Like any other sport, running is a skill. To develop an aptitude for running, the most important thing kids can do is practice. Depending on their age and personality, some kids will have an easier time staying motivated to pra...
Proper positioning is a crucial element of soccer success. Although working as a team is always a must, some players have skills that are more appropriate for some positions than others. Although rotating field positions can he...
Possession in soccer as well as many other sports is indicated by the overall amount of time a team spends with the ball in its own possession. As a result, a statistics keeper is often required to keep track of how long each t...
The elastic soccer trick, also known as the "elastico," "flip flap" or "snake," is a move designed to fake out defenders when you have the ball. Popularized by soccer greats Roberto Rivelino and Ro...
Awarding a team a penalty shot in football -- or soccer -- seems like handing the team a goal. In reality, even professional footballers miss these shots sometimes. Players are particularly likely to miss during penalty shootou...
Indoor soccer, like traditional soccer, is played with outfielders and a goalkeeper from each team on the field. And just as with the outdoor game, players will need rest from the playing field. Additionally, injured players ne...
While a Soccer ball is primarily moved with your feet on a Soccer field, it is important to strengthen your shoulders to improve your form while kicking the ball and engaging in directional fakes while on offense. Soccer exerci...
In American football, the leg whip is a penalty move that involves sweeping your leg into your opponent. In soccer, the game the rest of the world calls football, the whip is a strategy used by crossers to circumvent defenders ...
...as impaired environmental skills. While the degree of mental retardation an individual suffers from varies, the majority of mentally challenged kids must be taught a simplified version of the game of Soccer. Soccer drills fo...
Hurdling has been a competitive sport since the 1840s in England. Now one of the definitive components of track and field events, hurdling is practiced throughout the world in high school and college athletics and at the profes...
While Americans may call the sport "soccer," the rest of the world calls it “football” -- and Paul Shields is a Scotland-born footballer who played the sport professionally from 1998 to 2007. As a player i...
Whether you're an experienced hurdler or new to the sport, you won't always have hurdles available to practice with. You can do several types of exercises to improve your skill and strengthen your legs without having to go over...
Introduced in 1970, soccer’s penalty kick shootouts are the accepted method for determining the winner in games that are tied through both regulation time and overtime. These shootouts are also the subject of a long-runni...
When playing an 11-sided soccer game, your team has one goalkeeper and 10 players to distribute on the field in the best way possible. Putting players in positions keeps the team orderly and helps players spread out and cover t...
As you age, the cartilage between your joints will begin to wear down, resulting in a natural decrease in mobility and dexterity. While joint mobility becomes more difficult as you age, you can combat it with a strict exercise ...
Also known as "jump training," plyometric exercises train your body to maximize force and handle impact safely. Plyometrics is a common element in training for high-impact sports, such as basketball and tennis, becaus...
At the time of publication, Samantha Whitehead was a college soccer player at beginning of her career, but her accomplishments are inspiring due to her battle with type 1 diabetes. Whitehead is a strong left dominant Division 1...
The left back position in soccer, also called the left fullback, involves good ball control and running. You stand to left of the stopper and must be able to get around the opposite team's players and help get the ball down the...
Howard Richards was a busy man on the football field. A star offensive lineman at the University of Missouri, Richards went on to play seven seasons in the NFL -- the first six with the Dallas Cowboys and the final one with the...
Long jumpers are an unique type of track athlete who require equal amounts of strength and endurance. Unlike some athletes, long jumpers strive to keep their figures lean and light-weight to help boost the distances of their ju...
Since soccer is such a high-power, high-endurance sport, it's uncommon to think about rest and restoration as part of the training process. Instead, you probably imagine drills and scrimmages, not naps. But rest is an important...
...long activity. Activities and physical involvement at this age develop the fundamental processes -- running, jumping, throwing, passing, and coordination -- that are crucial to success in the game of soccer.
Based in Johannesburg, Richard Hugh De Villiers is a goalkeeper for the Witbank Spurs, a soccer team located in Witbank, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Before playing for the Spurs, De Villiers was a member of several other teams in...
When youngsters decide to play soccer, they often do it for the thrill of scoring goals and winning games. However, achieving such positive results does not happen overnight but takes skill development and commitment. Players w...
The round shape of the soccer ball lends itself to many types of motion. The soccer ball can roll across the ground, soar through the air and slide across the ground without rotation. The shape of the ball and its rolling abili...
A pitch soccer ball is a specific type of soccer ball marketed by Nike and referred to specifically as the T90 pitch. Unlike a traditional white soccer ball, the pitch soccer ball comes in colors ranging from red to blue. The e...
Shot stopping and catching hard shots are two essential skills for goalkeeping. According to the Jeff Benjamin Goalkeeping website, footwork, stance and weight distribution are key to the mechanics of catching hard shots. As go...
The Twist ‘n Go is the first pivoting cleat for soccer players. Playing soccer can place tremendous strain on your joints, resulting in injury. Twist 'n Go cleats might prevent some of these injuries by absorbing force fr...
...ns are more likely to cause a bone fracture, which is severely painful. Whether you wear a knee-brace because you were injured or for joint support, shin guards can help you prevent further injuries. Soccer is a contact spor...
There is no definitive answer to the question of what it the most important position on the soccer field. Each coach has his own style and his own priorities. A coach who is trying to teach his players to be responsible up and ...
When developing a game plan for soccer, you have to study your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. You must make an honest assessment of where your players are stronger than your opponents and where your opponents are stronger...
More than 250 million people play soccer worldwide, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. With it being such a popular sport, it takes a lot to stand out as a future professional. Nonetheless, soccer scouts dream of spotti...
Soccer requires a number of technical skills such as dribbling, chipping, dodging and defensive blocking, and many coaches encourage players to master these skills through drills that require repetition. While many players migh...
...ceptional athletic performance among high school athletes. While the letters are widely used in high schools throughout the country, there is no set standard for earning a letter. To earn a letter in soccer, consult your own...
The five principles of attacking in soccer are depth, width, mobility, improvisation and penetration. Penetration occurs when the team in possession of the ball utilizes dribbling or passing to maintain possession while moving ...
The main object in the game of soccer is to score a goal -- and few things affect the outcome of a shot as much as its angle. There are other elements to successful goal kicks, like keeping calm and passing well, but with pract...
Playing soccer on turf takes place outdoors, sometimes in the rain and the mud. So, for starters, indoor soccer tends to be somewhat more comfortable than its outdoor cousin. However, turf soccer is the dominant form of the gam...
soccer cleats provide the grip and traction players need in order to make their way around a soccer field. For some, it may also be the source of aggravating toe pain. Toe pain may occur for a wide variety of reasons, including...
Smelly goalkeeper gloves aren’t the end of the world -- they at least show that your kid’s been sweating and working hard in this demanding soccer position. Still, proper care of the gloves includes cleaning to redu...
Varsity soccer players are accomplished players. Even though high school players usually can't compare to college or professional players, they have already reached a high level of skill development. To play the game at a high ...
If you are looking for an alternative exercise to burn calories and alleviate exercise boredom, grab a soccer ball and go outside. You do not have to play professional soccer or even understand the rules of the game to move you...
Soccer played correctly converts your kicking leg into an instrument akin to a golf club or baseball bat. While your hip and knee flex and extend during a kick or shot, providing power and momentum, the ankle needs to be locked...
A clean sheet in Soccer is the equivalent of what many other sports term a “shutout.” The term indicates that a team has not conceded any goals during a game. Soccer fans and commentators usually use the term as par...
Netball and soccer are two very different sports, although both are predominantly played by women, in the United States at least. Certain aspects of the games are similar. Both games share a common aim, for example, in that tea...
...nsistently. It occurs in athletes involved in every sport and physical activity, including endurance sports, like running, swimming and cycling, as well as team and individual sports, such as tennis, soccer and baseball.
Soccer is a game of passing and shooting, and when it comes to scoring goals, the striker rules. The team's striker, who plays in the forward position, has one primary function: to score goals. While this position has a skill s...
Soccer is essentially a series of satellite games that connect to form the larger, overall game. Each play involves a series of interactions that keeps the ball moving in either direction across the field. Players and coaches a...
Athletic performance is impaired in cold weather, with muscle strength decreased and reaction times increased, as your body reduces blood flow to conserve heat. Soccer players are more fortunate than spectators in cold weather ...
It's usually not mandatory to wear a sports guard when playing soccer. However, the risk of sustaining head injuries has led to many dentists recommending that players protect themselves by wearing sports guards -- and some gua...
Strikers often grab the headlines, but every successful soccer team needs a reliable defense. Central defenders must stop the opposition strikers getting a look-in near the goal and can win the battle with the right attributes ...
Even at the highest levels of soccer, professional players in high-pressure situations at times send the ball rocketing to the heavens instead of into the back of the net. You can readily improve on their sky-balls, at whatever...
The task of making plays in Soccer typically falls to the central midfielder or unusually creative midfielders out on the wings. Major League Soccer’s strongest center midfielders over the years, such as blond mop-top Car...
A powerful soccer shot sounds and looks like a work of art, as the shooter’s foot crunches against the ball’s surface with a loud, deep thump. That sound -- heard from goal scorers known for strong shots, including ...
Some soccer players are blessed with natural ability, but even that doesn’t guarantee soccer success. You need to work hard to become a good soccer player, both on and off the field. You also need to have a love for the g...
If your soccer team favors a defensive approach rather than a more attacking stance, it is important to put your players in a more advantageous formation. There are two basic ways to focus on defense. You can move more players ...
Passing is a crucial aspect of soccer; without it the game could not be played. You can make a pass in a number of ways, including with the inside and outside of your foot, with your instep and even with your heel. Passes can t...
Soccer players walk, jog, run and sprint in the course of the 90 minutes of a typical outdoor game. A player at the older youth or adult level may cover five miles per game. And an elite, energetic player such as Kyle Beckerman...
From youth to elite play, soccer places a premium on sportsmanship and fair play. Team captains support sportsmanship by exchanging team and national pennants before Champion’s League and World Cup matches, and both start...
In any soccer formation, the offensive line acts as the team’s spearhead. Typically, the tip of the spear comprises one or two strikers, supported by attacking midfielders located behind them and out on the flanks of the ...
The way soccer works to enhance cardiorespiratory fitness is simplicity itself. You pull on your cleats, trot onto the field, and jog, stroll, run and all-out sprint for the best part of 45 minutes at an indoor game and 90 minu...
Fundamental soccer drills are used by coaches to help their players develop basic skills by performing the same movement repetitiously. The best drills for teaching soccer fundamentals are not overly complex but still manage to...
Strong legs to kick the ball accurately and far are a major part of the picture for a soccer player. But you really need a total-body workout to include your core, the essential foundation of success in soccer as in all sports....
Each of the different types of soccer appear in different versions of the sport. All soccer balls will be hardest when they are over inflated, and over inflation should be carefully avoided because it can cause injury. A soccer...
You need to be in top physical condition to be the best soccer player possible. Non-stop running is a big part of the game, and endurance keeps you on the field. Knowing the rules and proper positioning on the field also make y...
soccer shoes, or cleats, are the single most important part of a soccer player's equipment. Because soccer is played primarily with the feet, a well-fitting shoe with proper studs or cleats on the sole is crucial to the player'...
Poor technique when headbutting the ball can lead to serious injury. To headbutt, or "head," a ball correctly, you must perfect your posture and your angle of attack. You also must conquer any fears you have about hea...
The ability to trap – to receive a ball in the air and bring it to the ground using the head, torso, inner thighs or feet – gives a player a definitive edge in soccer. Players who can trap with control win balls for...
Soccer requires its players to make individual plays and work within the concept of the team. When players take the field, they know which position their coaches are assigning them to play. Soccer uses a numbering system for it...
Soccer shin guards do an extremely effective job of protecting the vulnerable area of your lower legs from the sting of kicks and hard-struck balls. This protection is so critical that outdoor leagues, as well as certain indoor...
Throw-ins are an important part of getting a soccer game restarted if the ball leaves the field. A referee will indicate a throw-in if the ball leaves either of the longer sides of the field; if the ball goes over the shorter s...
The header in Soccer can be a beautiful weapon, when a player such as France’s Zinedine Zidane or American Abby Wambach leaps and twists like a salmon to contact the ball and score. Soccer is the only sport that uses the ...
Soccer and basketball are commonly played at most high schools and colleges throughout the United States, not to mention on park and school playgrounds. These sports are different in many aspects. Both sports provide players th...
...ral muscles on the back of your thigh, as well as some supporting muscles in your inner front thighs. Flexion involves bending your knee so the angle between your lower leg and upper leg decreases. A soccer player flexes her...
A soccer ball bounces so many times during a game that the characteristics of its bounce can have a huge effect on the game and its outcome. Since a ball's bounce is directly related to its air pressure, and since temperature a...
Unless you are coaching an under-6 team, with three youngsters allowed to form random triangles, you need to provide some shape to your players on the field. Older youth and adult teams place one player in goal and organize the...
Skilled soccer players move effectively off the ball -- that is, when they don't have possession of the ball -- not just when they have the ball at their feet. A challenging soccer team spreads out over the field, always runnin...
soccer requires you to be fit and ready to display your speed on the field. The sport attracts speedsters with "wheels" as soccer players say among themselves. Players such as Elodie Thomis of France's national women's team com...
Soccer players at the professional level always look sleek and trim. But the addition of weight-training routines has them looking even more buff, displaying defined biceps and deltoids as well as powerful quadriceps and hamstr...
A simple rule in soccer, offside can be complicated to explain. A player can be called offside in several instances, some of which are judgement calls by the referee. In May 2011, the International Federation of Association Foo...
The soccer greats -- David Beckham, Mia Hamm, Cristian Ronaldo -- have natural talent, but even the best athletes play games in which they're displeased with their performance or frustrated with a loss. The confidence you see i...
soccer players who can use their head to direct the ball accurately and consistently are valuable to their team because it gives them a degree of explosiveness and versatility. Goals can be very hard to come by in a soccer matc...
soccer involves constant motion for 90 minutes or more, unlike football, basketball and baseball that have either intermittent action or timeout breaks. The proverbial fuel in the gas tank for the soccer's strolls, jogs, sprint...
Soccer is the most popular game in the world. Many people, especially those in poorer countries, find a way to play the game with just a ball. For games that are officially sanctioned by FIFA, the governing body of internationa...
If you are playing soccer at a high level, staying in shape is a year-round proposition. A college or professional trainer might even declare that you don't really have an off-season, calling this the "transition" part of your ...
At the amateur level in soccer, goalkeepers typically face the opposite of a tryout -- decent goalkeepers are in high demand and often are asked to play for multiple teams, sometimes even in the same league. The stakes get high...
For beginning soccer players, tunnel vision may have them focusing on little more than the tip of their cleats as they kick the ball blindly down the field. Your goal as coach is to have players expand their horizons so they be...
The diet for a tennis player with aspirations to be outstanding should mirror the diet of elite college and professional players. To have the strength and stamina to play matches that might last for hours, you need the proper f...
Shin guards wrap around the front of the shins and ankles, staying in place via a strap or stirrup. These protective devices contain a hard outer shell and soft fabric lining. Shin guards fit snugly against the skin, trapping s...
For certain wunderkinds, the understanding of soccer appears to arrive with their mother's milk. Tiny Kai Fifield of England impressed scouts for Barcelona during an impromptu visit to the Spanish team's stadium for a kickaroun...
Guarding is a term used in basketball to define defending an opposing player. In soccer, the comparable term is "marking" and refers to staying within a few feet of the player you are defending to prevent her from scoring, assi...
When you play the midfield position in soccer, you have many responsibilities. One of the key jobs of the midfielder is serving as his team's playmaker. The right and left midfielders help fulfill this role, but it is the centr...
Soccer requires anaerobic fitness, which enables you to perform high-intensity work, such as sprints and leaping to control a ball, for a few seconds or up to two minutes. The game also requires aerobic fitness, that is, an abi...
The weight, size and amount of air pressure in a ball affect how it moves through the air. As these qualities tend to be strictly regulated by soccer leagues, however, any change in how far a ball can fly likely arises from its...
Soccer players cover five miles or more during a game, in motions that consist of sprints, jogs, strolls, backpedals, shuffles and walking, as well as forward, backward and laterally, according to video analysis of elite player...
You know an outstanding soccer player when you see one: His passes stay on target, and he dances through tiny seams toward the goal. Her shots find the back of the net as the clock winds down. The teams with outstanding players...
Groin injuries can arise from sudden cutting moves in soccer, especially lateral shuffles. Players including U.S. Men's National Team representatives Tony Sanneh and Claudio Reyna have missed time recovering from this strain. T...
When your opponents have a free kick within shooting range of your goal, it is standard practice to create a defensive wall. The wall typically consists of two to five players, depending on the distance and angle of the free ki...
If you kick a soccer ball on an unfamiliar surface, such as artificial turf, you may accidentally snag your foot on the hard surface and jam the toe, causing what American football players, gymnasts and dancers call "turf toe."...
Especially for players aged 12 and up, soccer's rules are fairly standard whether you are talking about a high school match or more competitive squads up to and including the World Cup or continental club championships. Eleven ...
In soccer, a drop-kick can refer to two different situations involving the goalkeeper. The first is similar to a punt in football, with the goalkeeper clearing the ball by dropping and kicking it before it hits the ground. The ...
All the rules of soccer fall in 17 simple categories or "laws" as FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, terms them in its Laws of the Game. The basics of the game entail two teams of 11 players facing off on a large...
In the course of a soccer game, particularly a men's competitive one, you'll see plenty of pushing. Perhaps not quite enough to suggest that you've accidentally happened on an American football game, but at times the jostling c...
An obvious principle of sports is the attempt to gain an advantage to prevail in a game. With a worldwide player base of a quarter-billion people -- dwarfing all other sports -- soccer more than any other game has a rich pool o...
Goalkeepers fly through the air to make diving saves. They charge straight toward onrushing forwards, trying to snag the ball from the forward's cleats and their hard, potentially painful studs. Parrying high crosses and corner...
The one-two in soccer is where the sport most closely resembles basketball and its give-and-go. While even 10-year-olds can begin to incorporate the one-two in recreational play, the technique becomes an art form in the hands o...
Born in a poor neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 18, 1976, Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Luna became one of the biggest soccer stars of the late 20th century, a worthy successor to Pele and other Brazilian one-name stars. Ronal...
Also described as receiving, trapping refers to what you do with a pass in soccer to control the ball. The trap is unique to soccer, with nothing quite like it in baseball, basketball, American football or hockey. Knowing the k...
Soccer workouts at the elite level aim to create players that, even after 90 minutes or more in overtime, can sprint the length of the field and prevail over a fatigued opponent. This paid off the U.S. Women's team. Christie Ra...
If you keep your eyes down and watch the ball too much in soccer, other players can see that you aren't aware of them -- and they can swoop in and steal the ball from you. The best players, such as famed midfielder Zinedine Zid...
...r that physicality does not include intimidation and that physicality should not be a substitute for skill, intelligence and athleticism, advises Sam Snow, director of coaching education for US Youth Soccer.
Outstanding balance is your ace in the hole for situations central to soccer, including battling for a 50-50 ball, shooting, passing, faking out your opponent and blocking balls in goal. Good balance is especially important giv...
If you are minding the nets for your soccer team, at times, you barely have time to do more than instinctively stick out a gloved hand or cleated foot to prevent a goal. At other times, even in competitive soccer, the ball come...
Motivation in soccer, as in other sports, is a component of mental toughness and preparation. This determination drives you to compete and excel every day, in practice as well as games. An example is Paul Scholes, a midfielder ...
Touch is what the top players in soccer have and what all the other players try to achieve. A player such as the Netherlands' Dennis Bergkamp provided an electrifying example of the value of a good touch in the 1998 World Cup v...
The best soccer goalkeepers make reaction saves, sticking out a hand or foot at the last moment to block or tip a shot. Reaction saves make the shooter and spectators wonder, "How'd he get a hand on that?" writes elite goalkeep...
Arthroscopy allows surgeons to evaluate and treat your knee joint following a soccer injury. A scope, consisting of a small tube with a camera and cable attached to a monitor, goes through an incision measuring less than half a...
In line with its reputation as "the beautiful game," soccer tightly controls the play and conduct of the players on the field. While this leads players to embellish in an effort to draw fouls, the use of different types of pena...
The goalkeeper is one of the most visible roles in the world's most popular sport: Soccer; however, in the U.S. Youth Soccer program, teams do not use goalkeepers until the under-10 age group because younger children do not hav...
During a soccer match, you don't want distractions from your uniform or safety equipment. Shin guards are worn to protect you from errant kicks and slide tackles, but can actually cause aggravation when ill fitting or moving ar...
It seems appropriate that a game that is played predominantly with your feet, such as soccer, begins with a kickoff. The kickoff takes place in the center of the field, with both teams staying on their respective sides so neith...
Good athletes are not born; they are made. Success at any sport involves preparation and practice, and the physical intensity of soccer makes it especially important for this sport. Regardless of your skill level or age, playin...
Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Roberto Carlos might not be NASA scientists but they implicitly understand how to curve a soccer ball. It's the best way to get the ball past defenders standing in the way of the goal and to...
...nment, some unintentional, for their coach as they get mixed up on which goal to run toward and forget at times that they cannot pick up the ball. Warm up the tiny tykes, so they start thinking about soccer and the practice ...
Kicking a soccer ball requires orchestrating everything just so: feet, legs, hips, torso, head and even the arms out to provide balance. The hip joint, which connects the femur or thighbone to the pelvis, serves as the crossroa...
Once you join a soccer team, improving your play should become a priority. During any game, you will shoot, pass and handle the ball, so improving all of these skills is important. Improving your individual soccer skills makes ...
Like all sports, soccer has developed its contemporary tactical systems through generations of evolution. Although they may not be definitive, that the five principles of attacking and defending were put to paper and submitted ...
To many soccer players, there is not a better feeling than freshly cut grass under their cleats. In many parts of the world, soccer players do not have access to a soccer field year-round, especially during the winter months. W...
soccer coaches have a powerful effect on young players both on and off the field. In addition to teaching the technical skills and tactical aspect of the game, youth soccer coaches are role models who have a far-reaching effec...
Whether you are trying to win the World Cup for your country or just want bragging rights in a recreational league, knowing how to shoot is critical to team success. While youth and new players tend to toe poke the ball, you ne...
When watching a soccer match, you might notice that the goalkeeper can pick up the ball and throw it or drop kick it during the play. To do so, however, the goalkeeper must have both feet within the 18-yard box called the goal ...
Defenders in soccer need to be concerned with preventing opposing players or the ball from getting past them and creating trouble for the goalkeeper. Team defense requires all 11 players to think about the best angle and distan...
Having all of your players know how to shoot is the key to winning in soccer. Goals are hard to come by and players who can convert when they see the opportunity become a precious commodity at all levels of the game. Even defen...
The competitive nature of soccer means that you should improve your skills constantly to keep up with other players. Before and after practice, practice certain skills with other teammates, giving all of you an advantage over t...
Keeping your head up is one of the core tenets of dribbling in soccer, along with keeping the ball moving and near your feet. Dribbling a soccer ball is "a case of continually looking up and down," says Wes Harvey, former men's...
Cutting in soccer refers to the physical shifting of direction and momentum of dribbling the ball. You do this to avoid, or "juke," players from the opposing team, though you do it sometimes to line up your foot and the ball fo...
Outside of North America, Soccer is known as football and is played by millions of people of all ages worldwide. Soccer is a unique sport in which players use their feet to kick or push a ball. Many of Soccer's rules have been ...
According to Law 9 of FIFA's "Laws of the Game" rulebook, a ball is considered in play as long as it has not crossed the touch line or goal line. If the ball hits the goalpost and does not cross either line, it is considered a ...
As soccer tryouts approach, you should improve as many skills as possible to make yourself into a more complete soccer player. Coaches look for players who excel in shooting, passing and decision-making, and who have the power ...
Getting good lift on your soccer kicks can help you send the ball downfield if you are a goalkeeper, like Hope Solo of the U.S. Women's National Team. It's also useful if you play in the back line and need to the clear the ball...
During a soccer kick, you must find the right level of back lift, or retraction of your kicking leg. As you approach the ball, plant your supporting foot next to the ball. Roughly 1 foot to the side should be sufficient. The ar...
Placement of a soccer ball is critical, but a faster shot will also reduce the time a goalie has to react. However, putting all your strength into a kick also makes it more difficult to control your mechanics, and even small ch...
A fast soccer player can pose a defensive challenge. Fast players are better able to sprint, cut and cross the field, making them harder to defend. That can lead to increased scoring on your goalie. While some players are just ...
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 of...
Cleats are worn in a number of sports, such as soccer, football and baseball. The type of cleats you should wear depends on which sport you play and the type of surface you play on. Though designs and shoe technologies may diff...
soccer cleats are worn by players to help them gain traction on various playing surfaces, including grass, sand and clay. Like most soccer equipment, the cleats must conform to several regulations. These regulations are institu...
If you're serious about making the soccer team, preparation should start far in advance of tryouts. You'll have a better shot at the team if you're well-conditioned and practiced come tryout time. Start at least six weeks in ad...
soccer is a contact sport and injuries are common. The nature of soccer tends to lead to ankle and leg strains, but neck pain is also possible. Reasons for a sore neck may be related to kicking a soccer ball or the sport may ...
Goalies undergo a distinct tryout that differs significantly from field players. You must demonstrate a variety of competencies that other soccer players do not. To help ensure a successful tryout, you should follow several pre...
David Beckham is a famous, world-class soccer player who is known for his ability to cause a soccer ball to curve dramatically when he kicks it. His trademark shot has inspired the phrase and the movie "Bend It Like Beckham." T...
Perhaps no sport requires as much preparation, controlled intensity of workouts and specific tapering schedules leading up to a major meet as swimming. A typical seasonal training plan for a swimmer revolves around the concept ...
soccer cleats are an essential part of a player's equipment. Because of the many styles of field surface, several types of soccer cleats, or soccer shoes, are available to provide you with the best possible traction in any give...
The best way between two points is not necessarily a straight line if you are taking a free kick in soccer and you want to score a goal. You have to learn how to curve the flight of the ball to bend it around or over the wall o...
Cleats are small studs found at the bottoms of certain types of sports shoes that help players gain traction on the playing field. Cleats can be molded out of plastic, metal or a combination of the two, and their overall purpos...
Soccer coaches often prepare outlines to help teach the game to their players. The outline should address all phases of the game to help the players improve their skills. This includes the physical skills needed to master passi...
An exercise program is a year-round activity for professional soccer players. Fitness coaches such as Dawn Scott of the U.S. Women's National Team follow the training principle of "periodization," which seeks to make significan...
A soccer captain is not always the best player on the team. Skills alone are not enough to earn the captain's armband. You must also have a strong personality, a fair sense of discipline and the ability to lead your teammates.
When you get in close to goal, knowing the best angles for scoring is crucial. You need to make a quick decision as to whether your position is better for shooting or passing off. Although you always want to play the best angle...
You can play any position in soccer, no matter if your left- or right-footed. Certain positions, however, complement your dominant foot better than others. You should especially take this into consideration if your non-dominant...
Goalkeeper gloves before the mid-1990s had a textured palm and simple designs that did the job without much fanfare. By 2011, latex-foam materials and designs had bought high technology to the soccer goalkeeper's wardrobe. Puff...
Practicing your soccer finishing and shooting skills does not always require a goalie, or even a goal. You can perform several creative drills that help you re-create scoring situations in games. It helps to have more than one ...
... example, U.S. men's team goalie Tim Howard stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall, while Hope Solo on the women's side is 5 feet, 9 inches tall. For this reason, an ability to cover the 192 square feet of the soccer goal with excelle...
Soccer remains the world's most popular sport, both in terms of viewership as well as participation from the amateur to professional levels. With so much pressure from competitors and spectators alike, changes to even the small...
Curving the ball is a vital part of football, which is known in the United States as soccer. The football -- or soccer ball -- can be curved for the purposes of passing to a teammate, shooting the ball on goal, or getting the b...
Cyclocross, or cross season, takes place in the fall. Competitors race on cyclocross bikes, which are similar to road bikes, but they have wider, knobby tires, cantilever brakes and a slightly different frame geometry. Racers r...
A Glider is a brand of soccer ball that Adidas manufactures. It is a low-price ball, intended for recreational play or training sessions. The Glider models are standard size, which is designated as a 5. Size 5 is intended for p...
David Beckham is a famous English international soccer player who has played for such prestigious clubs as Manchester United in England, Real Madrid in Spain and A.C. Milan in Italy. Aside from his many records and accomplishme...
To score a goal in soccer, or even kick the ball well, you must combine many variables, from your body position and wind resistance to opponent strength and air temperature. Air temperature will change the distance you can kick...
In addition to speed and technique, soccer players need power to compete at a high level. Having powerful legs not only allows you to kick the ball harder, but also improves your acceleration and ability to fight through checks...
Small-sided soccer varies from regulation soccer in that there are fewer than 11 players per side playing at once. While the number of active players per team varies, the reduction in players often results in a smaller field, t...
For some female soccer players, inner strength seems to be a given. For others, strength must be built over time. Even as a great a player as Mia Hamm was famous for her bouts of loss of confidence and noted that "the most impo...
Coaches each have their own way of conducting a soccer tryout, a necessity for travel teams run by youth soccer clubs and at the high school, college and professional levels. The coach watches how you play the game and assesses...
Aim is everything in a soccer shot. It doesn't matter if you hit the ball hard if it ends up sailing above the crossbar, wide of the goalposts or straight to the goalkeeper. As an example of exactly how to aim, U.S. women's tea...
Practically any activity in youth soccer drill books can be made to work with fourth-graders, whose skills are growing by leaps and bounds compared with players in first or second grades. Fourth-graders, generally called U10s i...
Soccer tricks began as urban street art, notes the book "Soccer: The Ultimate Guide," and grew to become a sport in its own right. Freestylers including John Farnworth of England and Indi Cowie of North Carolina compete in tour...
Confronted with the challenge of a defensive wall blocking the way between a free kick and the goal, soccer players have devised the swerve or banana kick to bend the ball around the wall and into the goal. A team specialist su...
...adept runners but not quite ready for the emotional rigors of competition, according to the National Network for Child Care. They also might lack a long enough attention span to participate in a full soccer game or spend a f...
Stopper is a defensive position on a soccer team. Additional terms referring to the stopper are center defender and center fullback. The defense may cover the field in a diamond formation with the stopper at the front. Flanking...
Until the 2005-06 season, teams in England's Premier League, home to some of the world's most competitive soccer, had never had a Mexican player signed to play. That changed with the signing to Arsenal of Carlos Vela, a forward...
Both Soccer and softball are popular sports among men and women. They are both team sports that employ offensive and defensive strategies, but the similarities basically end there. Soccer and softball are different in most of t...
Soccer players who play in the field can jog, sprint and run for most of 90 minutes. This means that players are typically of muscular or lean build and agile enough to change direction nearly 1,000 times in a typical game. Aft...
Soccer teams at any level from recreational to competitive can rely on a throw-in specialist, as the U.S. women's national team does with Heather O'Reilly. As a practical matter though, "every player must be able to execute a g...
Simon Clark is a professional English soccer player turned manager. Born March 12, 1967, in Boston Borough in Lincolnshire, the 6-foot-1-inch, 174-lb. defenseman played youth soccer locally with the under-14 through under-19 t...
In soccer, keepers, or goalies, are the only players on the field allowed to deliberately use their hands to play the ball while it is in bounds. To help ensure that such privileges are not used unfairly, a number of penalties ...
A soccer team with a poor defense will struggle in all competitions, no matter how well it plays on attack. If your team is leaking goals, it might be time to look at your formation. By changing the formation, you can give grea...
A Glider is an adidas model soccer ball designed for practice or to kick around the backyard. The Glider model actually is a "regular" soccer ball, as opposed to high-end soccer balls intended for serious competitive play. The ...
The ability to kick a soccer ball a precise distance is an important strength in a game. At times, you need to kick the ball a short distance to pass it up the field. Other times, you need to kick the ball half the length of th...
When you watch a professional soccer game, you see players use skills that they have taken years to master. In many cases, the players use very simple drills to improve these skills, as practicing the skills continually leads t...
Your U8 players can be exposed to the idea of learning the technical skills of attacking -- dribbling, passing, receiving and shooting -- as a first step on the road to understanding attacking tactics, which refers to their dec...
From the first time a child puts foot to ball until the day a grinning team captain hoists a trophy above his head, soccer provides steps that lead to ever-higher levels. Players can start at any age -- 5 or under if you are a ...
The girls on a U8 soccer team benefit from simple drills that provide a foundation for basic skills. While all drills should have a fun component to keep this age group engaged, drills with an extra little bit of whimsy or play...
With 265 million participants worldwide, soccer attracts players of almost any size and shape. It's no coincidence that the sport has such high participation rates given that it requires neither height like basketball nor brawn...
Triangles in soccer refer to a basic form of player positioning. One player stays upfield, and two remain downfield. A single player can be part of several triangles. For example, a halfback might be the upfield point of a tria...
The rules of soccer are established by the International Federation of Association Football. Although the rule governing interference seems relatively clear-cut, in practice it has proven to be hard for referees to interpret. T...
U8 soccer techniques are designed to improve your child's fundamentals and form while on the soccer field. Because U8 soccer is for children who are 7 and 8 years old, the techniques and skills they learn in the league are fair...
If you aren't familiar with the sport of soccer, its rules might be confusing. You might notice certain players hanging back close to their own goalie while their teammates rush up the field in possession of the ball. What you ...
Nothing in the rules of soccer prohibits the goalie from leaving the penalty area. However, once outside that area, the goalie loses the biggest advantage he has over other players. Think of a goalie as a superhero -- Goal Keep...
soccer is one of the world's most popular sports, and all soccer players -- especially strikers and midfielders -- are looking to gain a competitive edge and score on the goalkeeper. This process takes years of hard work and pr...
The key to soccer defense is staying goal-side of your opponent. "If you stay between the ball and the goal, if you can do that effectively, the other team has to pass off or make a bad shot," says Wes Harvey, former men's socc...
As quintessential soccer players who provide a bit of defense, a bit of offense and a whole lot of possessing the ball, midfielders benefit from drills that emphasize passing and defense. The midfield provides the crucial link ...
The finest coaches in professional soccer, such as Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United, plan their lineups weeks in advance so that crucial players get rest during easier games and return refreshed for challenging matches. I...