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The Differences for Futsal
and Indoor Soccer . |
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How does Futsal
Promote Better Technique ?
Just watch futsal players fight to keep the
ball from crossing the touch line and you'll immediately begin to
see how futsal develops skill, control, and technique. A small field
with lines puts players constantly under pressure from other players
and out-of-play boundaries. Players must learn to settle the ball
rapidly, cut sharply, shield effectively, pass quickly and move into
space.
Compared to walled soccer or large indoor field
soccer, futsal places a greater premium on ball control. There is no
reward for errant passes because the other team gets the ball. There
is no reward for errant shots because the other team gets the ball.
There is no incentive to 'kick and run' because the field is too
small and packed with players. Players with the ball must use proper
technique to maintain control and must seek out other players in
space. Players without the ball must move to 'real' space and must
truly support their teammates.
With futsal, the emphasis is
clearly on control and technique. Without control and technique you
cannot expect to succeed in futsal. And, if US players are to be
more successful in the international arena, it is clear that we must
better train and prepare our youth on proper technique. If you
are serious about skills and technique development, futsal is the
superior activity. Futsal promotes better technique and develops
skills more rapidly.
And if you are serious about the quality of the
time you spend playing or watching soccer games, futsal is clearly
better.
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How is Futsal Better
Then Walled Soccer ?
Futsal improves player soccer skills better than walled
soccer for both offensive and defensive skills training.
As
an offensive Futsal player, there are no walls to save errant
passes. There are no walls to stop long balls. There are no walls to
rebound errant shots. There are no walls against which to pin the
ball or your opponent. There are no walls to help you if you lack
the feinting skills to beat a defender. There are no walls to save
you if your teammates are not moving into space to support you. In
general, you must control the ball, use proper touch and technique,
use correct pace, send accurate service, and truly work dynamic
combinations.
As a Futsal defender, you can 'face up' on an
oncoming player just like in outdoor soccer (there is no wall pass
to beat you). You can let errant passes go out of bounds to win the
ball (the proper result of your opponent's mistake). Goalies and
defenders can concentrate on proper shot blocking angles. You do not
need to worry about long overhead balls which should go out of
bounds. You can drive an oncoming player into the side to break up
break-aways or outnumbered breaks. In general, you can practice and
perfect the defensive techniques which apply to outdoor soccer. You
don't waste time working on defending against phantom players (i.e.
walls).
Consider some of the key problems with the
following typical hockey-rink style Indoor soccer scenarios:
Question: In hockey-rink soccer, what happens when a
child bounces a ball against a wall in order to beat an opponent?
Answer: The child advances
the ball past a defender when there's a wall available without the
need or effort of feinting, cutting, or chipping. Hockey rink soccer
supporters defend this as a useful simulation of passing to a
teammate who subsequently one-times the ball as part of a 'give-and-go'. Futsal
sees this as a lost opportunity to work on skills to beat defenders
(i.e. never waste an opportunity to work on the skills required for
the outdoor game).
Question: In hockey-rink
soccer, what happens when a child bounces a wall-pass to a teammate?
Answer: The child advances
the ball to a teammate when there's a wall available without the
need or effort of passing. Hockey rink soccer supporters defend this
as a useful simulation of passing to a teammate who subsequently
one-times the ball to the forward-most member of a
'triangle'. Futsal believes the best pass is to a live player. You
should be developing dynamic combinations of moving players who move
into space. The player with the ball looks for moving teammates and
anticipates those movements. Don't assume a stationary target (i.e.
the wall) is always there ready for your pass. You need to be
trained on the realities of the outdoor game and your teammates need
to learn how to support you.
Question: What happens
when a child blasts a shot against a wall so an onrushing teammate
can score on the anticipated rebound?
Answer: The child creates scoring
opportunities when there's a wall available to either side of the
goal without the need to make an accurate shot. While some soccer
aficionados label this a useful exercise others feel it is best to
practice taking accurate scoring shots.
Question: What happens when a child beats a
defender by 'dumping the ball into the corner' (á la NHL) and
chasing it?
Answer: The child beats a defender when there's a wall
available without fear of the ball rolling out of bounds without the
need or effort of passing or dribbling. Futsal supporters argue that
players should always be reinforcing the need to control the ball
and keep it in play (i.e. never waste a touch).
It should be apparent that there are serious problems
with the above scenarios in terms of developing proper technique for
the 'real' game of outdoor soccer:
1. These indoor soccer
techniques assume that a wall is available. If there is no wall
available then these wall-based skills have questionable value.
2. These so-called 'wall skills' can account for a frighteningly
high percentage of the touches in a game. Therefore, the quality of
the time spent in terms of developing useful outdoor soccer skills
is limited.
3. Playing with walls introduces a real danger to
the child. What happens when a player pins his/her body against the
boards either to advance a ball past a defender (who is also pinned
against the boards) or to stop his opponent from advancing? And what
can happen when players run at full speed toward the boards? Real
horror stories abound.
Futsal places a premium on control and
technique. Take away the walls and you can still have as much fun as
walled soccer. But there are far more quality touches and
repetitions which directly translate to the outdoor game. With
Futsal, you make better use of your time and money. |
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How is Futsal
Safer?
Eliminating walls makes soccer safer but there
are other aspects of futsal which make it safer as well. Besides
fewer broken bones and concussions (which too often occur in
hockey-rink walled soccer), there are fewer high speed collisions
because the field is shorter. You don't develop the same full head
of steam running for the ball in futsal and consequently have less
of those related injuries. Finally, a game which emphasizes control
under pressure versus kick and run inevitably leads to more heads-up
play. In general, it is safer by virtue of the fewer injuries due to
the nature of the arena and the game. |
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Is Futsal Just Another Oddball
Fad ?
No. This is the way the world develops great players year-round.
None of the successful major playing countries in the world
including, Brazil, Italy, Germany, France, Holland, play
indoor soccer in hockey rinks. Now that America is taking
soccer seriously and wants to compete at the highest levels,
futsal will irreversibly dominate the US indoor soccer scene.
American soccer development will only advance to the next
level when the indoor game advances to the same level as the
rest of the world. Before entering another 'hockey rink'
style league, ask yourself "How important is skills
development to my players?" This is the question coaches are
asking and the conclusion people seem to be drawing is that
futsal is the wave of the future. It is not a fad, it is the
way the world plays and it is here to stay in America.
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