1. No Hands
Everyone knows that you aren’t supposed to use your hands unless you’re the goalie. However, there are a few points of clarification:
- The rule for a hand ball includes using any part of the body from the tips of the fingers to the shoulder.
- The proper way to look at this soccer rule is that a player cannot “handle” the ball. A ball that is kicked and hits a player’s hand or arm is not a hand ball. The referee must judge whether or not a hand ball is accidental contact or the player handled the ball on purpose to gain an advantage.
- The back-pass rule: Goalkeepers cannot pick up a pass that came directly from one of their teammates. In this case, the goalkeeper must use their feet. If the goalie does pick-up the ball it will result in an indirect kick from where he/she touched the ball.
2. Throw-ins
A throw-in is taken when the ball crosses a sideline and leaves the field. For a proper throw-in, you need to have both feet on the ground and throw the ball with both hands over the head.
3. Corner Kicks & Goal Kicks
A corner kick or goal kick is taken when the ball leaves the field across the goal line (but not in the goal). If the offensive team kicks it out, play is restarted with a goal kick by the defensive team. If the defensive team kicks it out, play is restarted with a corner kick by the offensive team.
- The goal kick is taken from anywhere inside the “goal area box” .
- It can be taken by any player.
- The ball must leave the “Penalty Area” before anyone can touch the ball.
- If the ball does not leave the Penalty Area then the kick must retaken
- The corner kick is taken from the corner nearest to where the ball left the field.
4. Fouls
A player cannot kick, trip, jump at, charge, strike, push, hold, or spit at an opponent. Soccer can be a physical, contact sport when two opposing players both want the soccer ball. Bumping, leaning or going shoulder-to-shoulder while competing for a ball is not a foul until the hands or elbows come up. This is left up to the referee’s judgement.
5. Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
The simple difference between the two is this: On a direct kick you can score by kicking the ball directly into the goal. On an indirect kick you cannot score. An indirect kick must be touched by another player before it can go into the goal – that is the kicker and a second person.
You can tell whether the kick is direct or indirect by looking at the referee. For an indirect kick, the referee will hold one arm straight up in the air until the second person touches the ball. No arm up or pointing towards the goal, it’s a direct kick. In general, a direct kick comes from a contact foul or hand ball. Everything else is indirect.
6. Penalty Kick
A penalty kick results from a contact foul or hand ball by the defending team within the penalty area – the large box on either end of the field near the goal. So it’s a type of direct kick also. The ball is placed on the penalty spot, in front of the center of the goal.
All players must remain outside the penalty area and the penalty arc until the ball is kicked. The goalkeeper must have both feet on the goal line until the ball is kicked.
If after the ball is kicked, it rebounds off of the goal or the keeper and stays on the field, the ball is “live” and anyone can play it.
7. Two-touch Rule
A player cannot touch the ball twice in a row when putting the ball in play. This occurs frequently on kick-offs or direct and indirect kicks. If a player barely hits the ball and decides to take another kick at it, that is a two-touch. This also applies to throw-ins. A player cannot throw the ball in and then kick it.
8. Offside
A player is in an offside position if: he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent. An offensive or attacking player can’t be ahead of the ball and involved in the play unless there is a defender between him and the goalkeeper. This prevents a player from hanging around the other team’s goal and waiting for the ball.
However, you can’t be offside if you are standing on your half of the field. Also, the offside rule applies when the ball is kicked, not when the player receives the ball.
Offsides results in the other team getting a free-kick. You cannot be offside on a corner kick, goal kick, or throw-in.
Also, it is not an offense for a player to be in an offside position. The player must be involved in active play as determined by the referee to be called offside.
