What should I do during a game when I don’t have the ball?

In general on offense (when your team has the ball), you should be trying to make space for yourself and opening yourself up to receive a pass.

This can be done by making both straight and curved runs and watching the field and the defenders carefully. If you are not in a position where a teammate can possibly reach you with a pass, you should be trying to “spread” the other team using depth and width (the length and width of the field). A good way to do this is to simply move away from the other players on your team – either towards the goal you are trying to score on or towards the touchlines.

On defense (any time the other team has the ball), you should be looking to deny passing options for the person with the ball by covering the player or area of the field you are assigned to; or by providing “balance” if you are far off the ball.