Soccer Coach Article

Soccer Tips: Passing the Ball

If you have ever been in a school yard watching kids play soccer, it looks like a feeding frenzy. Children are running haphazardly chasing a small ball. The children are yelling, get the ball, and other children are making loud noises to distract the players. However, professional soccer is played differently.

The game actually needs to be played with precision, so that shots are struck accurately and make the intended target. The players have to be able to pass successfully and the game needs to be played so that it is played out like a well rehearsed play. Players need to be able to anticipate the next shot so that the ball is passed successfully or a goal is achieved.

Soccer is divided into positions and players are responsible for their individual position as well as how they function within the team.

Strikers are responsible for making goals. Once they obtain the ball it is a judgment call on their part whether they keep the ball run, and make a goal or if they pass it to another player. Once the opposing team figures out who the striker is, most likely they will be attacked on a regular basis. Ultimately, the opposing team wants to prevent the striker from passing the ball or making a goal. A good way to add confusion to the game is to have two to three strikers in the game. The extra strikers can be used to distract the players, so that the opposite team doesn’t know who the actual striker is. You may want to rotate strikers from game to game.

Other key players are the midfielders who are trying to hold onto the ball. They are also used to help steal the ball from the opposing team. So they need to rotate from playing offensively to defensively depending upon the situation.

Other players are the defenders. Their job is to defend the ball and the goal. It sounds so easy, but it is not. They will have a large number of distractions and it is not unusual for them to get caught up in the game and lose sight of the ball and the goal and next thing you know, the opposite team has scored.

Although there are defined players, players can switch their position at any time, depending on the circumstances. The game is meant to be played in fee flowing terms and most generally, they do not end with high scores.

As with any game, there needs to be some well rehearsed strategies, so the players are well prepared and can play back and forth with ease. If you are a spectator, you will most certainly be on the edge of your seat!