hey!

i'm 15 and i've never really played a sport, just swimming and dance, but i really want to give soccer a try, so do you guys know like what's requred? liked about how many miles should i be able to run and stuff?

and other advice and such
thanks a tons!

~megs~

hi i am happy that you are hopeing to start soccer it is a wonderful sport and i am going to try to help you

first about the running it depends on what position you play like me i play center foward so that means that i do running but not as much a the half-backs but more then the full-backs and goalie so i run about 1 to 1 an a half miles and if i was a half-back then i would fun about 3 to 4 miles and if i was a full back the i would run about a half to 1 mile a day and if i was goalie then i would about a half a mile but if you are on a team that changes positions quite often the i would run about 5 miles and anyway just to stay in shape i run 5 miles a day and so do the rest of the other team mates

now i am going to tell you about all of the positions

Foward-the people in the front there can be a little as 2 and as many as the whole(not a smart move to but the whole team in the front). If you play a foward there are going to be 3 or 4 in the front and the foward positions are center foward, left foward, and right foward and thoes are pretty self explanitory to wich sides they are on but i will show you anyway these people score the most

half backs- these are the people that do the most running. but the are the people that play in the middle and there can be 1 to 4(if you are smart then you will not but more the 4 in the middle) anyway these are very important to the team these are the people that try to help get the ball and score so these are one of the most important postions.

Full Backs(Defience)-defience is very important so that way if it get bast the fowards and the half-backs then it is there job to try to get it back up the field so that way you can score! now these people need to have a powerful kick so that way they can get it up the field. there are most of the time 3 of these one on the left one in the center and one on the right. i will give you a visual on this to

Goaile- this is the most important positions you might not get to score but you can save the team frome being scored on. there is only one of these of cource but you need to be tall or relly able to jump. and i don't think i need to give you a visual

Rules: there are a lot of rules but i will give you the most important ones.

Offsides- this rule is the hardes to under stand and to be not done in the game so i will try to explain it to you you might need to read it a couple times to understand.

The Foward can not be in front of the others teams defience so the best way to see if you are off sides is look both left and right and if you don't see any of the other teams playes then most of the time that means you are offsides. but if say a half-back kicks the ball past one of the other teams defence and you go to get it is not offsides. i know this is a hard consept so ask a coach it you need to

throwins- you have to throw the ball from the back to the front not to the side and you have to keep both feet on the ground.

thoes are the most messed up rule there are many more but that would take for ever to type

i know this is long but this is important in Soccer and there are might be some things i left out and maybe the other people will help you with. and the most important things are have fun and use team work


Alexia(BalletGirl21)

P.S PM me if you need more help with anything

About the running, like was said above, it does depend on the position, but if you are talking about how far you have to run during tryouts: it depends. If you are trying out for a school team, city team, recreational team...they will all want something different. If you dance and swim though, I would say you would be in good shape!

Soccer is a blast and I love it, and it's a sport anyone can play! It's teamwork, perserverance, and really fun! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me and I'll see if I can help!

Congratulations on starting soccer!! Its my favorite sport besides dance of course lol. most of the posters above have given you the gist of soccer but i can tell you about it from my perspective.
okay, so for the running part, are you trying out for a rec team or for the school team. i've played both. on rec leagues depending on the league, the distance you have to run varies. some dont make you run, though its a good idea to do it anyways to build up stamina, and other teams will do running and such. School teams definitely run. for tryouts they recomended two and a half miles but more is always better. they are looking at your fitness level but don't forget that they'll also be looking at your skill as well. i've known a few people and myself as well that weren't as fit as everyone else but still made the team anyways. its all about the heart you put into it. so to answer your question, i would probably recommend two to five miles.
other advice:

positions: lets see...we've got forward, midfield, defense, and goalkeeper.

the forwards are the main attackers. they are the ones who do a lot of the scoring and footwork.

the midfielders are the defense and the offense. they help out the forwards and can score as well, and they help the defense too. they are the ones who usually need the most stamina. they gotta be able to think on the spot.

the defense is self explanitory. they defend the goal and the goalkeeper. they are the ones who do most of the long balls and kicking. usually these players are agressive.

and finally, we have the goalkeeper. (the best position of all in my opinion) lol can you tell i'm a keeper? they hang out at the goal and save the shots. its a lot of pressure but i think its fun. if you choose this position don't let a few goals get you down. remember, it has to go through the whole team to get to the keeper. typically the keeper is tall but i break that stereotype. for a keeper, i'm well...short. even the coaches told me that lol but they took back that thought once we got playing. so you dont have to be tall to be a keeper, it just helps lol.

as for all the rules and such, the poster above pretty much covered them. you'll learn as you start playing. but here are some terms that are used that you might want to become familiar with. these will be heard a lot.
offsides, throw in, handball, goal kick, corner kick, penalty kick, indirect kick. halftime, left wing, right wing, halfbacks, fullbacks, offense, defense, punt, and i think thats about it for now. though it may seem a lot to learn, it comes once you start playing.
most importantly though, have fun with it!
lots of luck and best wishes! let us know how its going.