SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Soccer
Teach Me About Soccer
How
To Pass and Move The Soccer Ball
When you take a look at the average group
of kids playing soccer in a schoolyard or maybe on the grassy
area by the playground, you will notice that almost everyone
is running after the ball trying to make a shot. There is a
lot of hollering and hooting, and sometimes even the goalie
will get in on the action. While this makes for a great afternoon
of fun, it is in a way somewhat removed from the professional
world of soccer. After all, while it may look like half the
team is in hot pursuit of the soccer ball, it is actually only
a small number of defined players who are actually pursuing
the ball while the others are busily trying to get into position.
With this in mind, it is not surprising that the basics of
passing and moving the soccer ball are so much more intricate
than meets the eye, and it is the experienced coach who will
be able to not only coordinate the game play on the field,
but also anticipate the opponent’s steps and will work with
his different team players to put everyone in position to obtain,
hold, and net the ball.
To this end, there are several positions that have been defined
throughout game play, and it is by virtue of these positions
that the ball is moved and passed.
Strikers are the main goal scorers for a soccer team. They
are sometimes also referred to as centers. They are charged
with the responsibility of obtaining the ball, either keeping
it for a bit to allow other team mates to get into position,
or simply to take a shot at the goal with the hopes of scoring
for their team. Since these players are so close to the opposing
team’s goal, it is not surprising that they are also the most
attacked by the opposing team. For this reason, coaches have
come up with the idea of including two and sometimes three
strikers in a game. Some of which are simply acting as decoys,
while one is the dedicated center player who will attempt the
winning shots.
Helping the strikers are the midfielders. These players are
not so much attempting to shoot a goal as they are trying to
keep their team in possession of the ball until the strikers
are in the right position to attempt a goal shot. In addition
to the foregoing, these players are also charged with the responsibility
of gaining possession of the ball from the opposing players.
Sometimes a midfielder’s position is not as clear-cut as it
sounds on paper. They do appear to play the gambit from defensive
play to openly offensive play, even though their main concentration
is that of maintaining ball dominance.
Last but certainly not least are the defenders. These defending
players are behind the midfielder, and in a way they seek to
lend support to the goalie, and thus defend the goal from the
opposing players. Probably the most glaring mistakes ever to
be seen in a game are the times when defenders get caught up
in the moment of the game and pursue the ball as well rather
than staying behind and guarding the goal. While this is rare
in professional soccer, it does happen once in a while and
perhaps for this reason it sticks out as being so anti-conventional
when observed on a television screen. Interestingly, this is
sometimes also the position played by the taller players who
are not on the roster as strikers. Simply put, these tall players’
job is to deflect any potential headers from opposing player
by headers of their own. Probably the most important player
of the defense team is the sweeper who is in charge of getting
the ball away from the team’s own goal area if the opposing
team was able to break through the defense. You will see that
thee players have strong kicking talent and are able to propel
the ball over great distances away from the goal and even into
the opposing team’s goal box!
As
you can see, there is so much more to soccer than meets the
eye. Strategy is a big part of the game, and it is only
the untrained observer who believes that it is a game where
every man runs for himself.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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