Unlike basketball and hockey with Olympic and international versions that differ significantly from the U.S. professional version, soccer displays a remarkable uniformity to the game at all levels, from youth leagues to the World Cup. Soccer's Laws of the Game have their nuances, but boil down to 17 "laws" or rules that provide a simple and durable structure to soccer gameplay. Within this overall similarity, you can find slightly different ways to play soccer.
Outdoor Soccer
Traditional soccer is played on an outdoor field measuring between 50 and 100 yards wide and 100 and 130 yards long. Eleven players, including a goalkeeper, play on each team. In outdoor soccer, your team can focus on different approaches to the game as suggested by your coach or manager and tailored to your team's strengths. Use short passes to maintain possession of the ball and patiently build up your attack, as epitomized by Spanish pro team Barcelona; Or, rely more on sending the ball in the air directly to the goal for tall forwards to seek a quick score by heading the ball in past the keeper. This "long ball" approach is also called "British style" for its prevalence in England's Premier League.
Indoor Soccer
Indoor soccer, as its name suggests, takes place in an indoor arena with exact pitch size varying by facility but often close to the officially sanctioned 75 by 180 feet. To adapt to indoor soccer, focus more on short passes to keep possession of the ball, as well as learning how to bank the ball off the boards to pass it to yourself or a teammate. You only need six players, including a goalkeeper, on an indoor team. This way of playing soccer resembles the speed of basketball and hockey to an extent, and rewards quick reflexes, excellent conditioning and a thoughtful approach to moving as a team together up and down the field. Positions are less important than in outdoor soccer, as each player needs to make contributions on offense, defense and holding the ball in the middle.
Futsal
You can play futsal indoors, often on a wooden floor, with a smaller size 3 or 4 ball instead of the regulation size 5. This quick game with five players, including a goalkeeper, has a stellar roster of famous South American pros who grew their game using this format, also called five-a-side or mini-soccer. You can emulate Pele, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho and their flawless control of the ball by playing futsal.
3v3, 4v4
3v3 and 4v4 soccer are seen in summer soccer tournaments on smaller fields. These formats provide offseason conditioning and an opportunity to master the triangle formation, where three players work together to create open passing lanes. You may have to kick the ball instead of throwing it to inbound it, and avoid stepping in a marked crease in front of the small goal. Check tournament rules to confirm these procedures and how many substitutes your team can carry.
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