5 Tips to Help You Learn How to Play Soccer

Soccer is a very popular sport in the United States and around the world. It is estimated that about 284,000 American high school boys and 209,000 American high school girls play the sport. If you want to learn how to play soccer, there are some things you can do to make the process easier and more fun.

1. Get to know more about the game. Before you start to learn how to play soccer, you need to learn a little about the game. That starts with the different positions in a soccer team. Soccer teams have 11 players. The different positions are:

• The goalie: This is the player who is tasked with protecting the net. This is also the only player on the team who is allowed to use their hands. People who play in this position tend to be good at communicating with the other players and can anticipate what is going to happen.
• The midfielders: If you want to get the most exercise from your soccer experience, this may be the position for you. Midfielders run more than any other player on the field. They play offense and defense.
• The defenders: They do exactly what the name suggests, they defend against goals being scored by the opposing team. These are some of the strongest players on the field.
• The strikers: They are the players who do most of the goal shooting on the team.

2. Learn the skill of dribbling. One of the most essential parts when you want to learn how to play soccer is to lean how to dribble. Typically soccer training lessons start with teaching would be players how to dribble. This is the act of moving the ball while controlling it. To be successful, soccer players need to be able to run with the ball. This skill requires players be able to balance the way they touch the ball. They need to push it hard enough to move it down the field but light enough to keep it near them. When they teach soccer to kids, many coaches have them try dribbling with a tennis ball to get the skill down. It can be much easier to dribble a soccer ball if you can dribble the smaller tennis ball.

3. Get your passing skills down. After dribbling, people who want to learn how to play soccer need to learn how to pass well. This is all about placing the ball where you want it to go. You need to use the inside of the foot to pass the ball. Some people worry that they will have less power when they use the inside of their feet but the accuracy level that is gained makes up for any loss of power. In soccer, accuracy is as, if not more, important as power.

4. Get your shooting skills up to par. If you are close to the goal when you go to shoot, you can think of this as a similar move to the pass. Most of the time, however, you will not be close enough to the goal to do that. Some people think that to be an effective shooter, they need to be able to get a running start but that is not really necessary for the placement of a good shot. Bring your foot back, bend your knee and hit the ball with the spot on your shoe where the middle part of your laces are. Be careful with your follow through. If you swivel your hips to swing the ball through. This will add power to your shot.

5. Work on moving off the ball. This is another key point when you want to learn how to play soccer. Most soccer training program help players become better at moving around the field when they are not controlling the ball. You should find a way to get to be where your teammates need the ball to go. That is a crucial skill in soccer. This skill is all about finding openings that will help your team get the ball where they need it to go.

Soccer is a great sport and fun way to get exercise. If you practice and work hard, you can learn how to play the game.