| Under the rules of soccer there are ten offenses for | | | | to follow whatever instructions are coming from the |
| which the punishment is a direct free. This means | | | | brain, and those actions will exceed the bounds of |
| that the fouled team can score directly from the kick | | | | fair play. Nobody can distinguish between fair and foul |
| that serves as punishment for the foul. If committed | | | | contact from a cold narrative of course, but there |
| by a defender inside his own penalty area, this direct | | | | are some aspects of each foul that referees use to |
| free kick becomes a penalty kick. These fouls all | | | | determine the result in a particular case: |
| punish acts on the field that the sport considers to | | | | Kicking |
| be unfair or unsafe. | | | | Kicking the ball is something every player on a soccer |
| Most acts are fouls only if committed carelessly, | | | | field tries to do. Kicking an opponent, on the other |
| recklessly, or with excessive force. | | | | hand, is a foul. |
| Most acts on a soccer field are fouls only by degree. | | | | Sometimes, a player's foot will come in contact with |
| This is because most actions during the run of play | | | | an opponent through an otherwise fair play. Contact |
| are harmless in themselves, and become fouls only if | | | | may be superficial, or a players's foot may strike an |
| done in an unfair manner. Players can bump into each | | | | opponent as one or both are falling to the ground |
| other while running, or push past each while each is | | | | (which may be grounds for a different foul, but might |
| trying to avoid a collision. They may tussle over the | | | | not be "kicking"). On the other hand, kicks can be |
| ball, or leap to head a long pass and collide another | | | | quite painful, often leading players to lose their |
| player who is trying to do the same thing. They may | | | | tempers. Under the rules, a player who does not |
| kick at the ball and narrowly miss kicking their | | | | exercise due care to avoid kicking an opponent |
| opponent's shin. All of these actions are just part of | | | | commits a foul. A referee who sees two players |
| soccer, where most bodily contact is quite incidental | | | | contesting for a ball on the ground will be paying |
| to the players' attempts to win the ball and passes | | | | careful attention to the likeliest point of contact, their |
| quite uneventfully during the course of the game. | | | | feet. If the foot misses the ball and connects with |
| At other times, though, a player may mistime a kick, | | | | the opponent--whether through a knock on the shins, |
| misjudge a jump, or overestimate the body's ability | | | | or a stomp on the foot--it will be a foul. |