| Bill Shankly (the former Liverpool manager) once said | | | | repetition. I recommend that players do at least 30 |
| "Soccer is a simple game based on the giving and | | | | minutes a day of solid practice to develop these |
| taking of passes, on controlling the ball and making | | | | skills, including juggling a soccer ball to ensure that |
| yourself available to receive a pass" | | | | their technical ability is of an adequate standard. |
| It sounds quite simple really doesn't, but: | | | | Tactics and formations |
| - What are the rules of soccer? | | | | Teamwork is vital in playing soccer and having a |
| - How do the rules of soccer influence how to play | | | | good understanding of how to get into goal scoring |
| soccer? | | | | positions and conversely how a team can defend |
| - What specific skills are required? | | | | against the opposition requires an intimate knowledge |
| - What tactics should be employed? | | | | of the game and of how to get players to play using |
| - What are the physical attributes needed by soccer | | | | different soccer formations. |
| players? | | | | Soccer Fitness |
| - Do soccer players need specific fitness | | | | Being Fit for Soccer does have a major impact on |
| requirements? | | | | how to play soccer. I was in a team once that had |
| - What should I learn first? | | | | limited technical ability compared with the majority of |
| - What formation is the best one for a team to use? | | | | teams in our league, but guess what we were |
| What to do First | | | | runners up in the league purely because we were the |
| When you are learning how to play soccer, then the | | | | fittest team in the league and often won games in |
| very first thing that you should do is ensure that you | | | | the dying minutes, because we were fit enough to |
| develop great technical skill. Getting technical skill can | | | | "run the opposition off their legs". So never |
| only be done through a lot of practise and repetition | | | | underestimate the impact that fitness will have on |
| of various soccer drills. Whilst teamwork and tactics | | | | your game. |
| play a huge part in the way a team plays, the teams | | | | Rules of Soccer |
| performance will be limited based on the technical | | | | There are various forms of soccer, ranging from |
| ability of the players and the level of skill that players | | | | micro soccer (3 a side) to the standard game of 11 a |
| have. | | | | side. FIFA are the worldwide governing body for |
| The basic skills that are required for soccer player | | | | soccer, and it is FIFA who control the laws of the |
| are: | | | | game that dictate how to play soccer from a rules |
| - Ball Control | | | | perspective. Understanding the laws of the game |
| - Dribbling | | | | does have a bearing on what you do, and all players |
| - Passing | | | | should make sure they understand the laws of the |
| - Shooting | | | | game. |
| - Heading | | | | A combination of learning the soccer skills described |
| - Defending | | | | here, team tactics and team formations, soccer |
| - Goalkeeping | | | | fitness and an understanding of the laws of the |
| To ensure that you have good soccer skills, a great | | | | game constitute the basics of how to play soccer. |
| deal of practice is required to develop good soccer | | | | See some more of Nigels articles, or his website for |
| skills a great deal of practice and commitment is | | | | more details information on how to play soccer. |
| required. The key to developing great soccer skills is | | | | |