Have you ever thought about how difficult it is to play soccer? People think that it is a simple sport in which to be a good player all you need to do is run around the field and kick the ball. Soccer is a much more complex game. It is a sport that requires lots of practice in order to be a good player. Soccer takes time, dedication and responsibility. There are many players considered to be "born with the talent to play", like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, those players, like many others conquered all what they have today by being extremely dedicated to the sport and by always training hard.
Soccer is a game that involves lots of skill. Not just footwork or ball control, but also being mentally prepared and willing to do your best. Some of those skills include:
• Rules – understanding the rules of the game is the most important thing before playing it. The knowledge of what is right or wrong is the key to the success in soccer. It is a game where details matter a lot.
• Ball control – first thing to be noticed is if you are good in controlling the ball. Even though a player has a great skill in dealing with the ball, practice is always needed to maintain and improve them. If a player lacks from those skills, then definitely practice is much more required with much harder work. The manipulation of the ball is a hard skill and is not fast to learn, it takes a long time to improve soccer skills. Ball control does not mean just using your legs, it involves the whole body. A player must be able to head the ball, and use the whole body, except hands, which can only be used by the keeper.
• Fitness – Soccer is a sport that requires much more running than other sports. It is important to be in a good shape to be a soccer player. All the running that you do during the game is exhaustive. In order to keep a great endurance and to perform their best throughout the whole game players must be in great shape. Nowadays, fitness is becoming more important than never to be a soccer player. For instance, a professional player runs about seven miles a game.
• Formation and Positioning- Formation varies a lot between teams and coaches. It consists on the way a determined team plays the game. There are lots of different types of formation. Normally, coaches choose the ones that they consider to be the best fit for their team based on which players they have. A good player should be able to play in any kind of formation. Thus, it is important to be knowledgeable about every formation, what is the role in the game and where to be positioned in the field. Positioning is crucial for the formation. Players must know where to be positioned according to the team's formation. If a player fails to be in his / her correct position, the whole game can be negatively impacted.
Those are a few of the most important skills that a good soccer player is required to know. Soccer is a complex game, but once learned it is not impossible to become a high-level / professional player. However, it does not only depend on the overall understanding of the game, but also on the player's effort. Soccer practices are never enough, so put your cleats on, get a ball, and get into the field!