The following posts have been tagged with "soccer fouls"...
Soccer Indirect Free Kick
(aka “Indirect Kick”). A type of “free kick” given after minor fouls such as obstruction. On an indirect kick, another player (on either team) must touch the ball before a goal can be scored. Question: “How do you know if a free kick is indirect’” Answer: “The referee will raise his arm above his head and leave it up until the ball is kicked”. On an indirect kick you should have one player gently tap the ball so another player standing behind the ball can kick it; or pass it to someone who shoots it. If on an Indirect Free Kick the ball is kicked into the goal without anyone else touching it (other than the kicker) the goal does not count and the other team is awarded a goal kick. However, if the ball is touched by a player on either team, including the goalkeeper, before it goes into the goal, the goal counts.(See “Free Kick” & “Fouls“).
Soccer Indirect Kick Foul
See “Fouls“.
Soccer Impeding
“Impeding the Progress of an Opponent” is an “Indirect Kick Foul” (see “Fouls, Indirect Kick, Impeding The Progress Of An Opponent“). This used to be called “obstruction”. Generally, a player cannot use his body to impede another player’s movements, even if it is not deliberate. This can be called if a player is not within “playing distance” of the ball (i.e., 3 feet) and block’s an opponent’s movement or screens an opponent from the ball. However, if a player is within playing distance & able to play the ball (meaning not laying on the ground), the player can legally screen an opponent from the ball. (You usually see this when a ball is going out of bounds & the player whose team will get the throw-in screens the opponent so the opponent can’t save the ball). The rule also applies to “innocently” impeding the goalkeeper by standing in front of him when he has the ball.
Soccer Hand Ball
Strangely, the term “Hand Ball” is commonly used, but is not defined in the official FIFA rules. It is a “direct kick foul” if a player (other than the goalkeeper inside his own penalty area) deliberately handles the ball (meaning to deliberately touch the ball with any part of the arm from the finger tips to the top of the shoulder). If the player handles it for the purpose of preventing an opponent from gaining possession, it is a “cautionable offense” and a yellow card should be given. If a player deliberately handles the ball to deny an obvious goal scoring opportunity (e.g., to prevent a breakaway or to deliberately stop a shot), a red card should be given and the player “sent off”. However, a hand ball foul should not be called if: (1) a player is instinctively trying to protect himself from injury or (2) the player did not deliberately touch the ball but the ball hit his arm & he did not move the arm toward the ball (however, if the player’s arms were in an unnatural position such as above his shoulders or sticking out to the sides, then he should be called for a handball). (See “Fouls“).
Soccer Goalkeeper
(aka Goalie, Keeper or GK). Except in small-sided play, each team must have a designated goalkeeper. He is the only player on the field who can legally use his hands and then only inside the Penalty Box. (Note that the Goalie cannot pick up the ball if it was deliberately kicked to him by a teammate… he can only pick it up if it was last touched by an opponent or if it was accidentally kicked to him by a teammate, or was passed from a teammate using the head, chest, knee, etc. instead of the feet.) Once he picks up the ball he has six seconds to punt it or release it. He is allowed to pick up the ball, run with it and then punt it, throw it, or drop it and dribble or kick it. (However, he cannot touch it with his hands outside the “Penalty Box” and once he drops it he can’t touch it again with his hands until an opponent has touched it). The goalkeeper has special protections inside the Penalty Box; the ball may not be kicked if he is touching it with his hand or arm and the referee will call a foul if the goalkeeper is endangered. He must wear a shirt or jersey that is recognizably different from all other players (goalkeepers often wear special jerseys with padded elbows). Note: In hot weather, do not put a goalkeeper jersey on a player. They can get too overheated & become sick. Instead, have them wear a different-colored shirt (one shirt only) or a mesh training vest over their shirt. If your goalkeeper has a strong leg, let him take goal kicks. Encourage him to play aggressively & if you push up on the attack, to come out to the edge of the Penalty Box or beyond to play like a “Second Sweeper”. If he picks up the ball & no opponents are close, encourage him to drop the ball & dribble it out & then kick it. (Once he drops it or when out of the Penalty Box, he can play like a field player but can’t touch the ball with his hands). Encourage him to play aggressively & to take chances, everyone will have much more fun if you do & more kids will want to play goal. Goalkeepers tend to get blamed for goals when most of the time it isn’t their fault (if the other defenders are doing a great job there won’t be any shots on goal). You should tell your goalkeeper before the game that the other team is expected to score goals & that it isn’t his fault if they score. Do not let anyone else (players or parents) blame the goalkeeper. In fact, after the game you should have the rest of the team thank the goalkeeper, even if he or she did make mistakes. You should encourage everyone who wants to to take a try at playing goalkeeper. You will be surprised who is good & you really can’t tell until they actually play the position. At the very least, it will give all the players respect for how tough the position is & they will be less likely to blame the goalkeeper when goals are scored. However, do not make a child play goalkeeper if he or she doesn’t want to. (See “Second Sweeper“, “Breakaway“, “Goal Kick“, “Fouls, Indirect Kick“, “Dangerous Play“, “Distribute“, “Penalty Box“, “Punting“, “Overarm Throw” & “Worrying The Goalkeeper“).
For How To Teach Goalkeeping, go to SoccerHelp Premium
(NOTE: If the Goalkeeper “possesses” the ball and “releases” it, then he can only handle it again after an opponent touches it, or if it is accidentally kicked back or headed or chested back by a teammate. He can’t pick it up if a teammate has intentionally kicked or thrown it to him. Notice that this rule only applies if he actually has “possession” of the ball, and not, for example, if he blocks touches a shot with his hands and then picks up the ball to “control” it. So, the important words here are “possession” and “released” — under this rule just touching the ball isn’t the same thing as having “possession” of the ball. However, in terms of protecting the Goalkeeper’s safety, some referees will consider the Goalkeeper to have the ball under his control if he even has one finger on it — this is to discourage attackers from trying to kick the ball out of the Keeper’s hands. Se. 2.b. at Fouls for clarification of this.)
Soccer Free Kick
When one team is penalized, the other usually gets a “free kick”. There are 2 types of free kicks (direct & indirect) and a special type of Direct Free Kick called a Penalty Kick:
- Direct Free Kick – Where a goal may be scored by kicking the ball directly into the opponent’s goal without anyone else touching it (although it still counts if someone else does touch it).
On Direct & Indirect Free Kicks, defenders must stay away from the kicker (6 yards if U-8, 8 yards if U-10 & 10 yards for U-12 & older) until a player on the kicking team moves the ball, if they don’t they can receive a yellow card. (See “Fouls“, “Hand Ball“, “Cards“, “Offside Rule“, & “Penalty Kick“. Go to www.fifa.com. for more details). The Offside Rule applies on Free Kicks.
Soccer Fouls
There are 2 kinds of soccer fouls, Direct Kick Fouls & Indirect Kick Fouls. (Rules are called “Laws Of The Game” and are changed each year. Go to www.fifa.com. for current rules. See “Cards” for more fouls & penalties):
- (1)
Direct Kick Fouls – For which the other team receives a “direct free kick” (meaning a goal can be scored by kicking the ball straight into the goal) or a “penalty kick” (”PK”) if the foul occurs within the Penalty Box (Note: It doesn’t matter whether the ball was in the Penalty Box or not; what matters is where the foul was committed). There are 10 direct kick fouls. The rules say that the referee should call a foul for numbers 1 thru 6 if he believes they are committed in a manner he considers “careless, reckless or using excessive force”:
- kicking or attempting to kick an opponent. Accidentally kicking an opponent while tackling the ball is not a foul unless it was careless, reckless, or there was excessive force. If a player slide tackles from the front, it will be considered at least “dangerous play” (which is an indirect kick foul), or kicking, or tripping, or “unsporting behavior”, even if the ball is contacted, since it would at the least be reckless or dangerous. (See “Cards, Red Card, Serious Foul Play”)
Soccer Direct Kick Foul
See “Soccer Fouls“.
Soccer Direct Kick
A type of soccer “free kick” given after severe fouls such as hitting or kicking. On a direct kick, a goal can be scored by kicking the ball into the soccer goal without it first touching another player. (See “Free Soccer Kick” & “Soccer Fouls“).
Soccer Dangerous Play
Any action by a soccer player that is unsafe to him or another player, in the judgment of the soccer referee. When contact is made, the referee will consider whether it was “careless, reckless or there was excessive force”. The soccer penalty for some types of dangerous actions such as tripping is a direct kick, but for others such as a high kick the penalty is an indirect free kick. (See “Soccer Fouls” and “Soccer Cards“).