What you need to know before playing Futsal

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • If you love football, chances are, you’ll love futsal too.

    All the ingredients that make football the beautiful game go into futsal too, but there are some key differences that make the latter challenging for even the best regular footballers.

    It’s an exciting sport played at a frenetic pace. Blink and you’ll miss not one, but two or three goals.

    While professional futsal requires a supreme level of fitness and training, it’s great for amateurs to have a bit of fun and score plenty of goals with enough goalmouth action to ensure that the goalkeepers are constantly on their toes.

    Here are a few things to keep in mind before you play your first futsal game.

    NOT THE SAME AS INDOOR FOOTBALL

    A common misconception is that futsal and indoor football are the same thing. There are several key differences that make futsal a whole different ball game.

    First of all, while indoor football is played on astro turf, futsal is played on a court which is a much harder surface. The ball that is used is a size four as opposed to a size five in regular football or indoor football.

    There are no slide tackles in Futsal (you don’t want to be sliding around on that surface anyway!). All in all, it generally makes for a far quicker and intense sport.

    BE WARY OF INJURY

    Even though slide tackles aren’t permitted in futsal (you can still slide to intercept the ball), there is a lot of running around at top speed in a confined space. If you get blocked off, tripped or unwittingly collide with another player, you’ll hit the deck. And you’ll hit it hard.

    It’s important to keep your bearings and be aware of what’s around you because it’s really no fun being floored on that surface and you may end up seriously injuring yourself.

    For those suffering from weak knees or back problems, futsal sadly may not be the best activity. While top notch courts used for professional futsal can be considerably shock absorbent, most used at amateur level are not.

    It can prove to be traumatic for your knees and back. Definitely wear a knee brace if you feel any slight discomfort. How come basketball players don’t seem worried about a hard court then? Good question (let’s pretend you asked).

    Basketball makes similar demands of a player. It requires high intensity running, sharp turns, abrupt halts and swift changes in direction, all on a hard court. However, their shoes are specifically designed to be shock absorbent, even offering great ankle support. Hence, their bulkiness.

    It’s important to have the right footwear with good grip before you play futsal or you’ll be slipping all over the place and be more susceptible to unjury.

    GET A FEEL FOR THE BALL

    The ball is not only smaller in size but is heavier as well. Along with the friction of the surface, it bounces a lot less as well (around 30% less bounce compared to a normal ball), which ensures that the game is played at a much faster pace.

    Close control is arguably the most valued asset in futsal. Given the tight space and intensity of the game, your first touch needs to be a good one as you won’t be allowed much time. It’s helpful to even trap the ball with your sole in order to exercise immediate control.

    Have a few practice shots at goal as well. Focus on striking the ball cleanly rather than hard. Try using as little back-lift as possible in order to get your shots away quickly and always have a good old fashioned toe-poke in your repertoire (it may be ugly, but it comes in handy!).

    You’re now ready for you first game! Do have anything you’d like to add or questions on how to get involved with futsal in the UAE?

    Get in touch with us by commenting below, using #360fans on Twitter or reaching out to us via Facebook.

    Recommended