Soccer Archives - Futsal Guide

Posts

Can Futsal Players Play Football – Should You?

Futsal and Soccer are kind of life chalk and cheese, they are so closely aligned yet so different at the same time. It’s a question that can often cause debate for hours on end, Futsal is a sport that is so unique in its own right yet is often seen as the poorer cousin of Soccer despite its many qualities and strong foundational skills. Let’s dive into the in’s and outs of this highly debated question.

So, Can Futsal Players Play Soccer/Football? Futsal players can play Soccer, in fact, many successful Soccer players got their start in Futsal. Futsal is played heavily at youth levels in countries like Brazil and Spain and many successful Soccer players have put their success down to their early life involvement in Futsal.

Futsal has so many fundamental benefits that can be transitioned over to Soccer, although there are some skills that must be learnt in Soccer itself Futsal can teach players a lot about Soccer without ever leaving the court.

What Futsal Does For Soccer Skills

Futsal does a lot for Soccer, from fundamental skills to things like tactics and teamwork. There are many differences also, but they can be quickly put to one side to allow the benefits to flourish.

Let’s take a look at some of the critical benefits that players can obtain by spending time on and around the Futsal court:

Ball control, The Futsal ball is smaller and feels heavier than a normal soccer ball. It’s also got much less bounce (up to 60 percent according to FIFA). These differences in the ball allow it to be manipulated and controlled far more easier than a normal Soccer ball. Players are forced to think a little harder with the Futsal ball as it required more skill and thought when moving the ball around.

An example in point is that players cannot play long balls as much as Soccer with as much leeway and if they do they will often be encouraged to play short thought out passes to avoid turnover to opposition players.

Fitness Levels, Often debated are fitness levels of Futsal players when transitioning into Soccer. We have found in our personal experiences that Futsal players are often very fit and have good levels of cardio and rapid bursts of speed.

This can be attributed to the small size of the Futsal court and the fact that there is less “down time” on the court as Futsal players do touch the ball far more frequently in a game than their outdoor counterparts.

That’s not to say Futsal players have a superior level of fitness; Futsal is simply a sport that involves a lot of running and sprints which can only aid a Soccer players level of fitness particularly if played in the offseason.

Youth players, For youngsters starting out playing Futsal they can learn a lot about Soccer without playing it. For example, they will learn about:

Fair play, by playing Futsal they will get familiar with rules, sportsmanship and fairness/equality

Teamwork, players will understand that a team is a unit and learn the fundamentals of hard work and digging in deep to help their teammates

Tactics, they will be introduced to formations, substitutions, and positions.

These are just a few examples of the many benefits that youth players will experience in Futsal that can be transitional to Soccer.

Players Who Have Made The Transition To Soccer From Futsal

There are many examples worldwide of players who have given Futsal credit for their Soccer skills.

With so many high-level professional players stating this, isn’t it time aspiring Soccer players took a deeper look at Futsal?

Let’s take a look at some of the professionals and what they have to say about Futsal.

Lionel Messi, One of the best players that La Liga and the world has ever seen Messi has attributed playing Futsal from a young age in Argentina as being one of the most important factors in his forging of on the the all-time greats of world football.

Messi got his start in Futsal with Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina, and had this to say about Futsal as quoted on FIFA.com: “As a little boy in Argentina, I played futsal on the streets and for my club. It was tremendous fun, and it really helped me become who I am today,”.

As of writing, Messi has the following accolades to his name:

437 games for 402 goals

4 Champions Leagues Trophies

9 La Liga Trophies

5 FIFA Ballon d’Or/Ballon d’Or

Cristiano Ronaldo, Another one of the modern greats and a player that will undoubtedly go down in the history books as one of the greatest of all time Juventus player Ronaldo has also attributed Futsal to his success.

Quoted on FIFA.com Ronaldo has this to say: “During my childhood in Portugal, all we played was futsal,” he said. “The small playing area helped me improve my close control, and whenever I played Futsal I felt free. If it weren’t for futsal, I wouldn’t be the player I am today.”

Ronaldo has gone on to achieve the following since becoming a professional:

792 games for 590 goals

3 Premier League Trophies

5 Champions League Trophies

2 La Liga Trophies

1 European Championship Trophy

5 FIFA Ballon d’Or/Ballon d’Or

Ronaldo, No one can forget the original Ronaldo. Dominating the 90’s and early 2000’s before anyone had heard of Cristiano, Ronaldo was terrifying defenders and goalkeepers world over with flamboyant hairstyles and Brazilian swagger. He has this to say about Futsal:

“I needed extremely good feet, because you’re always attempting to beat opponents in the minimum of space. I loved the challenge of playing on such a small pitch,”

Ronaldo is the all-time goal scorer at FIFA World Cups. There you have it, folks, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.

Three of the best players of the last 20 years doesn’t lie, that’s bulletproof evidence that Futsal players can play Soccer and the transition isn’t that hard.

Check out our post on Futsal development for Soccer players.

Play Futsal And Soccer At The Same Time

You can opt to play but Futsal and Soccer at the same time and in fact many players do just that.

There are a few reasons that a player can opt to do this, these are:

Maintain fitness, Futsal involved a lot of running as mentioned earlier. With shorter breaks, players will build up and maintain a higher level of fitness. Be wary of burnout though.

Improve skills, perhaps you are not satisfied with two or three days of scheduled games/training a week. Combining both Soccer and Futsal will allow you to build a higher level of skill. As they say, practice makes perfect.

Enjoyment, If you love Soccer or Futsal, you’ll find that the passion knows no boundaries and you’ll enjoy double participation. Be careful again not to burn out.

If you do decide to play both, be sure to inform both clubs and gain consent if you are playing under contract or headed towards becoming a professional, i.e. semi-pro.

The last thing you would want to do is get an injury or burn out and not be able to play for your college/club that is paying or sponsoring you.

Is Futsal Good for Soccer Development?

A question that often gets asked and one which can produce a lot of different answers depending on opinion and the respondents experience with futsal.

We’ve put together the best information on futsal’s key benefits to Soccer players.

Is futsal Good for Soccer? Futsal has number of key benefits that make it an important part of Soccer development. Futsal does this by providing:

More touches per game

Quicker decision making

Faster movement

Improved passing and movement in tight spaces

Better decision making

Increased fitness

Great during the off season to maintain skills

When playing futsal players will develop a well-rounded skill set, there can be limited “long balls” with a focus on passing and being creative in tight areas, players will be more effective on the soccer field.

Importance of Futsal for Youth Development

The importance of futsal in youth development cannot be understated, many countries across Europe and South America have a heavy emphasis on futsal in the early stages of a player’s Soccer journey, it’s often played in official settings and games can be found at local recreation centers with ease.

Getting a young player involved in futsal will ensure that they can gain better decision-making skills, become more confident in taking on opposition layers and develop a better skillset.

You can start a child in futsal from early ages with most competitions starting at 5 years old, you can take the child earlier and run them through some 1 on 1 drills at your local YMCA or recreation center, when it comes to futsal/soccer there never is an age that’s too early to get them involved so don’t worry too much about that.

Check out our post on futsal safety for kids here.

Futsal in The Off Season

You’ll be able to find futsal competitions that run all year round in most parts of the world, as it’s an indoor sport that isn’t affected by weather conditions.

Depending on where you are playing outdoor soccer, you may wish to take up futsal in the off season.

Futsal will ensure you maintain your fitness and you’ll head back to the outdoor world with a much better level of skill and techniques.

Improved Decision Making

Being involved in a fast-moving game like futsal will improve your decision making, touching the ball up to 6 times more than their outdoor counterparts and with a field the size of a basketball court players will be forced to think quickly or be caught out.

Imagine a full back who loves to pump long balls to the wingers in outdoor turning up for a game of futsal. Two things will happen:

Initially the player would struggle to keep up with the pace of futsal, though his defending should come in handy

If the player sticks around for a couple of seasons and really focuses on improving his or her futsal skills he will become better on the ball, able to make better decisions and return to the outdoor pitch a much-improved player

By removing the option for players to immediately relieve the pressure by playing the ball long as often done in outdoor it forces all players to think more and improves their ability to make decisions in restricted time and space.

Passing and Technique

As futsal court is much smaller than an outdoor field player is required to get better at passing as each pass must be more accurate and faster compared to outdoor, generally.

Players will also learn new techniques in controlling the ball that differ from outdoor soccer, teams will also employ new tactics compared to outdoor soccer.

These tactics, in formation, seem more related to basketball then futsal at times.

Participants can expect a definite increase in their ability across both aspects after a few seasons involved in futsal.

Better Goalkeepers

Nowadays goalkeepers need to be as good with their feet as they are with their hands, you only need to look to the top teams in outdoor soccer who rely heavily on the goalkeeper’s distribution to launch attacks and retain possession, enter futsal.

As with everything else in futsal, Goalkeepers are required to be heavily involved in the play, often required to abandon goalkeeper duties in times of desperation when seeking an equalizer or a way back into a one-sided game.

Due to the small size court Goalkeepers can be expected to be called into action far more often than their outfield counterparts with a high amount of shots to stop and back-passes to control and distribute.

Strength on The Ball

Players will be subjected to more attempts from other players to steal the ball from them, once players are exposed to this more and more, they will develop better-coping skills and core strength in order to keep possession and protect the ball.

Players will often be subjected to multiple challenges for the ball in tight spaces which will increase their work rate in order to retain the ball.

When futsal players are unleashed on the soccer field it is little wonder that those who are experienced in futsal often glide by players with ease creating space and opportunities that others might think possible.

New Control Techniques

Techniques that may be considered unorthodox or get you a dressing down on the soccer pitch are actively fostered on the futsal court, for example, players are encouraged to shoot with toes, called a toe poke, something that is actively discouraged in outdoor soccer.

However, don’t forget the 2002 World Cup toe poke by Ronaldo against Turkey in the semi final:

So, one may say the toe poke does have a place on both fields, eh?

Players will also get accustomed to stopping the ball in futsal using the sole of their boot, something once again that is not commonplace in soccer, it does however add an extra dynamic to the control and manipulation of the ball and will allow extra creativity to the players skill set.

Want Proof?

So, you might not be convinced yet, and that’s a good thing anyone can write a few words without backing it up with some real credible evidence, right?

Some of the world’s greatest players got their foundational skill from futsal, take Lionel Messi for example who was quoted on the Fifa website as saying: “As a little boy in Argentina, I played futsal on the streets and for my club. It was tremendous fun, and it really helped me become who I am today,”

What about Cristiano Ronaldo who had this to say: “During my childhood in Portugal, all we played was futsal,” he said. “The small playing area helped me improve my close control, and whenever I played futsal I felt free. If it wasn’t for futsal, I wouldn’t be the player I am today.”

You’ll find a long list of players of at Fifa who can vouch for futsals importance in development and how it’s helped them become the players they are today.

Don’t Forget Fun!

Whatever we do in life, we need to make sure it is fun and that we enjoy it, otherwise what’s the point? This is the same for futsal as any other sport.

Players will gain friends, improve their fitness and potentially make friends that they can keep for life.

January 11, 2019/by futsalguide

Beginner Info

How Is Futsal Different from Soccer?

Though they share a similar foundation and the aim of the game is to put the ball in the back of the opponent’s goal futsal and soccer have several significant differences from ball size to court/field size.

We’ve created this comprehensive write-up that covers all the differences between the two so that you aren’t caught out by anything.

So, How Is futsal Different from soccer? There are a number of key differences between futsal and soccer, these differences are:

Futsal is played indoor while soccer is played outdoors

A futsal court has a minimum 25 m × 16 m (82 ft × 52 ft), maximum 42 m × 25 m (138 ft × 82 ft) while a soccer field is 110–120 yards (100–110 m) long by 70–80 yards (64–73 m) wide

Futsal has two 20-minute halves while soccer has two 45 minute halves

Substitutions, futsal has unlimited rolling subs while soccer has 3 per game

In futsal when the ball goes out of play the clock stops, whilst in soccer it continues to run

Futsal has 5 players on the pitch while soccer has 11

In futsal a red carded player can be replaced after 2 minutes whilst a red carded player cannot be replayed in soccer

Futsal allows for 1 timeout per half while soccer does not

There is no offside in futsal while there is in soccer

Goalkeepers can only be played back once per movement in futsal

Futsal must be restarted within 4 seconds of a stoppage

The futsal ball is a size 4 and has 30% less bounce while a soccer ball is size 5

The Field Dynamics

The futsal pitch is significantly smaller in size compared to the outdoor pitch, so there won’t be many long balls down the wings of the court, usually futsal matches will be played with a lot more intricate passing and a focus on retaining possession.

Futsal players need to be slightly more aware of their surroundings when passing the ball as a turnover can lead to the opposition bearing down on goal in a few meters as compared to soccer when turnovers can be easily covered.

The small court in futsal will also allow players to shoot from well within their own halves while this is a rarely achieved event in soccer.

The Red Card Substitution

Ask a diehard soccer fan if a player who has received a red card can be substituted and see how they look at you, likely bewildered.

Futsal allows a player who has been sent off to be replaced after two minutes. This is a significant rule as a red card only diminished the offending team for a period of 10% of the half.

Players can use this to their advantage, imagine a player using his hand to stop a goal while this would not be very sportsmanlike the effect on the team would be minimal and worthwhile if the opposition was not able to convert the resulting spot kick.

The Clock

One of soccer’s old sakes is players who will waste time while late in a half or while trying to defend a lead. Referees will generally add this to the extra time clock, but this is a good ploy when slowing down a game when the opposition has momentum and are piling on the pressure.

In futsal the clock will stop, and the game must be continued within 4 seconds or the ball will be turned over to the opposition.

There is a limited incentive for players to waste time and managers/coaches can call for one timeout per half to rearrange tactics and have a team talk.

A game of futsal is also significantly shorter than a soccer game, but players will touch the ball a lot more frequently than their outdoor counterparts.

Unlimited Substitutions

In futsal you can only have 5 players on the pitch at any one time, however you can have 12 substitutions on the bench and you have unlimited substitutions.

What this means in effect is you can completely change your squad 3 times.

This is significantly useful for coaches/manager who may be trying to select their strongest side or who want to give reserve players extra time on the pitch against stronger opposition.

A few scenarios where such a substitution could be useful are:

Scenario A: A slightly weaker team of 5 is played against a stronger side, after a significant portion of the game the stronger 5 is rolled on and the opposition side is caught out both physically and mentally.

Scenario B: The weaker side is put on in the last portion of the match i.e. 5-10 minutes left when the side is significantly ahead allowing the weaker 5 to gain experience and get exposure to match time while having the confidence of a buffer lead which will allow the players and coach to try new tactics etc.

Scenario C: Multiple injuries are suffered but cause minor interference to the team as they have a large reserve of substitute players to call upon.

Soccer only allows for 3 substitutions which can make it difficult on teams in instances where:

All subs have been used and a player is injured

All subs have been used and the goalkeeper is sent off

Managers are under extra pressure to make the right decisions especially in high profile matches and late stages of crucial games

No Offsides

Another major difference that futsal players are afforded is that they will never be faced with the prospect of an offside goal.

Players can use this to their advantage tactically by drawing opposition players which can create extra space when used appropriately.

Attacks can be launched from one side of the court to the next without fear of goals and plays being disallowed, quite often teams may have goal hangers who sit quietly and poach sneaky goals.

Offside in futsal wouldn’t be practical and would kill the game.

No Cancellations Due to Weather

Really only applicable to juniors and some Sunday league matches, the chances of you getting a game cancelled due to bad weather in futsal is zero.

For all of you who have played soccer or have young children, nothing is more frustrating than having a match canceled due to bad weather.

This can also be beneficial to parents who do not want their children running around in freezing conditions or humidity due to health or other reasons. Players also won’t have to face waterlogged pitches, always a plus.

Less Bounce in The Balls

Futsal balls are a size 4 which is one size less than a normal soccer ball. The futsal ball is usually stuffed with cotton which makes it feel heavier than a normal soccer ball and its bounce is normally half that of a soccer ball.

This allows for easier control of the ball but less bounce meaning players are encouraged to control the ball with more technique as opposed to a soccer ball which can increase a futsal players technique and ball control over time.

This gives benefit to futsal player when transitioning to soccer or soccer players participating in futsal for further skill development.