Every soccer field has a circle in the middle of it. This is called the Center Circle and each team starts on their own half of the field.

There is an 18 yard rectangle in front of each team’s goal that’s called the Penalty Area. If an attacking player is fouled in this box, they’ll receive a Penalty Kick from within the box.

If a team knocks the ball over the sideline, the other team is allowed to throw the ball in, from the place the where the ball exited.

However if a team knocks the ball out at end of the field (adjacent to the goals), the opposition team is able to kick the ball back. The attacking team takes a corner, kicking it towards the goals; and the defending team takes a goal kick, typically kicking it as far up-field as they can.

There are three types of players in soccer – forwards, midfield and defence. Here is an outline of the different positions that are covered.

• Forward: These are the frontmost players on the field and are responsible for advancing the ball up the field and scoring goals. These players should be both fast and accurate with the ball, with the ability to get past the defence.
• Winger: These players are part of the midfield, and support the forwards. They need to be fast, as well as have great stamina so they can cover lots of ground working up and down the side of the field.
• Central Midfield: These will typically stick in the center of their half of the field. They play both offence and defence depending on the location of the ball. They should be able to shift between passing, tackling and stealing the ball depending on what’s required.
• Full Back: Their main objective is to prevent the opposing team from scoring, so they need to be confident in their ability to tackle other players and steal the ball. At times they’re also required to play offensively as well.
• Center Back: Just like the central midfielder, the center back has the duty of staying back near the goal and preventing the opposing team from scoring. Typically these players will be tall and strong with a good ability to tackle other players.
• Goalie: This is probably the most well-known of all positions and has the obvious job of tending to the goal, to block the ball from passing. They’re the only player who is able to use their hands.

As you might be aware, there are various skills that are involved in playing soccer. Here are some of the more common techniques that are used.

• Shooting: The act of shooting is being able to drive the ball towards the goal, trying to make it past all defenders, plus the goalie, to score and get your team a valuable point.
• Dribbling: Dribbling is one of the fundamental skills in soccer, and is how players must transfer the ball up and down the field.
• Passing: This goes hand in hand with dribbling, with how players transfer the ball around the field. Players work to pass the ball to a teammate, while avoiding the opposing team who are doing their best to intercept the ball.
• Heading: This is where you use your head to push the ball in a given direction. Typically, this skill is used when the ball is flying through the air in your general direction.
• Tackling: This is done while trying to intercept the ball from a member of the opposing team. Occasionally it can result in a foul if it’s carried out in a dangerous way.