Soccer DictionaryAt the Back of the Net
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Angle, passing Applied to the line of the pass, i.e. angling the ball to the right or left of a player.
Attacker: Any player on the team that has possession of the ball.
Balance; Positioning defenders away from the ball to protect the vital space behind the defense.
Ball carrier: A player that has possession of the ball
Breakaway: When an attacker with the ball approaches the goal undefended; this exciting play pits a sole attacker against the goalkeeper in a one on one.
Checking, run; Movement used to create space between the player with the ball and the marking opponent.
Checking; Making a movement in one direction, stopping, and then moving off in the opposite direction.
Corner arc: A quarter-circle with a radius of 1 yard located at each of the 4 corners of the field.
Corner kick; A direct free kick taken by the attacking team from the one yard arc at the corner of field.
Cross, far-post A pass made to the area, usually beyond the post, farthest from the point from which the ball was kicked.
Defensive pressure: When one or more defenders closely mark a ball carrier to harass him into losing the ball.
Deflection: The ricochet of a ball after it hits a player.
Direct. freekick A restart situation that can be scored directly by the shooter.
Dribbling: A way of moving the ball along the ground by using the feet while keeping the ball under player's control.
Drop ball: A method of restarting a game where the referee drops the ball. The ball must hit the ground
Feints: Body movements designed to unbalance an opponent, or a deceptive movement which can be applied with or without the ball, e.g. feinting to kick the ball, or feinting to move in one direction.
Foul: A violation of the laws for which an official assesses a free kick.
Free kick: A kick awarded to a players team for a foul committed by the opposition; the player kicks a stationary ball without any opposing players within 10 yards of the ball.
Full volley Shooting a ball directly out of the air.
Goal kick: A type of restart where the ball is kicked from inside the goal area; awarded to the defending team when a ball that crossed the goal line was last touched by a player on the attacking team.
Goal line: The field boundary running along its width at each end; also called the end line; runs right across the front of the goal.
Goal side of the ball; A position between the ball and the goal one is defending.
Goal side position; Correct position of a defender when marking an opponent.
Goal, mid-goal area; An area in front of the goal and six to twelve yards out from the goal-line.
Goal: When the ball passes completely over the goal line and under cross bar, one point is scored per goal.
Goalkeeper, one-on-one; 5% of all goals are one-on-one against the goalkeeper.
Hand ball: A foul where a player touches the ball with his hand or arm; the opposing team is awarded a direct free kick.
Hat trick: 3 or more goals scored in a game by a single player.
Header: The striking of a ball in the air by a player's head.
Headers: 22% of all goals are from headers.
Heading: An act of directing the ball with any part of your forehead.
In the attacking third; Once the team has the ball in the attacking third of the field, the attacker must try and keep it there by making it as hard as possible for the defenders to clear the ball.
Indirect free kick; A restart situation which will not score a goal unless touched or played by one other player before going into the goal.
Injury time: Time added to the end of any period according to the referee's judgment of time lost due to player injuries or intentional stalling by a team.
Jockey: A way of covering the man with the ball by feinting without committing yourself.
Lofted drive; A powerful kick with the instep through the bottom half of the ball.
Long power shots (outside the penalty-area); The shot may score direct or be deflected by a player into the goal. The goalkeeper may not see the shot through a crowd of players. Even if the goalkeeper makes a save, the goalkeeper may not be able to hold on to the ball or push it out for a corner, and the attacker may have a simple tap-in.
Marking, man-to-man; Marking a particular opponent in all the important defensive areas of the field.
Match: A soccer/football game.
Midfield line or center line: A line that divides the field in half along its width.
Off-side: A situation in which an attacker positioned in the opponents' half of the field does not have two opponents between him or herself and the goal at the moment the ball is played to him or her.
Out of play: When a ball is outside the boundaries of the field (pitch) or play has been stopped by the referee.
Outside penalty area: 16% of all goals are from outside the penalty area.
Overlap: A tactic used to move defenders and midfielders into attacking positions.
Penalty area; At each end of the soccer field two lines are drawn at right angles to the goal line, 18 yards from each goal post. Lines also extend into the field of play for a distance of 18 yards and are joined by a line drawn parallel with the goal post.
Penalty shot; The result of a direct foul committed by a defender within his or her penalty area.
Penalty spot: The small circular spot located 12 yards in front of the center of the goal line from which all penalty kicks are taken; positioned at the center of the penalty arc.
Possession: Player or team having/in control of the ball.
Restarts (of the game); Are from , corner kicks, drop balls, free kicks, goal kicks, penalty kick, place kick, and throw-in.
Run with the ball; Movement with the ball without dribbling past an opponent.
Run, cross-field; A run made side-to-side as opposed to end-to-end or diagonally.
Run, diagonal, inside-to-outside; A run made by an attacker, diagonally, from a central position towards a touchline.
Run, diagonal, outside-to-inside; A run made by an attacker, diagonally, from a flank (wing) position towards a central position.
Run, overlap: The movement of an attacking player from a position behind the ball, outside the player with the ball and into a position ahead of the ball.
Running straight; Defenders will be much less worried about attacker who run straight up and down the field than those who move across it. Running straight is not likely to trouble the defenders, who will be able to mark players and space as well as support one another.
Runs, split; Runs made usually by central forward players in opposite directions in order to create space in central attacking positions.
Score: To put the ball into the net for a goal; also, the tally of goals for each team playing in a game.
Set play: A planned strategy that a team uses when a game is restarted with a free kick, penalty kick, corner kick, goal kick, throw-in or kickoff.
Set plays: 40% of all goals are from set plays (free kicks, corners and throw-ins).
Shooting: When a player kicks the ball at the opponent's net in an attempt to score a goal.
Shot: A ball kicked or headed by a player at the opponent's net in an attempt to score a goal.
Sliding tackle: An attempt by a defender to take the ball away from a ball carrier by sliding on the ground feet-first into the ball.
Square pass: A pass made by a player to a teammate running alongside him.
Steal: When a player takes the ball away from an opposing player.
Striker: A front-running central attacker.
Sweeper: The "free" player in defense who covers the marking defenders.
Tackling: Taking the ball from your opponent by using the feet.
Through pass: A pass sent to a teammate to get him/her the ball behind his defender; used to penetrate a line of defenders.
Throw-in: A type of restart where a player throws the ball from behind his head with two hands while standing with both feet on the ground behind a sideline; taken by a player opposite the team that last touched the ball before it went out of bounds across a sideline.
Touchline; 1. Side boundary of the field. 2. The side lines of the field.
Volley: Any ball kicked by a player when it is off the ground.
Volleys; 17% of all goals are from volleys.
Wall: A line of 2 to 5 defending players pressed together shoulder-to-shoulder to protect their goal against a close free kick; creates a more difficult shot by reducing the amount of open goal area the kicker has to shoot at.
Warm up; Exercises that warm the muscles and prepare the body for vigorous activity.
Weight of the pass; A term quite frequently used to describe the pace of a pass.
Wings or wingers: The outside forwards who play to the sides of the strikers and whose primary task is to provide them with accurate crossing passes so they can shoot at the goal; often the fastest players and best dribblers on a team.