Coaching Soccer For Dummies Read online

  The wingers are also responsible for taking a large number of corner kicks (see the “Rules of the Game” section, later in the chapter), because a lot of their play happens in that area of the field when they’re attacking with the ball.

  Rules of the Game

  Soccer is a complex game, and it involves all sorts of rules. Some are basic and easy to understand, and some may initially leave you scratching your head. If you’re not familiar with a lot of the rules of soccer, becoming overwhelmed by them (and all the little nuances that are attached to many of them) is easy. First of all, don’t panic, and don’t try to learn every single rule in one sitting. Focus on learning two or three rules each night and how they’re applied, and build from there. You can’t possibly expect your young players to learn every single rule during the first week of the season, so don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself either. Learn the rules one at a time; build on them; and before you know it, you’ll be rules savvy — and so will your team. So grab a beverage and a snack, and get comfortable. It’s time to dig into the rules of soccer.

  Getting started

  The goal of soccer is to … well, score as many goals as possible within the allotted time by kicking the ball into the opposing team’s … uh, goal. A regulation soccer game consists of two 45-minute halves, with a 5-minute halftime. At the youth level, games are much shorter and sometimes are even broken into four quarters. In regulation soccer matches, the teams have no timeouts, but again, at the youth level, leagues often allow coaches to call timeouts to help reorganize their players and provide valuable instruction.

  The referee keeps the official time of the match on her watch, and time doesn’t stop for minor interruptions in play, such as balls that roll out of bounds, penalties, or any type of minor injuries. Referees can stop the clock for major interruptions in play, which include substitutions and serious injuries.

  To make up for the time used up by these short stoppages in play during which the clock keeps ticking, the referee may add extra time (also called injury time) to the end of each half. The amount of time that’s added in order to make up for these incidents is left up to the ref’s discretion. This addition usually occurs only at the more advanced and competitive levels of soccer. At the younger levels, the kids play for a set period of time without extra time even if you had a stoppage for an injury or you had to run on the field and delay the game to tie a child’s shoe.

  The game ends at the exact moment when time expires (regulation time plus whatever extra time the ref adds). So if a ball is in midair and headed for the net, but doesn’t cross the goal line before the referee blows her whistle to signify that time has run out, the goal doesn’t count. A half may end while a ball is out of play and the action is stopped. However, time can’t run out when a team is lining up to deliver a penalty kick. If the referee calls a foul right before time expires, the team is entitled to a penalty kick, and the referee extends the time in order for the kick to take place (see the “Avoiding penalty calls — and their results” section, later in the chapter, for more on penalty kicks).

  A simple flip of the coin is generally used to determine which team will kick off. The team that wins the coin toss has the option of kicking off or choosing which end of the field it prefers to defend. Kickoffs are used to begin games, second halves, and overtimes, as well as to start play again after a goal has been scored. Each team must remain on its side of the center line until the ball is kicked. Players on the opposing team must stay at least 10 yards from the ball until it’s kicked, and this distance is conveniently marked by the center circle (see Figure 3-1).

  Keeping the ball in play

  The ball is in play as long as any part of it is touching the field of play. The goal lines and touch lines are considered part of the field of play (see Figure 3-1), so the entire ball must pass completely beyond the outside edge of these lines for the ball to be called out of bounds. Also, once a ball is out of bounds, it can’t roll back in bounds and be played. So if the ball rolls out of bounds, hits a rock, and ricochets back into play, it’s a dead ball.

  The opponents of the team that last touched the ball before it went out of play get to put the ball back into play. For example, if a player from the blue team kicks the ball, and it hits a player from the red team in the knee and bounces out of bounds, the blue team puts the ball into play, because the player in red was the last to touch it.

  A ball that makes contact with a referee or linesman on the field is still in play unless, of course, it bounces out of bounds after hitting him.

  The three methods that a team can use to put the ball back into play after it rolls out of bounds are the throw-in, corner kick, and goal kick. In the following sections, we provide you with the rules; check out Chapter 13 for more information on instruction and drills concerning the actual techniques.

  Throw-ins

  A throw-in is the method of putting the ball into play after it rolls out of bounds over a touch line. The referee signals out-of-bounds balls by pointing in the attacking direction of the team that gets to put the ball back into play. Players need to put the ball back into play immediately so they don’t delay the game.

  A player makes a throw-in from within about a yard of the spot where the ball crosses the touch line, while standing out of bounds. Anyone on the team may take the throw-in. The thrower’s teammates, as well as the opposing players, may position themselves anywhere they want on the playing field. The only thing the opposing players can’t do is attempt to distract the thrower.

  When a player executes a throw-in, he must be facing the field and standing with both feet on the ground, and he must throw the ball over his head with both hands. At least parts of both feet have to be touching the touch line or the grass outside the touch line. The ball must enter the field through the air; it can’t be rolled in or bounced along the ground. After the player delivers the throw-in, which can be of any distance, he can’t touch the ball again until another player does so first.

  If the player makes an illegal throw, such as not having both feet on the ground, the opposing team is awarded the ball and delivers the throw-in at the same spot.

  The ball can’t be thrown directly into the goal on a throw-in; it must touch another player before your team can take a shot. And although you have to watch for an illegal throw, you don’t have to worry about being called for offside on a throw-in if you’re the offensive team (see the “Staying onsides” section, later in this chapter).

  Corner kicks

  When a ball rolls out of bounds over the goal line, either a corner kick or goal kick gets the ball back into play. You use corner kicks when a player knocks the ball out of bounds over his own goal line. So when a player from the blue team knocks the ball over the goal line that her goalie is defending, the red team is awarded a corner kick in whichever of the two corners is closer to where the ball went out of play. (We cover goal kicks in the next section.)

  After the referee indicates which corner you’re taking the kick from, any player can set the ball down so that it’s entirely within the corner area (see Figure 3-1). Also, any player on the team may take the kick. Other things to keep in mind during a corner kick include the following:

  Position of defense: The opposing players must stay at least 10 yards away from the ball until it’s kicked, while teammates of the kicker may position themselves anywhere on the field.

  Corner flags stay put: Some of your players may be tempted to move the flags, but they can’t move them in order to clear out some extra space and make the kick a little easier.

  Direct goal: Players can score a goal directly from a corner kick, because another player doesn’t have to touch the ball before it goes into the net.

  In play: When the player puts the corner kick into play, she can’t touch the ball again until contact has been made by another player.

  Goal kicks

  Goal kicks are used when a player knocks the ball out of bounds over the opponent’s goal line. If
a player on the red team takes a shot on the blue team’s goal but misses, and the ball sails over the goal line without anyone touching it, the blue team takes possession of the ball in its own end with a goal kick.

  After the referee points to the goal area, indicating that he has called for a goal kick, any player from the team is allowed to place the ball at any spot within the goal area. The following are some other key points to keep in mind regarding this type of kick:

  Position of defense: Players on the opposing team must stay outside the goal area until the ball clears the penalty area. Meanwhile, the players on the goal-kicking team may stand anywhere on the field, but they can’t touch the ball until it leaves the penalty area.

  If a player from the opposing team steps into the penalty area before the ball leaves the area, the referee has the option of whistling the play dead and allowing the team to re-kick or allowing the play to continue if it didn’t impact the kicking team.

  There’s no time like the present: When the referee awards the kick, the players don’t have to wait for their opponents to get into position before delivering the kick.

  Any direction: The kick may be delivered in any direction and is in play as soon as it leaves the penalty area.

  No goal: A player can’t score a goal directly off a goal kick, because another player must touch the ball first.

  Don’t touch: After the ball is put into play, the player who kicked it may not touch it again until another player touches it.

  Staying onsides

  In addition to your team’s quest to keep the ball in play, move it downfield, and score goals, you have to stay onside at all times. The most perplexing and misunderstood rule in all of soccer is the offside rule. One of the most frustrating things in soccer is seeing one of your players break free with the ball, ready to unload a shot on goal, only to have the referee whistle the youngster offside. What is it? How does it occur? How can you help your players learn this confusing rule?

  Remember playing basketball with your friends? One player always stayed at one end of the court, hoping for easy baskets, while everyone else was at the other end. He was called a cherry picker for camping out down there. Soccer players aren’t allowed to do that without being called for offside.

  The basic idea surrounding the offside rule is that attacking players can’t position themselves ahead of the ball. The rule is in the books to ensure that players on the attacking team don’t linger around the opponent’s goal when the ball is nowhere near them in hopes of getting an easy score if the ball is turned over somewhere on the field.

  For a player to be onside, at least two defenders (including the goalie) must be between him and the goal the moment the ball is played by a teammate. Offside can be called anywhere in the attacking half of the field. A player is offside when he’s closer to the opponent’s goal line than two defensive players, including the goalie (see Figure 3-3). When the referee whistles a player for being offside, the opposing team is given an indirect free kick from the spot where the offside violation occurred.

  Here’s an easier way to explain the offside rule to your team (or understand it yourself, if it’s still hazy): A player is offside when she gets behind the last defender before the ball is played by a teammate. (You can just leave out the whole goalie-as-the-second-defender thing.) Tell your players to stay a couple steps behind the last defender so they’ll be less likely to be caught offside.

  In addition to not keeping two defenders between her and the goal line when a pass is received, in order for a player to be called offside (see Figure 3-3), two things have to happen:

  Beat the ball: The attacker must be ahead of the ball in the play. In other words, to be whistled for offside, the attacker must be between the ball and the defending team’s goal line. Being dead even with the ball is perfectly okay, but being even a half-step ahead is cause for the referee to nab the player for the offense.

  Be in the play: The attacking player must be actively involved in the game at the exact moment the ball is either passed or shot by his teammate. This rule represents one of those tricky areas in soccer where the referee has a lot of wiggle room for interpretation. Offside is usually called whenever the attacker in the offside position is moving to receive a pass, attempting to play the ball before a defender can get to it, or blocking the vision of the goalie, among many other examples.

  Figure 3-3: This attacker is offside for being ahead of the ball.

  As we stated, the referee doesn’t call offside if at least two defenders are between the attacker and the goal line. When an attacker is even with the last defender before the goalie, he’s still considered to have two defenders between him and the goal, which puts him onside (see Figure 3-4). Remember, we said the rule was a little tricky. Stay with us, because there’s a little bit more to the rule.

  Figure 3-4: This attacker is onside, due to the positions of the defender and goalie when the ball was played.

  Offside doesn’t apply to goal kicks, throw-ins, or corner kicks (though it does apply to direct and indirect free kicks, penalty kicks, and goalie clearing kicks and throws). And offside is never called at the defensive end of the field. Your players can be whistled for this infraction only when they’re on the opponent’s half of the field.

  The following are some other examples of when offside isn’t called against your team:

  Played by opponent: Offside isn’t called when the ball was last touched by an opposing player. A ball that ricochets off an opponent isn’t considered to have been played by him. Now, if the kick that produced the rebound was delivered by a teammate of the offside player, the referee whistles the play.

  Stepping out of bounds: Offside isn’t called when the attacking player steps off the field before the ball is played and he isn’t a factor in how the opponent is able to play the ball. This happens to be one of those exceptions to the rule mentioned earlier in this chapter that players are allowed to leave the field of play only when they have permission from the referee. When the player steps out of the field of play to avoid the offside call, he can’t return until his team loses possession of the ball or until a natural stoppage in play happens.

  Defensive trickery: Offside isn’t called if the attacker is put into an offside position by a defender who intentionally runs off the field and leaves fewer than two defenders between the attacker and the goal line.

  Avoiding penalty calls — and their results

  In the sections that follow, we give you all the information you need to keep your team on the straight and narrow — or at least interpret the results when fouls or other violations occur. Soccer has both major and minor fouls that result in the opposing team taking an indirect free kick, direct free kick, or penalty kick. Don’t worry — we cover each of the categories and kicks in the sections that follow, and help you get a handle on those pesky yellow and red cards.

  Outlining the major fouls

  Nine major fouls result in the opposing team receiving a direct free kick. These major fouls are especially troublesome when committed within the penalty area, because the resulting penalty kick is a shot on goal with only the goalie defending (see the “Paying the price for fouls” section, later in the chapter for more on penalty kicks). Take a look at the major fouls:

  Handball: Soccer is played primarily with the head, chest, legs, and feet — not the hands. This rule is one of the most basic rules of soccer. Besides the goalie, who is able to use his hands within the confines of the penalty area, no other players are allowed to touch the ball with their hands in the field of play. Any player, not counting the goaltender, who intentionally touches the ball with her hand or arm to gain control of the ball is whistled for a handball, and the opposing team takes possession of the ball.

  Kicking: Kicking an opponent, or attempting to kick him, is a big no-no.

  Tripping: The referee often calls this foul after a player fails to make a successful tackle (see Chapter 12) and takes out the attacking player’s legs instead of kno
cking the ball away.

  Jumping: This infraction involves jumping or lunging at a player and most often is called when an opposing player or the goalie is in the air making a play on the ball.

  Charging: Referees signal charging when a player charges into an opponent with an intent to harm. If the player makes a play on the ball and the contact is incidental, charging doesn’t apply.

  Charging from behind: A player may never knock an opponent to the ground by charging from behind.

  Striking: Any attempt to strike, or the actual striking of an opponent, is never allowed. This includes intentionally throwing the ball at an opposing player.

  Holding: Players can’t grab an opponent’s jersey to slow her down or stick out their arms to obstruct the player’s movement in any way.

  Pushing: Players can’t push, shove, or nudge an opponent in an effort to gain any type of advantage.

  Detailing minor fouls and violations

  Referees penalize minor fouls and rules violations by awarding indirect free kicks to the team that was fouled (see the “Paying the price for fouls” section, later in the chapter). Here are some of the most common minor fouls and violations that you come across:

  Obstruction: The referee whistles an obstruction infraction if the player’s primary intent is to block the other player. A player using his body to block an opponent’s route to the ball is okay, but only if the ball happens to be in range where he can make a play on it. If the ball is obviously not within the player’s reach, an infraction has occurred. If a player uses his arms or simply stands in an opponent’s way, those are deemed obstruction violations. Obstruction can also be called on a player who disrupts a goalie’s attempt to put the ball back into play after gaining possession of it.