How to Use Soccer Slang

Soccer is probably the most popular sport on the planet. Children and adults on every continent play the game and use a wide variety of soccer slang. Luckily, the slang terms are not so complicated that a newcomer cannot understand them.

Instructions

1. Bounce a ball off the top of your head and call it a "header." Headers are a popular way to score a goal or gain control of the ball. Headers can come as diving headers or standing.

2. Watch for "worm burners" during a tight game. This is a low, powerful shot that a player uses to catch the defense off guard. It gets its name from the fact that it blazes across the field, just above the grass, close enough to burn a worm.

3. Know that "dribbling" is completely different than in basketball. Everyone knows that soccer players can't use their hands, so in order to move the ball, a player must kick the ball gently in front of him.

4. Understand that an "attack" has nothing to do with physical violence. Attacking another team simply refers to the time when the offense moves into the other team's side of the field with the intention of aggressively scoring a goal.

5. Keep an eye out for "bicycle kicks" during a game. This is the most dramatic move in all of soccer and has nothing to do with two wheelers. A bicycle kick happens when a player jumps up and does a back flip to kick the ball, practically spinning himself in order to knock in a high ball. The shot gets its name from the body's similarity to a bicycle pedal spinning around.