defensive. As a result, the gap between the two strikers will be further closed. And so a defensive midfielder becomes the third attacker.

The big problem in this formation is the large gap between midfield and attack. During possession of the ball and when losing possession, this space closes up soon. There is also no playmaker and as a result, the central attacking midfield is occupied very thinly. The originality in this game develops mostly at the wings.

TRAINING EXERCISES