If you're a novice to soccer, you may find some of the terminology used by coaches and teammates unfamiliar at first. It helps to have basic familiarity with common terms you may encounter so you can follow directions and play effectively. The terms can also come in handy when watching a soccer game in person or on television, so that if the announcer observes, for example, that "midfielder David Beckham is crossing the ball," you know exactly what is meant.
Positions
The coach assigns you to a position on the field; you need to know where to go if, for example, you are assigned as a "left fullback." The defenders, also called backs or fullbacks, play in a back line and defend against offensive efforts by the other team. Midfielders, as their name suggests, play in the middle of the field. They serve to relay passes from the defense to the forwards, to make attacks of their own and to help on defense. Forwards, also called attackers or strikers, play in the front of other teammates and attempt to score. The goalkeeper stands in front of the goalmouth and can use his hands to control the ball, but only in the penalty area, a marked box 18 yards deep in front of the goal.
Formations
Your coach may also tell you how your position fits into a formation. You may be told, for example, to "play left fullback in a 4-4-2." This means you need to stand in the left rear corner of the field, lined up level with three teammates to comprise the first "4" in the formation, representing the defense or back line. You play behind a left midfielder, part of a row of four midfielders ahead of you, with two strikers at the front of the formation. If you are assigned as right midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation, you stand in the right side of the field, one of three midfielders. One of the three forwards stands in front of you, with two of the four defenders stationed behind you.
Teammate Instructions
Your teammates may shout soccer terms to you during the game. "Square" means they are parallel to you and want to receive the ball. "Drop" is a ball request from a player behind you. "Man on" warns you a defender is closing, and "time" or "what you see" advises that you have space to maintain possession and time to look up and weigh your options. "Send!" or "through!" asks for the ball to be played through a gap between the defensive line so the teammate can run onto it. "Wall" is a request from the goalkeeper to form a wall in front of a player getting ready to take a free kick.
Coach Instructions
Your coach may tell you to "mark" a player on the other team. This means to defend against her by staying between her and the goal. "Check in" during a throw-in means to run toward the thrower to offer a target. During practice, the coach may ask you to take "one touch" or "two touches" on the ball, which require respectively touching the ball once or at most twice to pass it on to another player. "Near post" and "far post" refer to the nearest and farthest goalpost as places to aim for or to stand, to attempt or defend against a goal, respectively.
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