How to Play Soccer

Describing how to play soccer can be summed up by the immortal Bill Shankly, the former Liverpool Manager.

"Soccer is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, on controlling the ball and making youself available to receive a pass"

Soccer has been around in various forms reputedly since 2000BC when it is thought that the Chinese invented the game, and the objectives of the modern game of soccer are probably the same as any other form of soccer that has been played through the ages, and that is simply to score more goals than the opposition, the only problem is that the opposition also have the same objectives!
So given the simple objectives of how to play soccer, and Bill Shankly's description of the fundamentals of the game:

What skills are needed?
What tactics should be employed?
What are the rules of soccer and how do they influence how to play soccer?
Are there physical attributes that are required of soccer players?
Are there any specific fitness requirements?
Are there different rules for different types of games?
What should players learn first?

Soccer Skills Needed

The fundamental requirement for a good or great soccer player is to have a good technical ability and to have great skill and confidence. The basic skills that are required for soccer player are:

Ball Control
Dribbling
Passing
Shooting
Heading
Defending
Goalkeeping

To develop good soccer skills a great deal of practice and commiment is required. The key to developing great soccer skills is repetition. These free soccer drills will give you a great start to learning how to play soccer.

Tactics and formations

Teamwork is a vital cog in the wheel of how to play soccer. Understanding how to get into goal scoring positions and how to defend against oppositions requires an intimate knowledge of the game and of how to get players to play using different soccer formations.

Soccer Fitness

Soccer player require great cardio vascular fitness, strength and agility, but do you know the different fitness requirements for attackers, midfielders and defenders?
How do you get fit for soccer?

Rules of Soccer

There are various forms of soccer, ranging from micro soccer (3 a side) to the standard game of 11 a side. FIFA are the worldwide governing body for soccer, and it is FIFA who control the laws of the game that dictate how to play soccer from a rules perspective.

Download the FIFA Laws of the game