SOCCER PLAYERS BENEFIT FROM FUTSAL

 

In
Futsal you are always involved. You cannot hide! You must be involved
the whole time. There have been 19 FIFA Soccer World Cups, and of those
19 World Cups, countries that play Futsal have won 15 of them. Players
such as Maradonna, Pele, and Messi grew up playing Futsal before
switching to soccer.
Since the founding of Futsal in America many have tried to convince the
soccer community that they need to be playing Futsal as there are
countless benefits that will help improve all soccer skills immediately.

We often see that young soccer players don’t have many chances to
shoot in outdoor soccer. Another benefit of Futsal is that it helps
provide confidence due to touching the ball more and getting ample
chances to bury the ball in the back of the net. And it doesn’t stop
there, Futsal also helps in passing, dribbling, transitioning and
thinking several steps ahead as the game moves at an incredible pace. If
you look at the Spanish team that won the World Cup in 2010, 9 of the
11 starting players on that team were Futsal players. Other countries
are getting more involved now, America being one of them.

Americans have seen soccer in the states for some 50 years now. Very
few people know about Futsal, but it is growing and is one of the
fastest growing sports in America. Futsal is not only a sport in itself,
but it will always be the best training model for soccer. It will
greatly enhance a soccer player’s skills.
Any child between the ages of 6 and 11 would be better off playing
Futsal over outdoor soccer for several reasons. In outdoor soccer the
field is too big, and there are not enough touches on the ball. In
Futsal, there are 10 times more touches on the ball, so they develop the
basic skills faster and it is always more fun to touch the ball than to
chase it. In outdoor soccer, most recreational soccer players touch the
ball only a few times per game, and the parents are satisfied that
their kids are getting exercise and having fun, but by age 12 we lose
about 40% of our soccer players in America.

Have a kid play soccer and Futsal, and then ask the kid “what do you
like more, Soccer or Futsal?” Every kid will say Futsal. Why will they
answer Futsal? Because with Futsal it will no longer be about who is the
tallest, the biggest, or the fastest. It will come down to who makes
the smarter decisions. The ones who have spent more time with the ball
at their feet in their driveway or kicking against a brickwall. Teach
them skill and technique first, teach them the basics of soccer. Instill
soccer’s essence of creativity through futsal, where the game teaches
you the need for 1 and 2 touch play, movement off the ball, transition
from defense to offense and attacking aggressiveness. Save the running
on a large field for later, when they become fundamentally sound aware
and grow into their bodies! Sure, we have all heard of Alexi Lalas and
Didier Drogba, whose physical stature and raw skill is already premolded
for the outdoor game of soccer. But most soccer players on average are
comparable to the size of David Villa, Xavi and Iniesta. Who undoubtedly
played Futsal growing up, helping them become the superstar’s of today.
America needs players that are more like Messi. He does not use brute
strength and he’s arguably the best player in the world, he outplays
everyone and scores goals with finesse. He’s a legend, this is the way
of soccer, and American soccer will go that way as well, but it all
starts with Futsal. There will always be some physical element and it
won’t be long before you see Futsal the way you see pickup basketball.

Courtesy http://apexfutsal.com