Free Course Image How to Play Football

Free online courseHow to Play Football

Duration of the online course: 1 hours and 28 minutes

5

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Improve your football skills fast with this free online course—master rules, passing, shooting, dribbling, defending and ball control, plus practice drills.

In this free course, learn about

  • Core football rules and objective of play
  • Why warm up matters; muscle/joint prep, cardio warm-up purpose and examples
  • Key stretching targets and timing for football readiness
  • Shooting techniques: side-foot accuracy, instep power, curl, outside-foot, chip
  • Set pieces: direct free-kick technique and penalty aiming strategy
  • Heading skills: standard and jumping headers; safety/age guidelines for children
  • Passing skills: short pass basics, long pass for height, and crossing into the box
  • Combination play: one-two pass essentials and back-heel usage
  • Ball mastery: first touch control (ground/aerial), chest control, redirection
  • Dribbling & turns: feints, step over, nutmeg, sombrero, roulette, quick turns
  • Throw-ins: rules, long throw-in progression, and technique differences
  • Goalkeeping basics: saving, throwing (short vs long), and drop kicks
  • Defending fundamentals and common defensive fouls
  • Practice drills for passing, dribbling, heading, ball control, and juggling

Course Description

Build real confidence on the pitch with a practical, step-by-step football course designed for beginners and returning players who want to improve quickly. You will learn how the game works, what decisions matter most in real situations, and how to move with purpose so you feel comfortable joining a match at the park, at school, or with a local team.

Instead of relying on vague tips, this course helps you develop solid technique from the ground up. You will refine your striking with different surfaces of the foot for accuracy, power, and curl, and you will understand when to use a controlled side-foot finish versus an instep drive, an outside-foot kick, or a clever chip. You will also gain tools to deliver better passes and crosses, combine with teammates using quick one-two play, and improve your first touch so the ball stays under control when it arrives on the ground, in the air, or at awkward angles.

Smart football starts before the first whistle, so you will learn how to warm up effectively with cardio, mobility, stretching, and game-like movements that prepare muscles and joints. That preparation supports better performance, sharper reactions, and fewer preventable injuries. As you progress, you will practice dribbling skills and turns that help you escape pressure, change direction cleanly, and keep possession, along with close-control touches that make your movement look smoother and feel more reliable.

The course also develops match readiness with core defending principles, an understanding of common fouls, and the rules that frequently affect play, including throw-ins and set pieces like direct free kicks and penalties. For those curious about the last line of defense, you will also explore key goalkeeper fundamentals such as saving, distribution, and drop kicks. With focused drills and quick checks for understanding, you can measure your improvement and bring the skills straight into your next game.

Course content

  • Video class: Understanding the Rules of Football | Football 02m
  • Exercise: _What is the objective of the two teams in football/soccer?
  • Video class: Warm up the Muscles before Playing | Football 02m
  • Exercise: What is an important reason to warm up before physical activity?
  • Video class: Discover Cardio Warm up Exercises before Playing | Football 03m
  • Exercise: _What is the purpose of a cardio warm-up before a football match?
  • Video class: Stretching the Muscles before Playing | Football 02m
  • Exercise: Which muscle group is NOT mentioned as important to stretch before playing football?
  • Video class: Stretching the Joints before Playing | Football 01m
  • Exercise: Which joint should be stretched for 20 seconds with each foot?
  • Video class: Discover Warm up Exercises and Games | Football 03m
  • Exercise: What is the main focus of the slalom exercise?
  • Video class: How to Kick a Soccer Ball: Side Foot | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What is the advantage of using the inside of the foot to shoot when you are near the goal?
  • Video class: How to Kick a Ball: Soccer Shots | Football 01m
  • Exercise: What is a key technique for a powerful shot in soccer using the instep of the foot?
  • Video class: How to Curl a Football | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _When making a curling shot, where should you place your standing foot?
  • Video class: How to Kick a Soccer Ball: Outside of the Foot | Football 01m
  • Exercise: What is crucial for a powerful outside foot kick in soccer?
  • Video class: How to Kick a Soccer Ball: Chip | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What is the chip move used for in football?
  • Video class: Learn How to Take a Direct Free Kick | Football 02m
  • Exercise: What is a key technique for scoring a direct free-kick?
  • Video class: How to Take a Penalty | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _When taking a penalty, where should you aim to have a better chance of scoring?
  • Video class: How to Head a Soccer Ball | Football 01m
  • Exercise: What is a key technique in executing offensive headers in football?
  • Video class: Learn How to Do a Jumping Header | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What is the recommended age for children to start practicing jumping headers in football?
  • Video class: Soccer Techniques: Short Pass | Football 01m
  • Exercise: What is essential for making a successful short pass in soccer?
  • Video class: Soccer Techniques: Long Pass | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What should you do to kick the ball high up in the air when doing a long-range pass in football?
  • Video class: Soccer Shots: Cross the Ball into the Box | Football 01m
  • Exercise: What is a key factor to consider when crossing the ball during a soccer game?
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: Outside of the Foot Volley Flick | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What is a pigeon swing in football?
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: The One-Two Pass | Football 02m
  • Exercise: What are the three essential technical qualities required to perform a successful one-two move in soccer?
  • Video class: Soccer Techniques: Back Heel | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: The Sombrero | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: The Nutmeg | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: The Run-Around | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: The Step Over | Football 02m
  • Exercise: _What are the three important points to keep in mind when doing a step over to dribble around an opponent in football?
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: The Feint | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: Quickly Turn the Ball | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What is the key point to remember when performing a quick turn in football?
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: The Roulette Turn | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: The Two-Touch Dribble | Football 02m
  • Exercise: _What are the three important points to make the to touch dribble a success?
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: The Drag-Back | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: Control a Ground Pass | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What are the three techniques you need to consider while controlling a ground pass with the inside of your foot in football?
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: Control an Aerial Pass | Football 02m
  • Video class: Soccer Skills: Control the Ball with Direction | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What is redirection in football?
  • Video class: How to Dribble a Football | Football 01m
  • Video class: How to Control the Ball with the Chest | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What should you do to properly control the ball with your chest in football?
  • Video class: Learn the Rules of a Soccer Throw In | Football 01m
  • Video class: How to Do a Long Throw In | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What is the first step to mastering the long throw-in technique?
  • Video class: Goalkeeper: How to Save the Ball | Football 01m
  • Video class: Goalkeeper: How to Throw the Ball | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What is the difference between a short throw and a long throw in football?
  • Video class: Goalkeeper: How to Do a Drop Kick | Football 01m
  • Video class: How to Defend in Soccer | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Rules: Learn about Defensive Fouls | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Drills: Improve Passing | Football 02m
  • Video class: Soccer Drills: How to Dribble | Football 01m
  • Video class: Soccer Drills: How to Head a Soccer Ball | Football 01m
  • Exercise: _What is the recommended age for children to start practicing headers in accordance with recommendations set out by sporting federations?
  • Video class: Soccer Drills: Improve your Ball Control | Football 02m
  • Video class: How to Juggle a Soccer Ball | Football 02m

This free course includes:

1 hours and 28 minutes of online video course

Digital certificate of course completion (Free)

Exercises to train your knowledge

100% free, from content to certificate

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Course comments: How to Play Football

SF

Stalin Fernandes

StarStarStarStarStar

Very good course. I understood it in advanced

PD

Puskar Dayal Agarwal

StarStarStarStarStar

nice very informative.

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