Tactical Principles of Soccer: concepts and application PDF

In Soccer, tactical skills and the cognitive processes underlying decision-making are considered essential requirements for excellence in sports performance.

During a match numerous situations whose frequency, chronological order and complexity cannot be predicted emerge, demanding great capabilities of adaptation and immediate response from the players and teams based on the concepts of opposition that are present in each phase of the game (GARGANTA, 1997).

These situations of opposition are so evident in a Soccer match that one can observe tactics through the spatial organization of the players in the field in view of the match circunstances with respect to the movements of the ball and the alternatives of action of both teammates and opponents (DUPRAT, 2007).

This form of understanding tactics gives special emphasis on movements and positioning within the field highlighting players' ability to occupy and/or create free spaces according to the most suitable tactical principles for that given moment.

Tactical principles are defined as a set of norms about the game that provide players with the possibility of rapidly achieve tactical solutions for the problems that arise of the situations they face (GARGANTA; PINTO, 1994).

Because of such features, tactical principles need to be 2 understood and present within players' behaviours during a match, so as their application facilitates achieving objectives that lead to score or avoid goals.

Collectively, the application of the tactical principles helps the team to better control the game, maintain ball possession, to perform variations in ball circulation, change the pace of the game and materialize tactical actions aiming to break up opponents' balance and, consequently, to more easily score a gol (ZERHOUNI, 1980; ABOUTOIHI, 2006).

Therefore, the more adjusted and qualified the application of the tactical principles is, the better the tactical performance of the team or player will be in the match.

Given the importance of the tactical principles for the organization and performance of the team within the field of play, this paper aims to contribute to the definition, in both the conceptual and operational level, of the tactical principles of the game of Soccer, to propose the addition of two core tactical principles and highlight their pratical applicabilities in the offensive and defensive phases of play.