In soccer, there are two types of kicks: direct and indirect. What a player can do with the ball at a direct kick differs from what the player can do with the ball at an indirect kick. So what exactly is the difference? The difference between a direct and indirect kick is that the player taking a direct kick can score a goal directly from the kick without another player touching the ball, but a player taking an indirect kick cannot score a goal until another player has touched the ball. Not only are there differences between what a player can and can’t do at a kick, but there is a different list of offenses that lead to a direct kick than there are for an indirect kick. In this article, we’ll look at both. First, we’ll discover when a player is taking a direct kick or an indirect kick and then look at some examples to clarify what happens at both.
When you watch soccer, the most common kick you will see a referee award is a direct kick. Whether it’s from a player committing a foul or the ball going out of play, most kicks from set-pieces are direct kicks. Here’s an explanation of a direct kick: A direct kick in soccer is a kick from which a player can score a goal directly from the kick. The ball doesn’t have to touch another player or object before entering the goal. The referee will determine if a kick is a direct kick based on what happened immediately before the kick.
Unless the goalkeeper commits a handball offense within their penalty area, a referee will always award a direct free kick for a handball. Or if a player holds or impedes an opponent with contact. This action will result in the referee awarding a direct free kick.
As I mentioned, this list is not exclusive. If you want the complete list, I suggest you look at the IFAB website, as they are responsible for creating and governing the rules of soccer worldwide.
Let’s quickly look at a few examples where a referee would award a direct kick before looking at the situations where a referee would award a team an indirect kick.
Having explained what a direct kick is in soccer, we need to look at indirect kicks.
An indirect kick in soccer is a kick from which a player cannot score a goal directly from the kick. Before a goal can be scored, the ball must first touch a player other than the one taking the kick. The referee will decide if a kick is “indirect” based on what happened immediately before the kick.
There are a few ways to figure this out.
The simplest way of ascertaining if the referee has awarded a direct or indirect kick is to watch for the signal the referee is making.
If the referee raises their arm above the head and keeps it up until the kick has been taken and the ball has touched another player or gone out of play, it is an indirect kick.
If you don’t see the referee making this signal, then a player is about to take a direct kick.
There are three types of kicks in soccer that are always direct:
If you see the referee award any of these, you know they will always be a direct kick.
Although this one relies more on personal judgment, you can often tell what type of kick a player is about to take by where their teammates have positioned themselves.
Because the ball has to touch another player before a goal can be scored, you will usually see another player standing near the player about to take the kick.
This player is there to either receive a short pass from the original kicker or take a small touch of the ball before another player takes a shot at goal.
Having a player roll the ball a short distance to another player on their team who then takes a shot at the goal is one way players work around the indirect kick rule.
Because the ball has made contact with another player before a goal is scored, the players have followed all the rules.
Now you understand direct and indirect kicks, I would encourage you to find out more about different kicks in soccer and what a player can and can’t do at each of them.
A good starting point would be at one of these articles:
