Soccer Fundamentals: The Basics of the Game

What are the soccer fundamentals? This is a question that needs answering before we step out on that field to play. What person wants to get out there and realize that he doesn’t even know what the fundamentals are? To learn, we must at least know what we want to learn. So here are the fundamentals of soccer.

Passing

Simply passing the ball to another player is one of the easiest things on the soccer field. However it is also one of the most important soccer fundamentals. Passing is the foundation of team play in soccer.

As simple as passing can be, it can be hard to make a good pass in the heat of a game. A soccer player should spend time practicing with teammates and friends at making passes on the first touch and on the move.

A player who really perfects passing stands out.

Shooting

It goes without saying that shooting is essential in soccer. If you can’t put the ball in the back of the net, you can’t score.

Shooting can take work to learn. There are multiple techniques used in shooting. Sometimes you have very little time and just need to snap a shot with power. Other times you need to place the ball where you want it.

Defenders have less of need to learn shooting than strikers or midfielders, but it always good to be able to score goals. Defenders do get their chances.

Tackling

Tackling is simply taking the ball off an opposing player. It is important that every player on the field learn this skill. I don’t think it takes much explaining for you to know that it is important to get the ball from the other team.

The difficulty of tackling depends a lot on the players you are up against. Tackling is something that really comes with practice. It is important that you play against good players so that you can learn this soccer fundamental.

I have seen so many people shy away from practicing defending against a player who is prolific in dribbling. Do not be afraid to get burned. That is how we learn.

That brings me to the next soccer fundamental:

Dribbling

Dribbling is one of the more flashy aspects of soccer. It feels so good when you leave someone confused about how you just went around them, or when you take on multiple players and get through. However, I would say that of the soccer fundamentals dribbling is the least important to learn.

It is more important to be able to work with the team than to be able to take on multiple players at a time. That said, dribbling is still a fundamental of soccer, and, while it is fun, it can be hard to learn. You just have to put in the work to do it, and, once you’ve done it, it is very rewarding.