Soccer Glossary

Here you can find some definition of soccer words

During practice, or when watching football, you may find it helpful to understand some of the following words and phrases .

Assitant referees : The officials that assist the referee in ensuring that the game is played according to the rules .

Attacking team : The team that is in possession of the ball, heading towards their opponent's goal .

Approach

Back four : The four players (usually two full-backs and two central defenders )who from the rear of the team formation .

Back - heel pass : A pass made with the rear of the boot, often use as a surprise move to avoid a tackle .

Bicycle kick : A kick in which a player flying the ball in mid - air, backwards, over his or her head .

Blind side : The area outside a marker's range of vision .

Basic passing

Basic goalkeeping

Ball controlling

Balance

Centre-back : One of usually two central defenders .

Closing down : Moving in on player to restrict the amount of space he or she has to play in .

Corner kick : A kick taken from the corner quadrant by the attacking side if the defence kicks the ball over their own goal line .

Covering : Positioning yourself a few metresbehind a team-mate to enable him or her to challenge for the ball .

Crossbar : The horizontal bar on the top of the goal .

Controlling on the chest

Changing direction

Center circle

Corner quadrant

Concentrate on the ball

Coach

Caution = Yellow card

Dead ball : The state of the ball during a break in play, including the period before it is struck for free kicks .

Decoy play : Making runs or moves designed to confuse the opposition and not necessarily to receive the ball .

Direct free kick : A free kick from which a goal can be scored directly .

Dribbling : Running with the ball close to the feet, and pushing it forwards with quick, sharp kicks .

Defender

Far post : The goal post furthest from the point of attack .

Flat-footed : A player caught unready for immediate movement in any direction.

Foul : An infrigement of the laws, in wich a player has kicked , tripped, or pushed an apponent .

Football boot >> soccer shoes

Goal

Goal line

Goal area

Goalkeeper

Goalkeeping Gloves

Goalkeeper punt : Goalkeeper kick

Game duration: The total time of the game

Halfway line

Half volley : A strike made by kicking a faling ball as it makes contact with the ground .

Hand ball : An offence in which the players is judged to have intentionally played the ball with his or her hand or arm . If it happens inside the player's own penalty area, a penalty is awarded. The goalkeeper cannot handle the ball outside his or her penalty area .

Header : A pass or shot made with the head .

Indirect free kick : A free kick from whcih a goal cannot be scored directly. Indirect kicks are usuaaly awarded for cbstruction within or outside the panelty area .

Inside foot : The side of the foot between the heel and the toe along the inner ankle .
used for accurate kicks .

Instep : The part of the foot in a line from the big toe up to the ankle ; the most commonly used kicking area .

Intercepting a pass

Kick off : The first kick of the match, taken by the team that loses the toss before the match . The team that wins the tos chooses which goal to attack in the first half and takes the kick off to start the second half to the match .

Lofted ball : A pass lifted high over the pitch - usually over an area occupied by the opposition .

Level

Long-range kick

Left back

Man-for-man defence : Defensive system in which each defender marks one individual from the opposition .

Marking : Traking an apponent to prevent him or her from getting into, or benefitting from, a threatening position.

Mid-field : The area linking the attack with the defence .

Midfielder

Nutmegging : Beating an opponent by pushing the ball through the gap between his or her legs .

narrowing the angle

Offside rule

Offside : A position in which you can be penalised ; usually when there are fewer than two opponents between you and the goal at the moment the ball is played forwards by a team-mate .

One two : A move in which the ball is returned with a one-touch pass . Also known as the wall pass .

Out of play : When the ball goes over the touch line or goal line .

Overlap : A run outside or inside a team-mate in possession of the ball, usually made by a defender supporting his or here attackers .

Overhead kick

Opportunist goal

Overarm throw

Penalty : A direct free kick awarded in the penalty area for a foul or handling offence .
Always taken from the penalty spot .

Penalty arc : The lined arc area around the panelty box behind which all players except for the goalkeeper and penalty-taker must stand when a penalty kick is taken .

Penalty box : The penalty area - the larger of the two rectangles around the goal .

Penalty goal : A goal scored from a penalty kick .

Pitch : The area surrounded by boundary lines , comprising the field of play .

Push pass : A pass in which most of a player's boot comes into contact with the ball .

Perfect timing

Punching the ball

Punching the ball

Push pass

Referee : The official who controls the game and ensure tha it is played according to the laws .

Run-Up : A run-up approach to the ball before kick .

Running With the ball

Right back

Six-yard box : The small rectagle around the goal .

Screening the ball : Placing your body between an opponent and the ball to stop the opponent from taking possession of the ball

Striker : A specialist front-line attacker who scores goal .

Sweeper : A defender positioned behind the back four , or more rarely , just in front of it .

Tackle : An attempt to take the ball away from an opponent and get possession yourself .

Target man : An attacker used as a target for balls played from defence , usually briefed to hold the ball and wait for support, or lay it off to a team-mate .

Touch line : The line running down the long side of the pitch .

Throw-in : Throwing the ball back into play after it has crossed the touch line , Play is restarted by the team opposing the team that last touched the ball . The ball is throw in from the place where it crossed the line .

Upright : A goal post .

Volley : A kick made st the ball before it touches the ground, often to shoot at the goal .

Wall pass : A pass made to team-mate who returns it to you when you have moved past a defender .

Winger : An attacker who covers the area along the touch line .