The Off-Side Rule
May. 19th, 2010 11:47 pmSpeaking as someone not really into football, the off-side rule is not really that big a deal, it's just acquired a disproportionate reputation as complicated because once upon a time it was contentious, and people always explain it in terms that someone into football, but not good at absorbing abstract concepts would understand, rather than the reverse.
To actually understand it, you just have to understand the problem it was supposed to fix. When the laws for football were originally being codified, people thought it was more fun if players fought their way past the opposition, rather than leaving one player hanging around the opponents' goal and trying to kick the ball a long way to him so he can kick it straight into the goal without needing to bypass the other team as much. This is very true.
In order to prevent people hanging around the opponents' goal waiting for the ball, they forbade it. Specifically, if you're in the opponents' half of the pitch, and have only one player between you and their goal (normally the goalkeeper) you can't have the ball kicked to you or otherwise participate in play. There's a lot of details that make it different in day-to-day play, but that's the general idea.
To actually understand it, you just have to understand the problem it was supposed to fix. When the laws for football were originally being codified, people thought it was more fun if players fought their way past the opposition, rather than leaving one player hanging around the opponents' goal and trying to kick the ball a long way to him so he can kick it straight into the goal without needing to bypass the other team as much. This is very true.
In order to prevent people hanging around the opponents' goal waiting for the ball, they forbade it. Specifically, if you're in the opponents' half of the pitch, and have only one player between you and their goal (normally the goalkeeper) you can't have the ball kicked to you or otherwise participate in play. There's a lot of details that make it different in day-to-day play, but that's the general idea.