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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. |
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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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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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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