Inside Indoor Soccer: What are the Two and Three-Line rules?

The Western Indoor Soccer League (WISL) debuts this fall / winter in Washington. As they prepare to get rolling goalWA.net is partnering with the league and the Tacoma Soccer Center on “Inside Indoor Soccer,” which will look at the sport at all levels, including playing, coaching and watching. The content will vary from beginner to advanced. See all Inside Indoor Soccer columns here.

Indoor soccer has some rules that are different from outdoor soccer. Some of these are in place just because it’s a distinct sport, but some are in place because they need to be! The two and three line rules are examples of this, because without them, a loophole in indoor soccer rules could be exploited! This article will explain what they are, why they are there, and how to use them to your advantage!

To understand this article, you need to know how an indoor field is set up. There is the midfield line, but there is another line on each side between the midfield line and the goal. This line is about halfway between the goalie box and the midfield line. All three lines are important for this article.

In indoor soccer, there is no offsides rule. This means that attackers can venture as far forward as they want without worrying about the consequences (apart from their lack of aid on defence). To counteract this, there is a three-line rule. You are not allowed to kick the ball in the air from behind your first line (the one between the goalie box and the midfield line) to in front of the opponent’s first line. If the ball hits the ground or a player, it’s fine – it just can’t travel all the way in the air. This is to prevent the defence just launching balls up to the forwards without playing the game at all.

• 3-Line Rule Violation:
  1. The floor is divided into 4 sections by 3 lines.
  2. Anytime the ball is kicked or thrown completely over three lines, toward the opponent’s goal by the attacking team, a three-line violation is called.
  3. The opponents are given a “Restart” with a free-kick at the center of the first “red” line the ball crossed.

You can use this rule to help you on defence! You know that if the opponents have the ball behind their first line, they can’t just boot it, so you can play a little more aggressively. Watch out for bouncing balls though, as they can mess you up.

The two line rule applies only on goal kicks. On goal kicks, you’re not allowed to hit the ball past the midfield line. This is meant to encourage passing and playing the game rather than simply kicking the ball up to your forwards. This rule is not as important as the three line rule, because the goalie can pass it off to a defender who can then hit it past the midfield line. This rule also only applies to balls hit in the air that don’t hit a player or the ground.

If you’re playing defence and the opponent has a goal kick, you can be sure that they won’t boot the ball. Again, this means that you can play more aggressively.

Remember to check with the facility that you’re playing at to see if these rules are in effect. Most of the time they are, but some places don’t use them. Now get out there are use what you just learned!

John Weinstein is in indoor soccer expert who is always trying to help people learn how to play or improve their skills for indoor soccer. The first thing he recommends any player gets is a good pair of indoor cleats. After that, you should check out the articles he’s published on this site or look at this fantastic indoor soccer resource. Good luck!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Weinstein

Three lines: Midfield stripe and two (yellow) violation lines. (Gig Harbor)

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• Inside Indoor Soccer