How to Play Indoor Soccer: Team Tactics, Part 1

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Accept a wide range of abilities for your goal keeper. Anyone with the ability and desire to put their body parts between the ball and the net can have a good time being an asset to your team. You can teach a newbie the rudimentary foot skills he/she will need while he/she learns how to be a keeper. It’s a huge plus if your keeper is both experienced in net and with using his/her feet, but indoor soccer is a good way to give people a chance to try keeper.

2. Step 2

   Place your endurance ‘Energizer Bunny’ athlete at midfield, or as a defensive-minded attacker if you don’t play with midfielders. You want one player on the field who is always going to immediately hustle in the opposite direction if there’s a sudden change of possession. He/she will hustle back on defense or will create numbers going forward by getting a jump on your counterattacks.

3. Step 3

   Place your ball control and accurate passing player at midfield, too. Okay, so you may have a decision to make if your endurance athlete has no foot skills or your ball controller needs a break after running twenty yards. General guidance - if you’re ahead, use the enduro player. If you’re behind, use the one who can create opportunities.

4. Step 4

   Put your speedsters and dribblers up front. You need someone in your forward position(s) with a burst of acceleration to get to open space or the ability to create their own open space by beating a defender. If you have players that can do both – great!

5. Step 5

   Use your balance and agility players on defense. Defense is reactionary. Your players in back don’t need the sprinter’s speed, but they need to anticipate the opposing player’s moves and get themselves where they expect the attacker to be. Plus they need to be a bit acrobatic to dislodge the ball while maintaining their balance.