• Football Tutorial

Recently, the Viva world cup commenced and this is one of the best moments for those who enjoy football. However, the football fans through enjoying their great moments watching football, can. The first place to start is with the alignment for the kick. Prior to making any movements, place your kicking foot with its toe on the exact spot you plan to kick from. Your body should be aligned with the target, which typically is the center support for the goal posts.

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To become a good Football player, the basic and the most important requirement is to be fit, energetic, and tactful. This game needs a lot of running and technical skills in dealing with the ball and the opponent. You have to be a team player and an individual contributor at the same time. To be a Football player, you have to train hard and learn to be faster than your opponent.

Football kick-off

A football match begins with the toss of coin. The match referee and the two captains meet at the center of the field. The captain of the team who wins the toss gets to decide which goalpost to attack in the first half, while the team that loses the toss gets to kick-off to begin the match.

The players take position in their own half of the field. The ball is placed at the center point of the field. Once the referee blows the whistle, a player from the team that lost the toss takes the kick-off, and the ball moves forward. This player cannot touch the ball again till any other player from either team touches the ball. During the second half, the teams switch goals and the team that won the toss gets to kick-off.

Football - Essential Skills

We have listed here a few essential skills that a player should acquire to become a professional footballer.

Learn to dribble − It is the most important act while playing the game. Dribbling means controlling and keep possession of the ball while running. To dribble means to keep the ball with you and your team’s possession, you need to dribble well so that you touch the ball strong enough to move it forward but you should also see that it doesn’t move away very far from you.

Learn to pass − To pass a ball means to move the ball accurately to the place where you want it to be. To pass a ball, you have to kick the ball in a direction where you want it to move. Passing a ball can be done using the inside of your foot, this will give good accuracy and require less power. After learning to pass the ball you can master the act by slicing and hooking the ball to pass it to your teammates.

Learn to shoot − Shooting a ball comes in scene when you are closer to a goal and you need to score a goal. This will need a lot of power and accuracy. You need to set your plantar foot and aim at the goal and shoot the ball.

Taking the right place on the field is very important. Sometimes the player needs to run a lot when he is not near the ball, in this situation the player needs to estimate his teammate’s next move and take the position where his teammate expects him to be.

Learn to defend the goal − The player uses skills to try and get the ball away from the opponent player. The player needs to be focused and should quickly tackle the ball based on the moves of the other player. In some situations, opponent players could trick but the player should constantly keep an eye on the ball and player movements. This way a player can defend the opponent from scoring a goal.

Learn to head the ball − A player uses his forehead to guide the ball in the desired direction and passes it to his teammate. Heading the ball is frequent when scoring a goal after a corner kick.

Learn to juggle − Juggling is not an easy task, but it’s important for a player to learn how to juggle when required. This helps to control the ball when it’s coming in the air as the ball won’t be on the ground every time.

Learn to use the non-dominant foot − It’s very important for a player to learn how to use his non-dominant foot since this can be an advantage for the opposing team if not mastered. Playing with only the dominant foot is playing handicapped. Hence to learn how to use your non-dominant foot is very important.

Learn to be spontaneous and keep your originality − This is the key to master the game. Having an own style of play is a great asset. One should learn to be either tricky, fast, powerful or defensive.

Football - Rules & Regulations

Let’s also understand the rules of the game that are to be followed while playing the game. Listed here are some of the major rules and regulations of the game.

Offside offence is one of the most important rule to follow in Football. It is basically designed so that the players do not cherry pick or bunch a lot of time near the opponent’s goal. A player can be said to be in an offside position when he is in the opponent’s half and also behind the last defender.

Throw-in comes into the game when the ball is either kicked or travels completely outside the field. The chance of throw-in is given to the team which didn’t last touch it. Throw-in can be done from the place where the ball is outside the field. Throw-in means to catch the ball with both the hands behind the head and throw it inside the field.

The yellow card rules − The yellow card is issued to the players by the referee when a player commits a mistake. The referee shows the player yellow warning him of his first mistake. If a player is shown the yellow card twice then he should leave the game permanently. Reason for the referee to show the yellow card −

• The players who play the game disregarding the rules of the game.
• Playing dangerously which means hurting the head of the opponent’s team members.
• Shooting the ball at any player intentionally.
• Goalkeeper violating the rules of the game by passing the ball with hands to his teammates when kicked by them.
• Wasting the time of game intentionally.

The red card rules − The red card is issued when a player is shown the yellow card twice and commits a mistake after that. Reasons for the referee to show the red card to a player are −

• Physically hurting a player by kicking intentionally.
• Intentionally jumping on a player.
• Hitting a player or charging a player roughly.
• Pushing or holding a player.
• Handling the ball incorrectly.

Free kick − These are given as a penalty for the team players when the opposing team makes a foul. There are two types of free kicks −

• Direct free kick − In this, the ball can be kicked directly into the goal and it doesn’t need to be passed or touched by the teammate of the kicker.

• Indirect kick − In this, the ball must be touched by another teammate of the player who kicks it before scoring a goal.

The rules of penalty kick − A chance for penalty kick arises when a defending team player commits a foul in the opposing team’s penalty box. Except the goalie all the other players must stand in line outside the penalty area. The goalie should stand on the goal line. The ball should be placed on the penalty spot and then kicked.

Corner kick − A chance for the corner kick arises when the ball goes over the goal line but not into the goal and was last touched by the defending team member.

How To Place A Football On A Tee

Goal kick − When the ball goes over the goal line but not into the goal and was last touched by the attacking team, the ball will be then moved in to the possession of the defending team and the goalie performs the goal kick.

Football (Soccer) is one of the oldest sports in the world and with that; it’s also one of the most recognised. The pinnacle of the international game comes in the form the Football World Cup. There are also tournament such as the Euro Championships, Copa America and the African Cup of Nations. Domestically the strongest leagues come from England (English Premier League), Spain (La Liga), Italy (Serie A) and Germany (Bundesliga). In parts of the world the sport is also known as Soccer.

Object of the Game

The aim of football is to score more goals then your opponent in a 90 minute playing time frame. The match is split up into two halves of 45 minutes. After the first 45 minutes players will take a 15 minute rest period called half time. The second 45 minutes will resume and any time deemed fit to be added on by the referee (injury time) will be accordingly.

Players & Equipment

How To Place A Football Bet In The Bookies

Each team consists of 11 players. These are made up of one goalkeeper and ten outfield players. The pitch dimensions vary from each ground but are roughly 120 yards long and 75 yards wide. On each pitch you will have a 6 yard box next to the goal mouth, an 18 yard box surrounding the 6 yard box and a centre circle. Each half of the pitch must be a mirror image of the other in terms of dimensions.

Essentially the equipment that is needed for a soccer match is pitch and a football. Additionally players can be found wearing studded football boots, shin pads and matching strips. The goalkeepers will additionally wear padded gloves as they are the only players allowed to handle the ball. Each team will have a designated captain.

Scoring

To score the ball must go into your opponent’s goal. The whole ball needs to be over the line for it to be a legitimate goal. A goal can be scored with any part of the body apart from the hand or arm up to the shoulder. The goal itself consists of a frame measuring 8 feet high and 8 yards wide.

Winning the Game

To win you have to score more goals than that of your opponents. If the scores are level after 90 minutes then the game will end as a draw apart from in cup games where the game can go to extra time and even a penalty shootout to decide the winner. Players must use their feet to kick the ball and are prohibited to use their hands apart from goalkeepers who can use any part of their body within the 18 yard box (of which more can be found out in the next section).

Rules of Football (Soccer)

• A match consists of two 45 minutes halves with a 15 minute rest period in between.
• Each team can have a minimum off 11 players (including 1 goalkeeper who is the only player allowed to handle the ball within the 18 yard box) and a minimum of 7 players are needed to constitute a match.
• The field must be made of either artificial or natural grass. The size of pitches is allowed to vary but must be within 100-130 yards long and 50-100 yards wide. The pitch must also be marked with a rectangular shape around the outside showing out of bounds, two six yard boxes, two 18 yard boxes and a centre circle. A spot for a penalty placed 12 yards out of both goals and centre circle must also be visible.
• The ball must have a circumference of 58-61cm and be of a circular shape.
• Each team can name up to 7 substitute players. Substitutions can be made at any time of the match with each team being able to make a maximum of 3 substitutions per side. In the event of all three substitutes being made and a player having to leave the field for injury the team will be forced to play without a replacement for that player.
• Each game must include one referee and two assistant referee’s (linesmen). It’s the job of the referee to act as time keeper and make any decisions which may need to be made such as fouls, free kicks, throw ins, penalties and added on time at the end of each half. The referee may consult the assistant referees at any time in the match regarding a decision. It’s the assistant referee’s job to spot offside’s in the match (see below), throw ins for either team and also assist the referee in all decision making processes where appropriate.
• If the game needs to head to extra time as a result of both teams being level in a match then 30 minutes will be added in the form of two 15 minute halves after the allotted 90 minutes.
• If teams are still level after extra time then a penalty shootout must take place.
• The whole ball must cross the goal line for it to constitute as a goal.
• For fouls committed a player could receive either a yellow or red card depending on the severity of the foul; this comes down to the referee’s discretion. The yellow is a warning and a red card is a dismissal of that player. Two yellow cards will equal one red. Once a player is sent off then they cannot be replaced.
• If a ball goes out of play off an opponent in either of the side lines then it is given as a throw in. If it goes out of play off an attacking player on the base line then it is a goal kick. If it comes off a defending player it is a corner kick.

The Offside Rule in Football

Offside can be called when an attacking player is in front of the last defender when the pass is played through to them. The offside area is designed to discourage players from simply hanging around the opponent’s goal waiting for a pass. To be onside they must be placed behind the last defender when the ball is played to them. If the player is in front of that last defender then he is deemed to be offside and free kick to the defending team will be called.

A player cannot be caught offside in their own half. The goalkeeper does not count as a defender. If the ball is played backwards and the player is in front of the last defender then he is deemed to be not offside.