Jan 1, 2018
The game of futsal looks like a simple game of soccer on an
indoor court, but there is more to it than this. In this episode,
we break down the game of futsal and will compare it in some ways
to the game of soccer. When you’re done listening to this episode,
you’ll have a good idea of the lens to view futsal through. Show
Notes: https://thesoccersidelines.com/what-is-futsal/
History of Futsal [Timestamp="00:03:11"]:
Learn about the history of futsal - a game that has been around
since 1930. The name Futsal is actually a combination of words
from the Spanish and Portuguese FUT comes from the word Football as
in European Soccer, and
Futsal.com says the
abbreviation SAL comes from the French or Spanish words Sala
or Salon. No matter what we call it, the idea of kicking a ball
around indoors = fun. Many moms would agree, however, some changes
to the ball go a long way in preventing broken windows.
The game of futsal has many similarities to soccer. Both games
are played with the feet. No hands. And both games are played in a
rectangular playing area with the objective for each team to put
the ball in the opponent’s net. However, there are a lot of
differences between the two games. Let’s break them down a little
bit:
Surface [Timestamp="00:05:42"]: The surface
that players play on makes a big difference in the speed of the
game and in the way players receive and pass the ball. In outdoor
soccer, the surfaces come in some form of turf or grass. These
natural and even artificial surfaces have a profound effect on the
ball movement. When a player is on natural grass fields, for
example, normal bumps in the ground can make a ball’s behavior
unpredictable. A little bump can bounce a ball in any direction at
the last second or two before a player takes a touch. Playing on
natural fields demands that players open larger surfaces to the
ball in order to be confident that they will make contact and
influence the ball’s direction.
Grass itself slows the ball down. It creates friction. The
peaks and valleys of natural grass fields and the grass slowing
effects are minimized on artificial turf fields, but even turf
fields offer more resistance than a wooden basketball court. The
surface of a wooden basketball court is very consistent, and this
changes the way a player takes their touch on the ball.
Using the Sole of the Foot [Timestamp
time="00:07:17"]: In outdoor soccer, we teach to use the
inside of the foot, for example. In futsal, we teach players to use
the sole of the foot. Older or more sophisticated players in soccer
will sometimes use the sole fo their foot to control the ball from
a pass, but this is more of an exception than a rule. In Futsal,
using the sole of the foot is more the rule. The sole of the foot,
in this environment, provides more control and less bounce.
Playing Area [Timestamp time="00:08:02"]: The
size of the playing area is much smaller in futsal. A Soccer field
is anywhere from 70-80 yards wide and 110-120 yards long. A futsal
court in the US, by contrast, is between 16 and 27 Yards Wide by 27
and 45 yards long. Smaller areas mean more pressure on the
ball, less running into large open spaces with the ball, more
passing, and a lot more short touches / close-in controlled
movements with the ball.
Receiving the ball [Timestamp
time="00:08:40"]: In outdoor soccer, players are often
taught to receive the ball with the inside of the foot farthest
away from the pass. So if a pass comes from the Left, players will
receive the ball with the inside of their Right foot. If a pass
comes from the Right, they receive with the inside of their Left
foot.
In futsal, players will often receive the ball with the foot
closest to the pass. They might receive a pass from the Right with
the outside of their Right foot - a pass from the Left with the
outside of their Left foot. This is, in part because of the smaller
space and the speed/tempo of the game. Players need to move the
ball in much shorter and quicker time and space.
Number of Players [Timestamp
time="00:09:58"]: The number of players is fewer in Futsal
than in outdoor soccer. Futsal uses a 5v5 format. Having fewer
players in the game has proven to give each individual player a lot
more touches on the ball. US Youth Soccer has really pushed small
sided games - even in the outdoor format - a lot in the last couple
of years, because we’ve figured out that it produces better
players. Every touch player makes on the ball adds muscle memory
and experience.
Results from Small SIded Games [Timestamp
time="00:10:15"]: Scienceofsocceronline.com conducted
a study of 30 French League 1 matches. They used Match analysis
software and captured a wonderful array of data. Players at that
level had 47 possessions on average. Each player made two touches
per possession for a rounded number of 90 touches per game. That in
an 11v11 format at a professional level of soccer.
Soccerawareness.com published
a similar study in a book titled Tactical Thoughts on the
Development of the New 4v4, 7v7, and 9v9 Game Sizes. On page 407,
they call out the following:
- 11v11 friendly games, 22 touches in 60 minutes (.37 touches on
the ball per minute)
- 4v4 games (Team A), 205 touches in 48 minutes. In 60 minutes,
this would have been 256 touches or 4.3 touches per minute.
- Team B showed 217 touches in 48 minutes - which would be 271
touches in 60 minutes or 4.5 touches on the ball per minute.
That an 831% increase in touches between an
11v11 and a 4v4 game.
I’ve used an application called SoccerMeter last season to
track passing and touches of my players vs the players of the teams
we played against. I just pulled up one of my matches randomly to
see how my high school aged Club players were doing against the
studies I cited earlier. In this game, we took 373 first touches vs
our opponent (which we defeated 5 -1, by the way) who took 361
first touches. Divided into 11 players, and that equals 34 touches
per game or .57 touches per minute in an 11v11 format. Compare that
to the .37 touches of the professional team, and I think we’re in
the ballpark for 11v11 games.
I put the number of touches a player gets on the ball in a
futsal environment in the plus column for Futsal. Anecdotally, we
see players who come out of a Futsal season better technical
players in the Spring. They just seem to have an easier time
controlling the ball in close.
Differences in the Ball [Timestamp
time="00:13:40"]: Earlier we talked about the consistency
of the playing surface and the fact that this changes the way
players interact with the ball, but some of that has to do with the
ball itself. We don’t use regular soccer balls in Futsal. The ball
is a little smaller. So 13 and above will use a ball roughly the
same size as a #4 ball in soccer (vs the #5 they’re used to playing
with on a larger outdoor field). 12 and under will use a ball the
size of a #3 outdoor soccer ball.
The ball itself doesn’t bounce like a soccer ball. If we drop
a soccer ball a futsal ball of the same size and shape from the
same distance above the ground (and we did this when we started
playing futsal for the first time) the soccer ball will bounce, but
the Futsal ball will kinda go flat and stay on the ground. A Futsal
ball is denser than a soccer ball. It’s also a little heavier. The
reason for this is construction. The bladder inside a soccer ball
is filled with air - whereas the bladder inside a Futsal ball is
filled with stuffing. That stuffing makes it so the ball only
bounces once or twice - and not very high. It also makes the ball
more suitable for an inside environment and allows for more close
in control.
I’ll post a link to a Youtube video that shows a guy taking
apart a futsal ball so you can see the stuffing
inside.
https://youtu.be/2LeGp3yY0m8
Systems of Play [Timestamp time="00:16:11"]:
The systems of play that we can create in a 5v5 that work for
Futsal are really dynamic. There is lots of movement off the ball.
Players are never static. The players without the ball are often
more important to than the player with the ball in an open outdoor
field, but this is really magnified on a Futsal court. With so
little space, players have to constantly be overlapping runs,
pulling defenders apart, changing their shape, and keeping the
other team moving. Futsal without movement is not Futsal. It’s a
route. The team that moves without the ball controls the
court.
Creating and Taking Away Space [Timestamp
time="00:18:50"]: Futsal systems of play come in smaller
shapes that are more compact and need to move more dynamically as a
single unit. A 1:2:2 is probably the most common beginner
formation. It’s great for teaching the basics, but it doesn’t allow
for fluidity of movement that say a 1:1:2:1 would. It also makes a
team predictable if the same players stay in the same positions,
the opposing team won’t take long to figure out how to best move
the ball against you. A 1:2:1 that rotates players around the
diamond is much less predictable. A 1:3:1 with that one attacking
player acting as a target player and the three in the backline
getting compact around a defense. This formation is probably best
applied against a superior attacking team where your compact shape
in the defensive line with frustrate their attempts to get at your
goal.
In the plus column, it’s easier to organize 4 or 5 players
than it is to organize 11 players, so movement and transition
between systems of play is easier to accomplish in Futsal. A team
might resort to a 1:2:2 or a 1:3:1 in a defensive posture, but
break out to a 1:1:2:1 in the attack.
When passing the ball, firm contact is necessary. A heavier
ball - a faster ball - a shorter space for defenders to cover…
Teams in possession either lock the ankle and pass briskly or they
suffer turnovers. Loose ankle and sloppy passes are punished
quickly on a futsal court, and turnover to an opponent is like
turning over the ball in your defensive third.
The Importance of Transition Moments [Timestamp
time="00:20:36"]: It’s really not far from wherever a
player is on the court to a net. So quick transitions from attack
to defense - and defense to attack is critical. Those transition
moments happen with much greater frequency in Futsal than they do
in open field soccer, so Futsal presents a great opportunity to
expose players to transition techniques like getting wide quickly
when moving from defense into an attack or apply immediate pressure
and getting compact on the defense.
Playing for Possession [Timestamp
time="00:21:07"]: In Futsal, playing for possession gets
even more emphasis than it does on an open soccer field. Possession
in a high-pressure environment like a futsal court really hones
player skills and encourages them to have a plan, think quickly,
and move the ball to teammates often. It also encourages movement
from teammates without the ball - because if the payer possessing
the ball doesn’t have options, it results in a turnover pretty
quickly.
Managing Scoreboard Expectations [Timestamp
time="00:21:40"]: Scoring is higher in Futsal. In soccer,
we may see scores as high as 5 points difference. That’s a pretty
big difference in soccer. In Futsal, the score can easily get into
double digits. Much like basketball, there are a lot more shots on
goal - and if the team moves efficiently together, a lot more
layups and tap-ins.
Taking Diagonal Shots on Goal [Timestamp
time="00:22:09"]: Speaking of shots on goal, the need to
shoot across to far post is amplified. The goals are only 3Mx2M -
much smaller than outdoor soccer fields. The target goal just isn’t
big enough to make direct shots into a goal as viable an option as
they are on an open soccer field. Diagonal shots across the goal,
by contrast, serve to pull the goalkeeper out of position and give
the player running to far post, the option to receive the diagonal
shot, tap it in or catch a rebound. This does happen a lot in
soccer too, but the frequency is higher in Futsal.
Toe Poking [Timestamp time="00:23:16"]: In
soccer, we discourage toe-poking the ball. Unless a player is right
up in the net or is deliberately trying to make a shot
unpredictable for the opponent’s goalkeeper, soccer players opt for
more controlled shooting techniques. Toe pokes generate
unpredictable movements of the ball and tend to lift the shot off
the ground. Toe poking is bad for a high bounce soccer ball, but in
futsal, the ball, the court, and space work together to create a
dynamic that allows toe poking shots to make the goalkeepers job
difficult and go in the goal more.
Passing [Timestamp time="00:23:58"]: There
isn’t a lot of running with the ball. In such a tight space,
players need to pass the ball, move, and pass the ball again. The
pattern of passing and movement dominate the futsal court and
individual dribbling is not emphasized as much.
Shielding the Ball [Timestamp
time="00:24:22"]: Covering or shielding the ball looks
different in a futsal environment. In Soccer, the ball is kept away
from pressure and the standing leg helps to keep the opponent at
bay. In Futsal, the sole of the foot is controlling the movement,
so players tend to be up over the ball a lot more than they would
be in soccer.
Level of Aggression [Timestamp
time="00:25:00"]: There is no shouldering, charging, or
aggressive play encouraged in Futsal. We’re playing on a hard
surface, so the rules and officials enforcing those rules are much
more strict about hitting or aggressive play. Slide tackling is
allowed by FIFA rules, but in our league, we struct that option
from the rules we play by. It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense
to eliminate the other aggressive kinds of play, but leave slide
tackling in. Our league leans toward safety on this one.
Feints, Cuts, and Blocks [Timestamp
time="00:25:36"]: There is a lot of faking in the game of
Futsal. We even see official terms like Feints, Cuts, and Blocks
baked into the Futsal glossary. The game reminds me of basketball
in this regard. In soccer, we talk with more sophisticated players
about the concept of making two runs. The first fun is to fake out
or draw the defense in a direction we want them to move, the second
run is for the ball. In futsal, we see this happening with great
frequency. The runs are more like feints of bump cuts, but the
concept is the same. Use Futsal as a way to practice ethical
deception to keep the opponent guessing.
Game Tempo [Timestamp time="00:26:30"]: The
tempo of Futsal is fast. There are “only” 2 20-minute halves in
Futsal, but I put the word “Only” in quotation marks because those
20 minutes are hard. Done right, those are 20 minutes of continuous
movement. Players have only 4 seconds to put the ball back into
play when it does out for a goal kick, a comer, or a kick in.
(There are no throw-ins in futsal). You’ll see players come off the
court after just 20 minutes of that kind of intensity, and they’re
wiped out.
Time Outs [Timestamp time="00:27:07"]:
Fortunately, each team can call one 60 second time-out per half, so
if you ever find your team gassed and in the cockroach position in
the middle of the court, you can have some time to revive them. Of
course, FIFA allows for unlimited substitutions on the fly, so
allowing your team to get to the cockroach state should never
happen.
Summary: If I were to summarize this discussion for Soccer
parents, players and coaches, I’d say consider the game of Futsal
an excellent way to beef up the skills and give players a new way
to experience a game that is similar enough to soccer to make it
familiar, but different enough to keep things interesting. US Youth
Soccer is now encouraging Futsal in the offseason because of the
dramatic effect it can have on improving player skills.
As a coach, I would encourage other coaches to consider
picking up a futsal specific coaching credential. The things I
mentioned in this show don’t cover everything we need to know in
order to help our players get the most out of this game, and a
Futsal specific credential typically comes with lots of futsal
specific activities you can add to your library, and good advice to
help players maximize the experience, and minimize bad
habits.
I hope that after listening to this episode you can appreciate
the game of Futsal a little more. You know what to look for if your
a parent, what to work on if your a player, and what you can do to
make the most out of futsal for your team if you’re a coach.
Resources Discussed in This Episode
- “About.” U.S. FUTSAL®, futsal.com/about/.
- Williams, Ph.D. Jay. “Running with the Ball: How Much, How
Often?” The Science of Soccer Online, www.scienceofsocceronline.com/2010/03/running-with-ball-how-much-how-often.html.
- “Touches on the Ball - A Comparison Between 11 v 11 and 4 v 4.”
Soccer Awareness, www.soccerawareness.com/coaches-corner/touches-on-the-ball-a-comparison-between-11-v-11-and-4-v-4.
- “SoccerMeter LLC Apps on the App Store.” ITunes, itunes.apple.com/us/artist/soccermeter-llc/id412772519.
- "SoccerMeter LLC Apps on the Google Play Store." Google Play,
play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=SoccerMeter+LLC.
- “What is inside of a futsal ball?” YouTube, 1 July 2013,
youtu.be/2LeGp3yY0m8.
- Dejewski, David. “Systems of Play.” The Soccer Sidelines, The
Soccer Sidelines, 27 Nov. 2017, thesoccersidelines.com/systems-of-play/.
Bonus Resources