The Nitty Gritty to Soccer SafetyWritten by Rebecca Blain
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Equipment Without soccer safety equipment, all of in game rules would be ineffective. Shin guards, cleats, jerseys and proper fitting shorts and socks all work together to ensure that every player can enjoy game without being at high risk of injury. Shin guards are used to prevent bruising or breaking of lower portion of leg, where cleats and soccer balls are highly likely to hit you. Without these, such as lotto shin guards, you put yourself at high risk. Wearing a proper pair of cleats, such as ones designed by Nike, gives you more grip into turf. This grip helps to prevent sprains and breaks in ankles. These shoes also give your feet adequate protection from other pairs of cleats and impact with soccer ball. Proper fitting clothing, ranging from jersey, shorts and socks, contribute to player comfort. This is important, as distractions from game can lead to injuries to yourself and others. It is always advisable to wear your proper jerseys to practice or to games. Specially designed jerseys and shorts are designed to handle rigors of soccer. The fabric in particular is designed to stand up against grass stains as well as be comfortable. Weather One aspect of soccer safety that is forgotten by many players and parents is weather conditions. Playing in rain can be a fun, invigorating experience, treasured by players for years to come. Despite this, playing in muddy conditions is dangerous. The slipping and sliding that creates a great deal of enjoyment taken from playing soccer in rain leaves room for a wide variety of different injuries. If you choose to play soccer in rain, make certain you take every precaution possible, from wearing cleats, guards and your protective gear. When a full fledged storm comes up, complete with thunder and lightning, game play should be ended immediately. A soccer field is worst place to be in middle of a lightning storm, and parents as well as players have been killed or maimed by lightning. If lightning is spotted and your referee does not end game, you should still leave field as soon as possible. Miscellaneous Accessories Before you play soccer, you need to make certain that you are not wearing miscellaneous accessories such as earrings, anklets and other pieces of jewelry that could be broken or cause harm. Earrings in particular are prone to being torn from earlobes when contact is made with a soccer ball. By removing these pieces of jewelry and other items of this nature, you can help prevent injuries to yourself that could be disfiguring. If you are considering getting piercings and you play soccer, you may want to consider planning to have your piercings done when soccer season is over.If you keep all of these things in mind while playing or observing soccer games, you should be able to enjoy sport while being at low risk of injury.

Rebecca Blain is a professional and hobbyist writer who enjoys taking care of her Siamese Fighting Fish and educating people about soccer cleats which you can read about here: http://www.everything-soccer.com/replacement-soccer-cleats.html
| | The World's Most Beloved Sport - The History of SoccerWritten by Rebecca Blain
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Greek/Roman Soccer History Perhaps closest relative to modern soccer are games that were formed by Greeks during prime of their culture. They had numerous varieties of football style games, some of which required hands, some of which forbade hands. In end, after Roman conquering of Greece, game Harpastum is what modern soccer would be based from. This game, probably a modified version of Greek's "Harpaston", which translates roughly to handball. While grossly misnamed, this game is what is considered to be one of precursors to modern soccer.British Soccer History In Britain during 8th century, soccer was created, not as a recreational sport, but as a war game. One of stories of original roots of sport comes from when a Danish Prince was beheaded, and his head was used as a ball and was kicked around. Ever since this 'legendary' tale, villages and other communities would play a game where they would have to kick a ball to a specific goal. It was a violent game, where injury and death were not uncommon, but it was popular nevertheless. In fact, it was so violent, that in 1331, King Edward III passed laws to try to stop playing of game. It did not work, however, and sport continued on. There are even stories of soccer games that involved hundreds upon hundreds of players. In these games, there were many deaths, some resulting in hundreds. It wasn't until 1815 when Eton College set up a series of rules for game that it became less violent and more of a true sport. At this time, other colleges and universities took up banner and began to play under similar rules. Later, rules were evaluated and judged, and Cambridge rules were created as a result in 1848. In Cambridge rules, shin-kicking, carrying ball and tripping were all forbidden. Rugby rules allowed these aspects, and two varieties of soccer, or football, split to form their own followings. On October 26, 1863, London schools and sports club sent representatives to Freemason's Tavern, where Football Association was formed. Rugby supporters left this association to form Rugby Association. This is where birth of modern soccer began. In 1969, Football Association finalized modern game of soccer by forbidding use of hands in game. The term "Soccer" was coined when someone was asked if he was a Rugger, which is a Rugby player. The -er signified that person participated in a a particular sport. The individual, Charles Wreford Brown, replied with "Soccer!", taking phrase from Association, SOC, and adding -er. The term stuck. While British individuals still call game Football, Americans and other countries call it Soccer, especially if they have heavy support in American Football present. Ever since foundation of Association, "Football" has risen in popularity, becoming one of best love games in history of Earth. Now, hundreds of thousands play sport, although it lacks initial violence present at its creation.

Rebecca Blain is a professional and hobbyist writer who enjoys taking care of her fish and educating people about youth soccer equipment here: http://www.everything-soccer.com/youth-soccer-equipment.html
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