Soccer has many rules. There are three different levels of punishment depending on the
penalty. A hand ball and other penalties that are only done minorly result in an indirect or
direct free kick. An indirect free kick is awarded for a hand ball. If you stop a goal with your
hands they automatically get a free goal. In an indirect free kick you cannot kick the ball directly
at the net but you can only pass it to one of your own players. In a direct free kick, you can kick
the ball directly at the net and you don’t need to pass it to your own players. If a penalty is in
the penalty kick zone the other team automatically gets a kick in front of the net with only the
goalie guarding the net.
The Yellow & Red Cards
The second level of punishment is a yellow card. The penalties there are is kicking an
opponent, tripping an opponent, jumping into an opponent (like if you are going for a header),
charging into an opponent, pushing an opponent, tackling an opponent from behind, insulting a
ref, arguing with the ref, saying swear words, and holding. But if you touch the ball before or
after you make contact with your opponent it is not a penalty. You get a yellow card if you
didn’t do these penalties with a lot of force but if you were aggressive and the referee deems
that you were using too much you will be given a red and be kicked out of the game (not in our
school) and your team will be down a player for the rest of the game. If you get two yellow
cards it equals a red card.
Other Soccer Rules
There are also some other rules. There is also offside where if somebody passes the ball
to you and there is no one between you and the goalkeeper, the play will automatically stop,
and the goalie will get a goalie kick. Also, if you kick the ball out of the designated boundaries
the other team will get a throw in where the ball left the boundaries. In a throw in you have to
put one hand on either side of the ball and completely raise it over your head and when you
throw it you have to release when the ball is in front of your head. You also can’t lift a foot
while doing it. If you do an illegal throw in the ball is given to the other team to do a throw in
where you were. You also can’t throw the ball to your goalie on a throw in. Goalies can also get
penalties. A goalie cannot pick up the ball or even use their hands if the ball is kicked to them
by their teammate. They also can’t hold the ball for more than six seconds. Overall, soccer is a
very fun sport.
