Soccer Glossary
Header: Striking the ball while in the air with the players head. Heading does not cause brain damage. See USYSA website for clarification.
Help: A cry heard from a player indicating that they are able to help their teammate by letting them know help is there i.e. help behind, help ahead, help right.
Indirect Kick: A free kick where another player must touch the ball before a goal is allowed.
Instep: The part of the foot where the shoes are laced.
Jockeying: A technique used by defenders to limit the movement of the attacker with the ball by forcing him to one side or the other.
Juggling: A technique used to teach ball control and develop a players touch. This is performed by using different surfaces of the body to keep the ball from hitting the ground.
Knock Down: A technique to bring a ball down and under control of the player by using their chest. Allows the chest to absorb the balls energy and fall to the ground under the control of the player.
Lead Pass: A pass sent ahead of a moving teammate to arrive at a location when the player arrives, i.e. passing the ball to where the player will be.
Man On: A cry heard on the soccer field to let the player with the ball know a defender is coming to challenge for the ball.
Man-To-Man Defense: A system of defense where each player is assigned a specific opposing player to cover or mark.
Marking: Covering an opponent. Also known as Mark Up.
Midfielders: The players in the middle of the field who form the link between the defenders and the forwards both offensively and defensively.
Near Post: The goal post nearest to the ball.
Offensive Pressure: When the team with the ball presses the defending team towards their own goal in an attempt to score.
Off-the-Ball Movement: Movement of players who are not in possession of ball. Also known as mobility, this movement is done to unbalance the defense and creates penetration.
Offside: When an attacker is positioned on his opponents half of the field with less than two defenders between him and the end line at the moment the ball is passed. Only moments to explain, years to understand.
Offside Trap: A tactic used when defenders move away from their goal to force an attacker into an offside position.
One More: A shout heard on the soccer field when a player passes the ball and wants it to travel past the first receiver to a person beyond.
One-Touch: A technique of passing or shooting the ball without receiving it first.
Outlet Passes: When a goalkeeper or defender passes the ball from close to his own goal toward the other team's goal; used to start a counterattack.
Overlap: A simple combination play where a 2nd attacker runs behind then in advance of the 1st attacker to receive a pass.
Passing: When a player kicks the ball to his teammate; used to move the ball closer to the opposing goal, to keep the ball away from an opponent or to give the ball to a player who is in a better position to score.
Penalty Area: The 18X44 yards box in front the goal at either end of the field. This is the only area where the goalkeeper may use his hands. When a major foul is committed in the penalty area a penalty kick is awarded
Penalty Kick: When a major foul is committed in the penalty area this is awarded. The kick is taken 12 yards from the goal and every other player, besides the kicker and the goalkeeper, must be outside the penalty area when the kick is taken.
Penetration: One of the principles of attack that refers to getting players and the ball behind the defense ultimately results in a scoring opportunity.
Play On: A term used by referees to indicate that no foul or stoppage is to be called; used by referees when applying the Advantage Rule.
Points: A team statistic indicating its degree of success, calculated as follows: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss.
Psychological: One of the four components of the game. Relates directly to all the mental aspects of the game.
Push pass: When a player pushes the ball with the inside of his foot to a teammate.
Receiver: A player who gets a pass from a player.
Runner: A player that penetrates the defensive coverage without possession of the ball in an attempt to become an open target in an advantageous position.
Save: The act of the goalkeeper blocking or stopping a ball from going into the net that would have gone into the goal without his intervention.
Scrum: A term borrowed from Rugby. Used to describe a mob of children gathered around a ball. Most frequently seen below the U10 division.
Shape: A term used to describe the positioning of the team either offensively or defensively.
Shielding: A technique where the 1st attacker positions his body between the ball and his defender in order to maintain possession.
Shoulder Charge: Minimal shoulder-to-shoulder contact by a defender against a ball carrier; the only contact allowed by the rules unless a defender touches the ball first.
Sidelines: The lines of play on each side of the field. Also known as the touchlines because when the ball crosses these lines the players may touch the ball with their hands to restart play.
Slide Tackle: Form of challenging for the ball where the defender slides while attempting to steal the ball from the offense. The defender need only tackle the ball cleanly and before the offensive player. If the offense then collides with the challenger after the challenger has contacted the ball, no foul occurs.
Square Pass: A pass made to a teammate that is running along side of him.
Striker: The forwards who play toward the middle and final thirds of the field, usually the players with the primary responsibility for scoring.
Stopper: The defender that marks the best scorer on the attacking team, often the opposition's striker; exists only in a man to man defense.
System of Play: Refers to the deployment of players on the field. A 4-4-2 is 4 defenders, 4 midfielders, and 2 forwards.
Sweeper: A back player positioned behind the rest of the defense whos responsible for providing support, balance, and communication to the rest of the defense.
Tackling: A defensive technique of using the foot to win the ball from an attacker whereby the ball is tackled, not the player.
Tactics: One of the four components of the game. Relates directly to any decisions a player makes on the field with or without the ball.
Technique: One of the four components of the game. Relates directly to all skills and a players relationship to the ball.
Thigh trap: A technique where the player uses his thigh to slow down and trap a ball in the air.
Through Pass: A ball delivered through a seam in the defense to another attacker.
Trash: A ball that has traveled past the goal area during a corner kick. The trash players pick up any ball that comes across the field, past the goal. To pick up trash is to make sure the corner kick doesnt travel past the goal and go out of play.
Two Touch: A technique of taking one touch to receive the ball plus another touch to pass or shoot the ball.
Volley: A technique of striking the ball, generally with the instep. See also half/full volley.
Wall: A line of 2 to 6 defending players pressed together shoulder-to-shoulder to protect their goal against a close free kick; creates a more difficult shot by reducing the amount of open goal area the kicker has to shoot at.
Wall Pass: A pass by a ball carrier who sends the ball to a teammate, then runs behind his own defender and quickly receives a pass back; used to get a player past his defender without having to dribble by him; same as the screen pass in basketball.
Width: One of the principles of attack that refers to having support on either side of the ball. Positive width results in a stretched defense to penetrate.
Wing: The sides of the field. Also known as the flanks.
Zonal Defense: A system of defense where each player is assigned a specific area of the field to defend.
