“Soccer is a civilized and fair game of keep away, with a goal in mind.”
Thoth
I will start by turning every parent into a soccer expert. Watching soccer practice, if you see both teams running after the ball, it is not soccer; the coach needs schooling. The single most common error in American soccer is that most school coaches mistake it for football. The rules and tactics of soccer are very different. There is no pushing, shoving, holding or even tackling of opponents. Tackling in soccer means getting the ball, using your foot, without “touching” your opponent: You go for the ball and get the ball; you go for the opponent’s body, it is a foul. Like in basketball, watch closely when a soccer player, protecting the ball, puts his body between the ball and the opponent. This can go on for a while or usually until the opponent gets impatient and commits a foul.
Soccer is a continuous relay passing of the ball, while players are constantly changing locations and exchanging positions—making it hard for the opponents to cover them man-to-man—from one player to another in all directions back and forth. The better one team passes the ball the more lost the opponents look. If the soccer ball is moving like a ball in a game of billiards, you are definitely watching great soccer.
While passing the ball the team as a whole is slowly advancing into the opponents’ half of the field. Reaching the middle of the opponents’ half of the field you find the opponents’ defense in full force. Here, any combination of soccer skills—individual outmaneuvering of the opponents—and passing of the ball will do the trick. Some of the most beautiful goals in soccer are the result of a deep through pass into opponents’ defense line and all the all-of-a-sudden-free striker has to do is just tap the ball into the goal. And the ‘play-maker’ who concocted the deadly pass gets as much credit as the scorer or even more. Always watch for this play. Player X is at point A; he is guarded and in no position to score. Player Y sees that player X can get to point B where he can score. Player Y passes the ball to point B while player X runs to meet the ball. Player X is at point B, free with the ball. That is soccer.
Soccer is great team play for children; it is probably the most egalitarian sport. A child does not have to be big, strong or even fast to play soccer. And the best part—although, very un-American—is that there is no bullying in soccer; no violence of any kind is allowed. As a parent you must get involved; you must observe that the rules of the game are met. A foul is given for a little push, shove or pull. A yellow card is given for a harsher offense; and a red card is given for any deliberate violence. Therefore, if the rules of the game are followed in soccer, a small child is never scared of bigger child. Even in professional soccer, apart from the shoulder-to-shoulder contact, the referee is always ready to spot a physical violation.
Real soccer is skill and art. If your child is into soccer, I strongly recommend the child starts by watching videos of the UEFA Championships with teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, etc; and of course, the great games of the FIFA World Cups, especially with countries like Brazil, Spain, England, Germany, and Holland.
What are we looking for in FIFA World Cup 2010? The aggressive kick-and-rush, long balls, physical strength of the English Style; the Schalker-Kreisel (circle/rotary) style of the German club; the Dutch forced fore-checking, appropriate offside traps and universal soccer; the defense-defense-defense-then more defense-and-wait for the opponents to make a mistake—boring Italian style; the artistic and magical Brazilian Samba Circus; the Spanish (Spain) classy soccer; or Latin America’s excessive dribbling.
The Offside Rule
Fig 1
Fig 2
www.offside-ref.co.uk
The red team is attacking; the blue team is defending, # 1 (blue) is the goalie. The goalie is not counted in the offside rule. At the time # 11 (red) kicks the ball, # 9 (red, Fig 1) is not offside, # 10 (red, Fig 2) is offside. The key here is “at the time the ball was passed/kicked to the offender.” If the offender who receives the ball was behind (closer to the goal) the opponents’ defenders, he is offside. That is why the linesman in soccer is always at an imaginary straight line with the last defender (closest to the goal). In soccer, the linesman is not following the ball, he is following the last defender. Of course, the offender is never offside if he receives the ball from an opponent.
This post is rightfully dedicated to Placebostudman, our soccer guru and great friend.
************************************************************************
Dear friends, if you have any questions about soccer game play, please post them in your comments or PMs; I will be happy to respond. The contents of this post have been researched against the best soccer authorities on the web.
Thoth © 2010
Watch this, it is magic.
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Comments
Rated for clarity.
-R-
Every major American sport has pauses in the action... think of baseball, football, golf, hockey, basketball and so on. The viewing audience is conditioned to this commercial format. Yeah - we're lemmings.
Soccer is the "beautiful game".
Of course it is a different game. On this one we should warm up to the expertise of those who played the game for a while now. Thank you so much for your comment.
I am waiting for your list of snacks while watching soccer!
Soccer is wonderful for all kids. Parents should always be armed with the LAW: there is no violence in soccer. Thank you.
I agree 100%. Yours is probably the most plausible theory. Thank you so much for your insight.
They whine a lot and somehow cards are involved.
So it's like poker with balls and whining.
Thoth - GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!
I read this twice. I am not really a sports fan but ask me about hockey.
I sent this to my son as he will 'get it'.
Mind blowing work you put into this. I know one thing overheard in sports conversations that soccer is far superior to football.
Now let the debating begin..:)
rated with hugs and a toss of the ball
Absolutely, And I think that FIFA is doing a good job keeping those safety rules in place. Thanks, my friend.
It should be. I see more and more parents getting involved, one day we'll get there. Thanks you so much.
They are definitely two different sports. Thank you so much for your kind words.
You've described the game well. Now it's time for World Cup craziness and staying up at all hours of the night to watch the games. Gotta love it!
If you do, watch a game with Brazil or Barcelona (of Spain) in it. I promise you won't regret it. Thanks man.
Thanks dude, glad you enjoyed it.
Soccer players have really great legs, too.
You bet they do. You just gave me a great idea. I think that may be some soccer mom organization should look into making hot dogs (or even hamburgers) the American national soccer snack. Thank you so much for your gracious visit.
Absolutely, once you give it a try, soccer is fun to watch. I agree that our juniors will definitely have a say in the future. Thank you for you comment and visit.
Ha! There you go, good incentive. Thank you so much.
Lezlie
You are welcome my dear; go nephews!
You toughed it out, eh. Now you can sit back and enjoy that coming World Cup. Thank you so much.
Oh, I know, but as long as you beat Germany, all will be fine! Thank you so much.
You didn't say anything about wearing a cup.
I'll wear one, better safe than sorry.
{[R]}
Rated
"a very athletic form of dance."
Indeed it is. Thank you so much for your passion and gracious visit.
You are absolutely right, I should have. Great advice, a cup is essential. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for reminding me. Actually there is a note in my original draft about women soccer. I will take this opportunity to Congratulate American women on their great role in American soccer. Thank you so much.
"Soccer is a civilized and fair game of keep away, with a goal in mind." Score! :)
V
In Puerto Rico there's a big interest, and we already have our own team, the Islanders. We'll see if they ever make the FIFA World Cup, that'll be something!
My girls' Phys Ed teacher is Mexican, so at their school, soccer or fútbol as they call it in L.A. is starting to get taught. As soon as a team starts I'm hoping my daughters are interested enough.
(You know I almost missed this post, the message went through another folder. Anyway, glad I caught it.)
Glad it shed some light. Thank you so much for your support.
@ Diary,
Thank You.
@ Fred Hallman,
Funny you said that, some of the great soccer players seem to have the ball tied to their shoes with some invisible thread. Than you.
@ marytkelly,
Why, thank you so much, Mary. It took me years to really get the hang of soccer.
@ Redstocking Grandma
The Brits are very loyal soccer fans. They love the game. Thank you for your gracious visit.
Oh, I know; it's huge everywhere except here. Watching soccer for a while I am beginning to think that Brazilian women have soccer in their breast milk. Soccer is actually doing great with girls/women in America and it is gaining ground. I think your daughters would enjoy soccer much. Thank you, V.
I do know about the "pushing, shoving, holding or even tackling of opponents." I have been to the mall.
Sorry but at least I tried :)
Thank Thoth ... well done! I'm sure PSM enjoyed this too.
I promise you some great matches coming up. Thank you so much for your visit and comment.
@ Chuck
Nothing like watching soccer with other fans. Thanks man.
@ FusunA
God, do I have things to say. Thank you so much for your kind words.
@ l'Heure Bleue
Yeah, this is great soccer. Next time take me with you to the mall; I will play defense. Thank you.
@ Lunchlady 2
Yeah, the video speaks for itself. Thank you for your gracious visit.
On the offside rule, which lots of folks find hard to understand, here's one explanation that works with hockey fans.
In hockey, the blue line is the measure of offside. The attacking player cannot cross the blue line, and remain there, before the puck crosses the blue line.
In soccer, instead of having something like a fixed blue line, the line is wherever the last defender is. So you can't sneak an attacker past the last defender to await a breakaway pass. And sometimes you'll see a defender move up (away from his goal) to "trap" an attacking player behind the line.
Great to know that there are a few, or maybe several, of us who will follow this tournament.
The key is timing. Was the player in an offside position when the ball was passed/kicked--not when he received the ball--to him? If when the ball was passed/kicked to him the player was not in an offside position, it is not offside, even if he is in an offside position when he receives the ball. Thank you so much and enjoy the coming World Cup.
Thank you for mentioning the last defender and for bringing up the offside trap, where the defenders move forward away from their goal almost at the same time leaving the offenders (the opponents') behind in an offside position.
This is actually the main reason I, personally, am not that fond of Italian soccer; the offside trap is all they do.
Thank you so much for your insight and visit.
I assume that the position a soccer player is assigned is based on his physical characteristics such as speed, endurance, quickness, game knowledge, alertness, etc. Can you confirm this? It does sound like a dumb question, but when I watched a couple games my grandson played in, I got the distinct impression that the coach had players (of different talents) in the wrong position. As a track analogy, I thought that the coach had sprinters in the long distance runner positions and vice versa. One more question, do you think that the USA national team will be, or is, a world-class team. I don't know about you, but I'd like to see Part 2.
You are right. There are exceptions, and the criteria are more specific as we go professional. The goalie, for example must be tall; the wings (offenders) should be fast runners. Some midfielders or defenders will advance to take an offensive position during a corner kick if they are good headers or tall and good headers. The defenders are usually physically tough.
Once the players have a good command of the basics: to pass, receive, stop and move the ball, to run with the ball close to your foot and develop a fair awareness of your position relative to other players, it is time to develop more skills. The ability to maneuver (as in the video), keep possession of the ball and repossess the ball quickly from the opponents; the ability to strike from long distances at the goal (there are some famous strikers that are known to score from free kicks).
So, of course the coaches have different talents in mind when scouting for players. Watching the next world cup for example, even if one is not a soccer expert, one will observe how smooth the ball is being passed and how aware are the players of the present and future positions of their teammates (11 players, a goalie and 10 players). Some of the most beautiful and dangerous passes are the fake ones, where one player would step over the ball--while the opponents expect him to stop or kick the ball in a different direction--knowing that a teammate is there to receive it.
Last year I believe the US team beat Spain and in a recent world cup I think we made the 16 round. One very important point in soccer is this. The team that wins is not necessarily the team that works harder. I have seen the most physically fit and scientifically trained European teams work their asses off and lose to the show-off talented Brazilian slackers (See video).
My advice to the American coach is this. Talent is much more important than physical strength. Arguably the best soccer player alive, Lionel Messi (from Argentina and plays for Barcelona Spain) is 22 years old and 5 foot 7; he is actually a little guy.
Thank you so much for your visit, interest and insight.
I guess they are looking forward to watch the World Cup. Thank you so much for your support.
Gretzky is exactly right. Thank you so much for your visit and insight.
Seriously, Thoth. I've watched enough soccer to know it's the most popular game on the planet. I can see why it's so popular in third world countries as well as the only real equipment needed is a ball and an open field. I think that part is very cool. Especially for kids that have so little to look forward in their lives. Soccer could very sell be the great escape for these young minds. Soccer teaches discipline and fair play (and heavy drinking). Worthy traits for anyone to learn. It's obvious that you are very passionate. That is another good thing to instill into our youth. Viva la Soccer!
To my way of thinking, it is exactly what makes it an exemplary sport.
You have presented a very clear explanation of the game. Thank you.
My grandson plays soccer and it is a joy to watch. He also plays football, where I have watched parents scream the enthusiasm out of a child for missing a play. My grandson is 5, as are his teammates!
In the early eighties I was "volunteered" by our township to be the youth soccer representative to the County Soccer League.
Along with that I also became a coach in a sport I never followed. I stayed in it for 10 years and enjoyed every minute.
By the way, there is always a little pushing, shoving and holding going on in soccer. It's all in the technique
Super post, hun! Sorry it took me a while to get to it - but so worth it!
If that would happen every 15 minutes I would watch more often. I never played the game, and am used to football-type action.
Thanks for explaining offside. That helps.
I always make a sports viewing exception for any championship game, or playoffs where it's one-and-done. I can watch soccer enthusiastically under those conditions.
If a hockey game met those conditions, though...I still wouldn't watch.
r_
Ha! There will always be those who break the rules, especially among fans. I admit that I emphasized about ideal soccer. Talk about heavy drinking, I have stories for you, my friend, especially involving our British cousins. Thank you Michael as always.
@ Jali,
Yes, soccer is relatively new here and coaches must educate themselves because they are the first link between the kids and the game. Thank you so much.
@ Fay Paxton,
Yes, and ideal soccer is very different from football. We are working on a better perception of soccer. Thank you so much for your gracious visit and comment.
@ geezerchich
Hey, at least you perfected your anti-violence technique. Thank you so much for your support.
@ Caroline Hagwood,
Why, thank you, my wise friend, I am honored.
@ Blackflon,
Of course the heat of the game rises and there is violence especially in professional soccer. The good part is that the rules are there and the referees must enforce them. Thank you for your visit.
@ designator,
Absolutely, there are many different sports that I recommend like swimming and tennis and I always believed that the choice should be left to the youngster. Thank you for your support.
@ Norwonk,
Well, we are trying , Sir. Thank you for your visit.
@ Algis Kemezys,
Right on, brother! Thank you
@ kissinglessons,
And we are so glad you are here. Thank you so much.
Oh, you would make a great soccer mom. Just remember to arm yourself with the rules of the game. Thank you so much as always for your support.
@ Paul J. O'Rourke,
Oh, I get it. I don't watch much soccer for the same reason. To me, its an art and I want great art; or Scotch, and I want Blue Label. I only watch matches including a few European teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, or a few nations like Brazil, Spain, Germany and Holland. Thank you, Sir for your gracious visit.
@ Alexandra Hope Flood,
I bet you anything that you and your son will enjoy some great soccer in the upcoming World Cup. Thank you so much for your visit and kind words.
@ Nikki Stern,
Thank you so much, Nikki, I believe there will be some great soccer coming up.
@ sweetfeet,
Especially if the following countries are playing each other: Brazil, Spain, Argentina, England, Germany, Holland. Thank you so much.
@ joyonboard,
Thank you so much for your visit and comment.
Cheers
You said in your comment that the goalie counts. If the goalie is counted in the offside rule there won't be an offside rule! Your comment is DEAD WRONG and very confusing. My content was researched against the finest soccer authorities on the Web. I am right on the offside rule.
I will be back to finish reading and commenting.. soon.. Don't let me forget..
Thank you so much my dear friend.
@ Jack Heart,
I agree. It was watching great soccer that got me into the sport. As far as the US, soccer is doing OK especially with children, which is a good first step. Thank you so much as always.
@ cindy Prochnow,
I am glad you liked the post. I don't know what kudos means either, so we're cool. Thank you so much for your gracious visit and kind words.
Most American kids grow up playing soccer and enjoy playing it as kids, but generally the most talented gravitate toward the more popular sports like football, basketball, and baseball. Personally, I had a very good German soccer coach in high school who told us all about the art of passing and showed us plenty of 16mm film of soccer greats, and this was in a high school in the South where American football was king.
You probably would think of the South as "uncivilized." I guess that's because you live in Los Angeles and that's maybe your idea of America and American culture.
You say: "And the best part [about soccer]—although, very un-American—is that there is no bullying in soccer; no violence of any kind is allowed." Yeah. The violence usually comes after the game, among those superiorly "more civilized" Europeans, I guess. Or Latin Americans, too. I worked in Mexico for five months on a tv show, and some of the crew invited me to play soccer with them one weekend. I hadn't played since high school but I was in good enough shape and had good enough ball skills they invited me to join their "friendly" match. Well when I missed a shot at the goal (not exactly a rare occurrence in soccer) I guarantee you I thought they might do a little "civilized" cutting on me and leave me by the road to meet that great soccer god in the sky.
There is nothing uncivilized about America and Americans. This country was in fact founded as a reaction against some pretty uncivilized ideas, such as hanging heads on bridges or watching them be cut off in city squares. You might be making the mistake that too many do, which is to judge this country by the media and Hollywood portrayal of it, much of it the product of "civilized" Hollywood liberals who are too fond of themselves to believe in a higher power that created them and will one day judge them.
Soccer is fun to play and less fun to watch, but I'll still watch the World Cup as I usually do. I enjoyed it the last time, when the French team's best player was ejected after his most-civilized "head butt" of the opponent after the opponent made a crack about his sister and his mother. Some of that un-American civility almost cost my Los Angeles Lakers (yes, I live in Los Angeles too) a playoff game when most two civilized Slovenians, one on the Lakers and the other on the Suns, decided to have a civilized civil war right in the middle of the court where the refs and cameras could easily document it.
I look forward to the civility that will be on display at the world cup. I only hope there will also be some actual scoring. Your video clip I think included one goal, but I may have miscounted. The rest was much less about team play and mostly about "see what a hotshot I am? Oh wait -- someone else has the ball now."
Now that's civilized.
You are a coward hiding behind a second/fake OS account. You're here just to insert a shitty comment on my blog. Fine.
We are all enlightened with your unsurpassed knowledge of the sciences and the arts, and we thank you so much for showing us how shitty soccer is. Say hi to the madam.
You and Retablo, both fake accounts, have been posting comments on this blog all day. You have been monitoring this blog ALL DAY. I have deleted you so many times.
If you are worried about the lives that are going to be lost due to my incorrect explanation of the offside rule you could have used all that time to contact all these OS members and warned them about the dangers of my offside rule. Post your explanation on your own blog.
But you don't give a shit about the offside rule, do you. You just want to sully this respectable blog and call Thoth names.
Looks to me like the numbers have spoken ;).
As for this being a fake account I really do not understand what you mean. I certainly do not comment often but then not enough people on this site write about football :)
As a former ref I can attest to the fact that parents get rules wrong all the time in soccer. The offside rule is the most common followed by the made up "dangerous play" rule. The are also more than happy to yell at the 12 year old kid reffing there nine year olds game. That is the main reason I think it important to inform on the rules correctly.
Here is the link to the offside rule explanation. You should recognize the pictures from Thoth explanation. I really don't see what the confusion is about. The keeper counts and the arbiter of offside is the second to last defender not the incorrectly stated last defender from the post.
http://www.offside-ref.co.uk/laws/11-offside-rule/detailed/
There is no such thing as common sense when it comes to the offside rule. :) I swear it was written purposely to be nonsensical. Be that as it may, I thought at the time it was important to note that bolded material in the post was wrong. Since then I have really wished I hadn't bothered. I do feel however that a lot of the issue with Thoth is that tone doesn't translate well in post comments and he has read censure into things that really were written with good intent. Personally I have always felt that it would make more sense to not count the keeper but that is not what the rule is.
~R+++~
You said, "There is no such thing as common sense when it comes to the offside rule. :) I swear it was written purposely to be nonsensical."
This is bullshit. It is exactly what the people who do not understand it would say. The Offside rule is only difficult to understand. The point is that I, Thoth, can explain it right, and I did without mentioning "second to last" shit that you do not understand. Obviously you or those who sent you here don't know soccer.
Post your explanation on your blog. Your objection is noted in 4 comments already. Say hi to the madam.
I really don't see why you feel it necessary to answer civility with profanity and personal attacks. My understanding the offside law does not preclude me from also believing that it makes little sense as written.
I honestly at this point do not have any idea where you have gotten your explanation of the offside law. The website you got the images from has the correctly explanation with the second to last defender as the correct arbiter of offside. Wikipedia has the correct explanation. FIFA laws of the game have the correct explanation. What authorities have steered you so wrong?
That is six comments for you. Keep going. And say hi to the madam.
The madam is you in the fake account--I clicked your avatar-- or the one who keeps sending you and other Cs to post 8 shitty comments on my blog. Keep going.
Fair enough. I'll leave you alone now. I find your paranoia even duller than your ignorance.
Oh, you are most welcome, thank you; they are awesome aren't they.
@ The wanderer
The coming World Cup will be a really good chance. Don't miss any game with Brazil in it. Thank you my friend.
@ Painting the Stars
I know, like I said , it's magic. Enjoy the coming World Cup. Thank you so much for you visit.
@ Joan Wilder
I am so glad you read the post. I promise if you watch the coming World Cup it will be worth it, especially Brazil. Thank you Joan for your gracious visit.
No, please don't go! You guys were doing great. First, you try in vain to discredit the post, then you accuse of profanity. You can't go without saying "misogynist" before the punchline. OK, send back the C that have a picture in her avatar.
They don't have anything better to do. To monitor the big man is a 24 hr job.
@ Fireeyes,
If I understand you correctly, I think your son-in-law will definitely enjoy the coming World Cup. Thank you.
Of course there are injuries, especially in professional soccer and especially knee and ankle injuries. The point is that there are strict rules against physical contact and violence. Therefore, if we make sure the rules are followed, soccer can be a very safe game for children. Thank you so much, Patricia, for your insight and visit.
Yes my son-in-laws will enjoy the World Cup this year..
I had to mess with you... smiles..You jumped right over me the first time, so I had to mess with you.. Here I was in the middle of a tornado active storm, with my first message and you didn't even see it..
Okay here is what I said....
(I finally made it back over here.. Great article.. Very interesting. My son-in-laws play soccer and one plays Auzzie football, also.)
r
I know you are a fan, Thank you so much.
@ Owl_Says_Who
This is an endorsement soccer should be proud of. Thank you as always for your support.
@ Ollie's daughter
Exactly, I believe it is a great sport for children. Thank you.
I also recommend the Nike ad for the World Cup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idLG6jh23yE
Why, thank you, Sir, for your gracious visit. I know, the Nike video is awesome; they did good.
Thank you so much, my friend, for dropping by. Like I tell all my friends, watch at least one game with Brazil in it.
Why, you are most welcome; thank you for your gracious visit.
Hi coach! I hope you'll get a chance to enjoy some of the coming games. Thank you so much for your kind support.
Don't forget, just any game with Brazil in it. Thank you, my friend for you support.
Absolutely, and thank you for your gracious visit.
Thank you Thoth for taking the time to research and write this up for soccer newbies like myself :) *rated*
Good for you; you get to enjoy the Cup. Don't forget to watch any game with Brazil in it. Thank you so much for your support.
Why, thank you my friend, I am glad it worked.
I hope you enjoy some of these games, especially anything with Brazil in it. Thank you so much and welcome to OS.
I am sorry about the headache, I tried my best. All it takes is watching a really great game. Thank you.
We are not supporting England since they snubbed the only two Arsenal players who are English. I am rooting for the cup-winning team whose Arsenal player was the star that bought victory. Spain and Holland are possibilities; from the first game, France did not seem promising.
Soccer fans, eh? I agree with your assessment and if I may add Germany and Brazil (only if Brazil shows much better play). Thank you so much for your gracious visit.
I am really enjoying watching the World Cup, I was watching this afternoon. My husband is die hard Soccer fan, he comes from Italy he used to play on teams for quite a while. I agree with what you are speaking about, there are many kids that enjoy the competive sport, and should be encouraged. There are many roles on the Soccer field, and most kids learn this early on by being signed up. It is a great team sport, and can combine lots of ways in which to field a goal, and learn about other peoples strengths as well. As always you remain a good friend and educator.
I am really glad you are enjoying the World Cup. It is a great event. Thank you for your support as always.
Thank you so much for this. I knew the idea was to make goals, but the rest appeared like buzzing (sometimes dancing) insects.
Speaking of that, what IS that buzzing the crowd has been making at the World Cup? What does it represent? Applause? Distraction? Euphoria? Something else? It appears that you put quite a bit of effort into this tutorial! Thanks! R