Excerpt From "Soccer Made Simple":
Chapter 6: How the Game is Played

Copyright © 1998 First Base Sports, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Excerpt From "Soccer Made Simple":
Chapter 6: How the Game is Played

If the ball crosses one of the sidelines, play is stopped and a throw-in restarts the action. (See Figure 8) If Team A caused play to stop, a player from Team B tosses the ball over his head with two hands back into the field. The player must be facing the field with both feet on the ground, either on or behind the sideline, at the point where the ball went out of bounds. He may move his feet prior to the throw but cannot lift them off the ground during or immediately after the throw.

If a ball is improperly thrown, such as with only one hand or with one of the thrower's feet leaving the ground, a violation is called and a throw-in is taken by a player from the other team. If the thower tries to play the ball (i.e., touch the ball in any way) before another player touches it, an indirect free kick is taken by the opposing team.

Copyright © 1998 First Base Sports, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Excerpt From "Soccer Made Simple":
Chapter 6: How the Game is Played

For the most severe infractions or those committed by the defense in its own penalty area, the non-offending team is awarded a penalty kick, one of the most exciting plays in soccer. (See Figure 10) This play, also called a penalty shot or penalty for short, is a one-on-one confrontation between the goalie of the offending team and a player chosen by the opposition as its kicker. All other players must remain outside the penalty area and penalty arc, at least 10 yards from the kicker. For penalty kicks taken in a tiebreaker, all other players must remain within the center circle.

The kicker places the ball on the penalty spot and attempts to kick the ball past the goalie. He must play the ball forward and may not touch the ball again until another player has, or the opposition is awarded an indirect free kick. This means that he can play a rebound off the goalie but not off the goalposts or crossbar. (In a tiebreaker, the kick is over as soon as the ball stops moving forward). The goalie must stand on the goal line and is not allowed to move his feet before the ball is kicked or the kicker gets to take another penalty shot (if he missed the first shot). In professional play, kickers almost always score on penalty kicks. If a goalie hopes to stop a good penalty shot, he must guess correctly where the ball will go and move quickly as soon as it is kicked.

Copyright © 1998 First Base Sports, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Excerpt From "Soccer Made Simple":
Chapter 7: Player Skills

In soccer, tackling is the act of taking the ball away from a player by kicking or stopping it with one's feet. Tackling in American football conjures up images of one player driving another into the ground with a vicious hit to the body. In soccer, however, the tackler cannot pursue another player physically, but instead must go primarily after the ball. Only a minimum amount of shoulder-to-shoulder contact, called a shoulder charge, is permitted to knock the dribbler off balance. (See Figure 15) However, as long as the tackler hits the ball first, he will not be charged with a foul even if he knocks down the opponent. Tackling can often be risky because a defender may become off-balance after missing a tackle, allowing the attacker to proceed unmarked.

Copyright © 1998 First Base Sports, Inc. All Rights Reserved