Samuel M. Rodrigues AP Language & Composition 16 February 2021
European Football P1
When you think about European football, what do you imagine: an intense game requiring high cardio fitness, a game of brute strength, or a mentally trying game that requires thinking and strategy? Well, soccer is a combination of all three aspects. Tactics and team play require high levels of thinking and playing requires a lot of strength and cardiovascular fitness. In this first part of the blog, I plan on sharing the basic mechanics used by football players, as well as the rules that create a fair and safe environment.
Let's begin with some of the basic mechanics. To begin, in order to shoot the ball at a fast pace, you should lean forward and plant your non-dominant foot to the left or the right of the ball. For example, if you are right-footed, plant your left foot to the left side of the ball. After you have done this, lean forward and strike the ball with the top of the foot (laces), and point your non-dominant foot towards your target. Make sure you follow through with your dominant foot to effectively shoot the ball. Now, if you're just looking to place the ball into the net or to make a pass, you are going to want to use the inside of your foot instead. To pass the ball or to place the ball into the net, you are going to want to plant your non-dominant foot to the left or the right of the ball and swing your dominant foot through the ball making contact with the center of the ball. Make sure to point your non-dominant foot towards your target in order to achieve maximum accuracy. Depending on the power you want behind the pass, you may want to use your laces for more power. Now, if you're the goalkeeper and you were looking to punt the ball, you are going to want to hold the ball out in front of you with your hands and drop the ball slightly -only about an inch- onto your swinging dominant foot. Make sure to follow through with your foot to achieve the maximum velocity, height, and distance. As the goalkeeper, you may also want to throw the ball. In order to do this with the most accuracy, you're going to want to hold the ball with your dominant hand behind your head, point your left hand towards your target, and whip the ball overhead in a catapult motion. Don't be disheartened if you don't achieve your desired level of skill at first. Developing the mechanics of soccer takes many years and many hours of practice. But, hopefully, with this little description, you can effectively begin you are soccer journey.
Now, what are some of the rules of soccer? Well, the most essential rule is, "do not touch the ball with your hands unless you are the goalkeeper." Note: this is by far the most important rule. There are several other rules that must be mentioned, however. There is the offsides call, a general foul call, yellow cards, and red cards. A person making all these calls is the official. To be offsides, you must be on the offensive and must be in the attacking half of the field. To be offside, you must receive a pass while being behind the last defender excluding the goalkeeper. This does not result in a yellow or red card but will result in a foul. Each foul almost always results in the other team getting a free-kick. A free-kick is simply a placement kick in which the other teammate puts the ball on the ground and may take a shot or pass. In order to obtain a yellow or red card, you must either use extremely explicit language directed towards the official or commit a violent foul. Hopefully, with this description of the rules, you will feel confident playing European football. In my next blog, look forward to a thorough rundown of strategies and tactics used by most professional teams in order to score and maintain possession.
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| One of the many football stadiums around the world. |
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