Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sometimes its the little things...

There are a lot of special names applied to concepts that we've probably all heard once or twice. If you aren't familiar with these acronyms or terms they can be confusing. I can remember when I was younger and traveling to regional and national tournaments there were a few times when someone would throw a term out that I had never heard of. It was embarrassing but a great learning opportunity.

I started to learn that I wasn't so much learning new concepts as I was applying terms to concepts I had already learned. Being able to recognize those terms quickly and understanding what they mean will help you hold your own during training and assessments be it a Far West Regional game or a Sunday afternoon match. That way you don't have to learn the hard way like I did.

So starting today we're going to try and go over one term a week. Have you come across one of these terms and want to know what they mean? Shoot me an email and I'll feature it next week.

Denying Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunities - DOGSO

The Four D's of DOGSO

A foul is a foul regardless of who commits it. Soccer is a fast-paced game with lots of counter attacks. Consequently, referees and ARs can anticipate many chances to make decisions relating to DOGSO. Positioning and fitness levels must be commensurate with this style of play, and referees must be reading to evaluate the 4 conditions of DOGSO:

  • Defenders - Are there any defenders between the attacker and the goal that could dispossess the attacker of the ball and prevent a scoring opportunity?
  • Direction - Is the attacker’s position on the field such that he is headed/moving directly to goal? Consider the attacker’s touch on the ball, is it headed toward the goal area or at an angle away from the goal?
  • Distance to Goal - As the attacker plays the ball, is his proximity to goal such that he is close enough that he would have a reasonable opportunity to advance the ball without opponents tracking him down. The further the distance to goal, the less opportunity for a scoring chance.
  • Distance to Ball - Is the attacker close enough to the ball to be considered to have “possession” or a clear chance to play the ball or will the goalkeeper or another player get to the ball before the attacker?

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