Soccer Rules-Fouls- Tackling

While most acts on a soccer field are fouls only by degree, a few acts, however, are deemed fouls whenever they take place?regardless of how or why they occur. One such act occurs through the clumsy use of the feet during an attempt to win it away from the other side. A ?tackle? occurs when one player takes the ball away from the other by using the feet. A ?foul tackle? occurs when that player tackles the opponent, rather than the ball.

Tackling the opponent instead of the ball
Soccer involves a struggle for the ball, and an attempt by both teams to put it into the other team?s goal. As a result, players are constantly challenging each other for custody, and using their heads, feet, and bodies to win it. One of the quickest, and most direct ways for a player to take it away from an opposing player will be to tackle for possession with his feet.

Since cleats are hard, and the ball is soft and filled with air, the ball acts as a natural cushion during these contests. This, in turn, helps keep everyone safe and uninjured. As a result, ?fair tackles? are those in which a player contacts the ball first, before making any contact with the opponent. By contrast, a tackle which first makes contact with the opponent before touching the ball can wreak havoc various parts of the opposing player?s body?including the feet, the shins, the ankles, the calves, and anyplace that is within range of a misplaced foot. Doing so rsults in a a foul tackle, which is punished by a direct free kick.

Though a common excuse among players is that they ?got the ball,? the mere fact that they did, in fact, contact the ball first does not end the matter. While perhaps not a ?tackling? foul, tackles committed carelessly, recklessly, or with excessive force may still constitute the separate fouls of kicking, tripping, charging, or striking.

Jeffrey Caminsky, a veteran public prosecutor in Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. Both his science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the first volume in the Guardians of Peace (tm) science fiction adventure series, and The Referee?s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating, are published by New Alexandria Press, http://www.newalexandriapress.com.

Soccer Rules-Foul- Striking

Most acts on a soccer field are fouls only by degree, becoming fouls only if done in an unfair manner. One act that is almost always a foul, though, is the foul of ?striking??which can be the first step on the road to a fight.

If a player is struck by an opponent?s foot, we would the act ?kicking.? If done with any other part of the body, or with a rock, ball, or any other thrown object, it will be the foul of ?striking.? This foul includes any attempts to hit someone, and if done deliberately will constitute a form of misconduct. While striking can occur carelessly through ordinary contact during the run of play, the important thing that the referee will be judging is whether the contact was superficial (in which case there would be no foul since it will have no effect on play) or whether it injured or placed the opponent at a disadvantage. If done carelessly, it will warrant a direct kick; if done deliberately, it will warrant a caution or send-off, as well.

Aside from incidental contact, or careless arm motions that are part of clumsy play, many striking incidents take place in the blink of an eye and can turn a game from sportsmanlike to nasty in a heartbeat. Elbows in the face or dug into the ribs of opposing players, and blows delivered with a balled fist can all escalate into a game-ending brawl. The referee will always be looking to distinguish careless arm motions, which carry no malice, from the deliberate attempt to do violence. Deliberate violence has no place on the soccer field, and neither do those who commit it. For this reason, deliberate blows delivered during a game constitute the offense of violent conduct, which is a red-card offense, and for the good of the game these offenders are sent off the field as quickly as possible.

Jeffrey Caminsky, a veteran public prosecutor in Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. Both his science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the first volume in the Guardians of Peace (tm) science fiction adventure series, and The Referee?s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating, are published by New Alexandria Press, http://www.newalexandriapress.com.

Soccer Rules-Fouls- Spitting

At a soccer match, most acts become fouls only by degree. The player?s actions during the run of play are, in large measure, harmless in themselves, and will become fouls only when done in an unfair manner. Players often bump into each other while running, or push past each while each is trying to avoid a collision. They tussle over the ball, or leap to head a long pass and collide another player who is trying to do the same thing. They may kick at the ball and narrowly miss kicking their opponent?s shin. These actions are all considered to be an ordinary part of the typical soccer game, where most bodily contact is incidental to the players? efforts to win the ball.

A few acts, however, are deemed fouls whenever they take place?regardless of how or why they occur. One kind of worst of these acts is the foul and misconduct of spitting.

Spitting
Though it has probably been with us ever since Adam and Eve first left the Garden of Eden, spitting is particularly frowned upon away from the athletic field, where it is considered the act of a barbarian. But though always vulgar, spitting is regarded in some cultures as a particularly vile and offensive insult. For this reason, spitting at anyone during the course of a soccer match is a red-card offense; and spitting at an opponent during play is a foul as well as a misconduct, punished by a direct kick as well as a send-off.

Referees are, however, careful to punish the misconduct, and not simply the vulgar. Like many athletes, soccer players have an unfortunate tendency to spit quite innocently, occasionally on indoor carpets as well as natural grass. But despite what their mothers might have to say about the matter, on a soccer field only spitting at another person is a misconduct.

Jeffrey Caminsky, a veteran public prosecutor in Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. Both his science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the first volume in the Guardians of Peace (tm) science fiction adventure series, and The Referee?s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating, are published by New Alexandria Press, http://www.newalexandriapress.com.

Soccer Rules-Fouls- Pushing

Soccer rules identify ten fouls that are punished by a direct free. This means that the fouled team can score directly from the kick that serves as punishment for the foul. These fouls all punish acts on the field that soccer deems to be unfair or unsafe.

Most acts are fouls only if committed carelessly, recklessly, or with excessive force. Most acts on a soccer field are fouls only by degree. This is because most actions during the run of play are harmless in themselves, becoming fouls only if done in an unfair manner. Players often bump into each other while running, or push past each while each is trying to avoid a collision. They may tussle over the ball, or leap to head a long pass and collide another player who is trying to do the same thing. They may kick at the ball and narrowly miss kicking their opponent?s shin. All of these actions are just part of good soccer, and most bodily contact is quite incidental to the players? attempts to win the ball.

Often, though, players overstep the bounds of fair play. Sometimes, this comes from an excess of enthusiasm. Sometimes, it arises through frustration. Many times, it comes about overestimating the body?s ability to do what the brain is telling it to do. In every game, it is up to the referee to decide when those actions will exceed the bounds of fair play. The foul of ?pushing? is a good example.

Pushing
Players often tussle after the ball at a soccer match. In fact, some boys games often come to resemble wrestling matches. Most of this contact is quite fair and, if qualifying as a ?fair charge,? would be well within the normal range of fair play. Sometimes, however, a player will go beyond the customary challenges and simply shove an opposing player out of the way.

Whether it arises from an attempt to clear a path to the ball, or to ensure that the opponent is in no position to contest for possession, the referee will be alert to judge when an action crosses the line from fair contact to an unfair push. Among the clues used to draw the line will be force of the contact, whether it came about from an unnatural movement of the arms or body, and whether it seemed designed to stop or alter the opponent?s momentum.

Jeffrey Caminsky, a veteran public prosecutor in Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. Both his science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the first volume in the Guardians of Peace (tm) science fiction adventure series, and The Referee?s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating, are published by New Alexandria Press, http://www.newalexandriapress.com.

Soccer Rules-Fouls- Kicking

Under the rules of soccer there are ten offenses for which the punishment is a direct free. This means that the fouled team can score directly from the kick that serves as punishment for the foul. If committed by a defender inside his own penalty area, this direct free kick becomes a penalty kick. These fouls all punish acts on the field that the sport considers to be unfair or unsafe.

Most acts are fouls only if committed carelessly, recklessly, or with excessive force. Most acts on a soccer field are fouls only by degree. This is because most actions during the run of play are harmless in themselves, and become fouls only if done in an unfair manner. Players can bump into each other while running, or push past each while each is trying to avoid a collision. They may tussle over the ball, or leap to head a long pass and collide another player who is trying to do the same thing. They may kick at the ball and narrowly miss kicking their opponent?s shin. All of these actions are just part of soccer, where most bodily contact is quite incidental to the players? attempts to win the ball and passes quite uneventfully during the course of the game.

At other times, though, a player may mistime a kick, misjudge a jump, or overestimate the body?s ability to follow whatever instructions are coming from the brain, and those actions will exceed the bounds of fair play. Nobody can distinguish between fair and foul contact from a cold narrative of course, but there are some aspects of each foul that referees use to determine the result in a particular case:

Kicking
Kicking the ball is something every player on a soccer field tries to do. Kicking an opponent, on the other hand, is a foul.

Sometimes, a player?s foot will come in contact with an opponent through an otherwise fair play. Contact may be superficial, or a players?s foot may strike an opponent as one or both are falling to the ground (which may be grounds for a different foul, but might not be ?kicking?). On the other hand, kicks can be quite painful, often leading players to lose their tempers. Under the rules, a player who does not exercise due care to avoid kicking an opponent commits a foul. A referee who sees two players contesting for a ball on the ground will be paying careful attention to the likeliest point of contact, their feet. If the foot misses the ball and connects with the opponent?whether through a knock on the shins, or a stomp on the foot?it will be a foul.

Jeffrey Caminsky, a veteran public prosecutor in Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. Both his science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the first volume in the Guardians of Peace (tm) science fiction adventure series, and The Referee?s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating, are published by New Alexandria Press, http://www.newalexandriapress.com.

Soccer Rules-Fouls- Jumping

On a soccer field, most acts are fouls only by degree, becoming fouls only if done in an unfair manner. Players often bump into each other while running, or push past each while each is trying to avoid a collision. They may tussle over the ball, or leap to head a long pass and collide another player who is trying to do the same thing. They may kick at the ball and narrowly miss kicking their opponent?s shin. All of these actions are just part of the game, and most bodily contact is quite incidental to the players? attempts to win the ball.

Inevitably, though, players will mistime kicks, misjudge jumps, or overestimate the body?s ability to do what the brain encouraging it to do. It is up to the referee to decide when those actions will exceed the bounds of fair play.

Jumping
Players jumping to play the ball are often among the most exciting parts of a soccer game. Players jumping at their opponents, though, are committing in foul play and can cause serious injuries. As with most other fouls, jumping during the course of play is not a foul by itself. It only becomes a foul if done carelessly, recklessly, or with excessive force.

The referee has three main ways of judging players going airborne: watching their eyes, their arms, and their angle of flight. These clues can signal whether a jumping player is exercising due care in executing a leap, or whether one or both of them is being careless. Unfortunately, players aren?t always as careful as they should be...and when two players are both trying to make up in enthusiasm what they lack in positioning, the resulting collision can end up badly for one or both of them.

Like many other actions on the soccer field, jumping is a neutral act by itself. If done carelessly, it will be a foul. And if done in a manner calculated to injure another player, it will result in a caution and yellow card---or, in an extreme case, in a red card and send-off.

Jeffrey Caminsky, a veteran public prosecutor in Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. Both his science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the first volume in the Guardians of Peace (tm) science fiction adventure series, and The Referee?s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating, are published by New Alexandria Press, http://www.newalexandriapress.com.

Soccer Rules-Fouls- Holding

Most acts on a soccer field are fouls only by degree. Most actions during the run of play are, in large measure, harmless in themselves and become fouls only if done in an unfair manner. Players often bump into each other while running, or push past each while each is trying to avoid a collision. They tussle over the ball, or leap to head a long pass and collide another player who is trying to do the same thing. They may kick at the ball and narrowly miss kicking their opponent?s shin. These actions are considered to be just part of a good game of soccer, where most bodily contact is incidental to the players? attempts to win the ball, and most of them pass quite uneventfully during the course of the typical game.

A few acts, however, are deemed fouls whenever they take place?regardless of how or why they occur. One such act is the foul of holding.

Holding
The dictionary tells us that holding means to restrain. In the context of a soccer game, the foul of holding means means restraining an opponent by use of the hands, arms, or body. This means holding the opponent, though; it does not mean catching hold of the opponent?s shirt, socks, or other apparel?unless it also hinders his freedom of motion, and prevents him from moving where he wants to go. To put it simply, while grabbing a fistful of shirt may be offensive to the player, it does not need to be whistled as a holding foul. But holding onto that same fistful of shirt to slow the player down, win possession of the ball, or gain any other tactical advantage would warrant punishment as a foul.

Ordinarily, holding consists of using the hands or arms. But it can also include the use of other portions of the body. Struggling to remain on top of a fallen player, or using the legs to someone from moving would both be instances of holding even though neither involves use of the arms.

Jeffrey Caminsky, a veteran public prosecutor in Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. Both his science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the first volume in the Guardians of Peace (tm) science fiction adventure series, and The Referee?s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating, are published by New Alexandria Press, http://www.newalexandriapress.com.