Your Guide To Learning Soccer, According to Coaches

Forward is an offensive position, sometimes referred to as an “attacking” position. The players in forward positions are typically the ones scoring or creating goal opportunities by passing the ball to the striker.

(Related: Every Position in Soccer, Explained)

Defense is all about “defending and keeping the ball out of the goal, and making sure that the other team doesn’t get in dangerous opportunities to score,” Selvadurai said.

While the main objective of a defender is to keep the ball away from the goal, a defender can also score.

“That’s one of the best parts about being a defender — you’re kind of a two-way player,” Selvadurai said. “You can get forward and try to score, and at the same time you have to make sure that you’re keeping the other team from getting scoring opportunities.”

In soccer, there are two goalkeepers on the field, each protecting their team’s goal. This position requires different skill sets than a defender or forward.

“Not only do you have to keep the ball out of the net with your hands, but you also have to manage the game,” Selvadurai said. “Goalkeepers see the entire field the entire time — they’re usually very vocal and give [teammates] lots of directions,” he said.

Selvaduri calls midfielders the “link-up players” because “they’re really good distributors of the ball.” They’re the players who try to keep possession of the ball within their team and tend to switch between forward and defense roles the most.

A striker is a single player on the field situated closest to the other team’s goal. This is an attacking or forward position and strikers are typically good at maneuvering around defenders to score a goal.

Using your hands is a big no-no in soccer. In soccer, it’s against the rules to maneuver the ball with your hands and arms — this is often called a handball.

“The handball rule is very important and a growing gray area,” said Luke Toughey, a professional soccer coach at The University of Brighton. “No player other than the goalkeeper inside their marked-out area can touch the ball with any part of their arm below the sleeve of their shirt or it will be the opponent’s ball,” he said. With that said, there are instances when the ball might be kicked in your direction and come in contact with your arms. Accidental cases like that are okay, so long as you don’t use your arms to handle the ball.

This is another term you’ll hear frequently in soccer — and one of the most important rules of the game. According to Toughey, offside means that “the furthest forward attacker on a team must have at least one opposition outfield defender between them and the opponent’s goal, or the attacker will be in an offside position.”

Being offside creates a situation where it might be easier for an attacking player to score a goal, since there isn’t anyone to defend the ball.

In soccer, foul play is against the rules. While it’s up to the referee’s discretion, fouls are when a player kicks, trips, pushes, or showcases other types of unsportsmanlike behavior toward an opponent.

Just like other sports, penalties occur in soccer. The referee will call a penalty when a player makes a foul from inside the 18-yard box. Penalties are typically categorized by color and the referee will hold up either a red or yellow card to communicate the penalty. Yellow cards in soccer mean dangerous or unsportsmanlike behavior whereas red cards mean the player is removed from the match.

“It is fundamentally important to not commit a foul or handball inside your penalty area, as doing so will result in the opponent feinting a penalty kick, whereby the opponent striker is statistically very likely to score a goal,” Toughey said. “Even more important than not conceding a penalty is having a player sent off [the field], either by being handed a red card or two yellow cards for indecent conduct, such as a dangerous tackle,” he said. When a player gets sent off the field, it means they are no longer allowed to participate in the game. This player also can’t be replaced.

If the ball goes over the goal line but a goal is not scored, and is last touched by a player from the defending team, a corner kick is awarded to the attacking team. The corner kick restarts the play, giving the attacking team a chance to redeem themselves.

A goal is when a player kicks the ball into the net of the opposing team. While forwards are more likely to score, any position and player on the field can score, including goalkeepers.

If a player kicks the ball out of bounds, the referee gives a player from the opposing team (the team that did not last touch the ball) a throw-in. When throwing the ball back into bounds, players must keep both feet on the ground with both hands on the ball and above their head.

When a foul occurs within the penalty box by the defending team, the opposing team gets a penalty kick, meaning they have the opportunity to score a goal with just the goalkeeper defending. Penalty kicks must occur 10 yards away from the penalty line, directly at the goalkeeper.

When a foul occurs anywhere else on the pitch (not the penalty box), it’s a free kick to the opposing team. A direct free kick means that a player gets to kick the ball directly at the goal, which may be blocked by a group of defenders on the opposing team. And an indirect free kick is when a player must kick the ball to a teammate first before it can go into the goal (and count).

Words by Jessie Quinn