What is it?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Who Should Participate?
Guidelines
Learning to play soccer
Soccer gear
Glossary of terms

Why is soccer so popular with kids? Here are just a few of the reasons:

1. It gives them a chance to exercise their natural inclination to run and kick.
2. Soccer gives kids lots of chances to score points.
3. Soccer has simple rules.

Youth soccer leagues have become so pervasive in American society that the term "soccer mom" (translation: those who schlep their kids to and from soccer practice) has become part of our lexicon.

What is it?

Scoring goals by getting the ball into the opposing team's goal is, of course, the official goal of any soccer match. But for young people especially, there are myriad unofficial goals, such as teamwork, good sportsmanship, exercise, new friends, and most importantly, fun.

Official soccer fields are about the size of a football field, but children's soccer is typically played on smaller venues. A net held by two goal posts are situated on either end of the soccer field or gymnasium. Each team may put up to 11 players on the field at any given time. However, in youth soccer, fewer players are often fielded to give each player more chances to make contact with the ball.

Although any player can score a goal, there are four main positions in soccer, each with its own responsibilities:

• Goalkeeper, or "keeper" or "goalie," who guards his or her team's goal.
• Defender, whose main mission is to block the opponent from getting a clear shot at the goal. The defender also tries to take the ball away from the opponent and pass it to a teammate.
• Midfielder, or halfback, who plays offensively or defensively, depending on the situation. When his or her team is on the defense, for example, the midfielder continually tries to gain possession of the ball.
• Forward, or "striker," whose main task is to score goals. The forward also helps the midfielder change the play from defense to offense.

Advantages

Soccer is a great form of exercise for young people because it involves a tremendous amount of running. It is easy to find a team to play on through school, summer camp, church, YMCAs, Jewish community centers, or other community recreation programs. Most children's soccer leagues accept anyone who wishes to play. A kid's soccer uniform, which generally consists of a team t-shirt, shin guards, and sneakers or soccer shoes, is relatively inexpensive.

Disadvantages

As with any sport, soccer carries a risk of broken bones and other injuries. The most common injuries associated with soccer are contusions (bumps and bruises). The vast majority of injuries occur during actual matches as opposed to practices, according to a recent article from the Sports Medicine Section at the Duke University Medical Center and University of North Carolina Hospitals. The most common body parts to be injured during soccer is the knee, thigh, shin, ankle and foot.

Head injuries are rare in soccer but can occur, according to a recent study of head injuries among high school athletes. The study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in September 1999, found that 6.2 percent of female soccer players and 6.2 percent of male soccer players suffered mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) on the field. Of the 10 most popular sports studied in 235 American high schools, soccer ranked third after football and wrestling in the number of MTBIs, the researchers found. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that participants in youth soccer should minimize heading the ball until more is known about the risks for brain injury.

Shin guards, the only piece of protective equipment that is mandatory in most soccer leagues, probably protect the shins against abrasions and contusions, but their effectiveness in preventing leg fractures is yet to be determined, according to a report in the October 1998 issue of Clinical Sports Medicine.

An important way to reduce your child's injury risk is to find a league that uses trained, experienced coaches who teach and model good soccer-playing form and behavior. Ask the coach about his or her training and find out what emergency preparations are on hand during games and practices in case of injuries. Unfortunately, not all soccer coaches are well-trained, and there tends to be a high turnover rate.

Who should participate?

Virtually all children can learn to play soccer, be they tall, short, fat, thin, or average. This clearly helps account for the sport's wide appeal.

Guidelines

Aside from physical injuries, a young soccer player's ego can also be injured if the team is poorly coached. Before allowing your child to join a soccer program, make sure the coach conforms to a code of ethics such as the American Youth Soccer Organization's "5 Philosophies":

• Everyone Plays- Every player on every team must play at least half of every game.
• Balanced Teams- Teams should be set up teams as evenly as possible throughout the league or region.
• Open Registration- The program should be open to all children ages 5-18 who want to play soccer. Interest and enthusiasm should be the only requirements for playing.
• Positive Coaching- AYSO trains and encourages its coaches to make the extra effort to understand and offer positive help to the players, rather than use negative criticism. This approach builds a positive team spirit.
• Good Sportsmanship- AYSO creates a positive environment based upon mutual respect, rather than a win-at-all-costs attitude. All of its programs are designed to instill good sportsmanship in our kids and volunteers, alike.

The AYSO also has a players code, which includes playing for the fun of it, not just to please your parents or coach; playing by the laws of the game, refraining from arguing or complaining about referees' decisions, and controlling your temper.

Learning to play soccer

Don't expect 6- and 7-year-olds to do much more than herd around the ball while haphazardly trying to kick it into the goal. With older children, coaches spend more time teaching a set of skills that enable the kids to play better as a team. Like any other skills, soccer skills are honed through practice. The basic skills include:

• Passing, or moving the ball to a teammate or to an empty place on the field where a teammate can run to it. Passes are make by kicking or pushing with the feet or by "heading" (hitting the ball with your head). Depending on the way in which it is kicked, the ball may race along the ground or become airborne.
• Dribbling, or using the feet to move the ball in a controlled manner around the field.
• Trapping, or stopping the ball, usually with the chest, legs, or feet.
• Heading, or using your head to stop, pass, or propel the ball into the goal.

Soccer gear

Most soccer teams ask players to wear a team uniform, which usually consists of a shirt and may also include shorts and socks in the team colors. Cleated soccer shoes are recommended but not usually required. Shin guards worn under the socks are required for both practice and games. Some experts further recommend wearing mouth guards. The team or league generally supplies goals, nets and flags.

Glossary of terms

(Source: The Locker Room: Sports for Kids!)

call: a referee's decision

chip: making the ball airborne by kicking underneath it

cover: trying to prevent an opposing player from getting possession of the ball

dangerous play: any action or movement that puts another player or yourself in a potentially injurious situation

defense: the players on your team who try to prevent the opponents from scoring a goal

dribbling: moving the ball down the field with your feet by using a series of short kicks from one foot to the other

forward: a player on a team who makes the most attempts at scoring goals

foul: any play or movement by a player that violates soccer rules

free-kick: an unobstructed opportunity to kick the ball after being fouled by the opposing team

half-line: a line running midway across the soccer field

marking: guarding your opponent

off-the-ball: running into undefended position in order to receive the ball from a teammate

penalty kick: a free shot at the goal, guarded only by the goalkeeper; shot is given to the offensive team when the defensive team commits a foul inside the penalty box.

power kick: very hard, fast kick

screening: dribbling the ball while keeping your body between the ball and your opponent

tackling: using your feet to steal the ball away from an opponent

throw-in: putting the ball back into play with an overhand throw after it goes out of bounds on the sidelines

trapping: using the head, chest, feet or other part of the body to assume control of a moving ball

volley: kicking the ball while it is in the air