The Beautiful Game is More than Running

All sports are entertainment in the eye of the beholder; some will say that certain activity is boring while another one is action-packed. I believe soccer is full of unpredictable movements and plays that make the game spectacular.

That long ball the defender sends the ball to the striker, then the striker receives it with his chest, turns around and runs forward preparing to take a long-range shot and scores a beautiful goal or the goalkeeper flies and puts a hand making an amazing save sending the ball out of bounds. And sometimes the ball hits the bar post too.

That scissors kick, when a player jumps and makes his body parallel to the ground to strike in front of the goal. This happens fast, usually from a corner kick or a cross from the sidelines, and for that reason good timing is everything. Depending from the side of the pass, the striker brings up his right or left leg forward to jump up and shoot that ball.

A direct free kick is given when a player is fouled outside the opponents box. The striker attempts to score a goal while the opponents form a wall 10 yards in front of him. The beauty here is to put that ball over the wall and make sure it comes down inside the goalie. An indirect free kick happens the same way except another player has to pass or touch the ball before the striker.

The diving headers, those are cool too. These are well executed when there is a nice cross pass and the forward runs and dives to put that ball in the net with his head.

The corner kick; this one is the one awarded to the attacking team when the ball goes out of bound deflected from the opponent player. The kick is taken from the closest corner the ball was deflected from. It’s an opportunity for tall players to head in the ball and score.

And how about that Bicycle Kick.

You never get to see one so often but when a bicycle kick is well performed and nicely executed it is a spectacular moment. The bicycle is one of those acrobatic movements that steals the show. This is the one that non-professional teams as well as kids in the park fool around trying to attempt. 

The beautiful game is action packed! It is definitely not just running as some may think. There is a lot going on in the pitch, especially in competitive games such as World Cup qualifiers and other tournaments where great teams go head to head.