Beating the offside trap, Pt. 2
By April Kater and Robert "Butch" Lauffer
There are five ways the attacking team can defeat the offsides trap. In Pt. 1 we looked at dribbling and passing through. In Pt. 2, we will look at the remaining three methods:

Beating the offside trap, Pt. 1
by April Kater and Robert "Butch" Lauffer
There are five ways the attacking team can defeat the offsides trap. In Pt. 1 we will look at two such methods.

Offside
By April Kater and Robert "Butch" Lauffer
The biggest reason to apply the offside tactic is to reacquire the ball. The defenders must attack the ball at the same time to stop any penetration passes. If the attacker tries to dribble through the pressure, the defenders should win the ball by sheer numbers. It is not recommended to execute this offside tactic high up in the defensive third, because the space is too great for the goalkeeper to control. So it is recommended to use it in the defensive third of the field only for the following:

Ground control and turning: outside-the-foot
by April Kater and Robert "Butch" Lauffer
Receiving with the outside of the foot is deemed safer simply because of the body positioning.

Ground control and turning: inside-the-foot
by April Kater and Robert "Butch" Lauffer
Inside-the-foot: This is the most commonly used surface to control a rolling ball along the ground.

Heading techniques
by April Kater and Robert "Butch" Lauffer
The following are different heading methods to consider.

Passing techniques
By April Kater and Robert "Butch" Lauffer
Following are several examples of passing techniques a player can utilize.

Training tips with Sasha Victorine
The Los Angeles Galaxy's Sasha Victorine was a first round MLS draft pick in 2000 out of UCLA. He also starred for the United States in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The following is an interview conducted by Janice Trecker.

Importance of upper body strength
By Jen Pfluke
Sue Hammond was the trainer for the U.S. national team during the 1999 Women's World Cup and now serves as the trainer for the Washington Freedom.

Enduring the 'dog days' of summer
By Jen Pfluke
Washington, D.C., 30 July 2001 (Teamtalk) -- For most of us, the summer sun has been blazing down on us and the mercury on the thermometer has been marching steadily upward for a few months now. As July comes to an end, there?s no denying that summer is in full throttle.%0D%0A