Football Glossary, Letter T

Tackle

The act or attempt of taking the ball away from an opponent with the use of the legs

Tactical foul

A foul deliberately committed to prevent the opponents from scoring or to destroy their offensive flow

Takeover

A technique where on player drops the ball so a teammate following him can pick it up

Tap

Touching the ball lightly to make it go inside the goal

Target man

The striker who is the intended target of passes from a teammate

Technical area

The area inside beside the football field where coaches or managers are allowed to stand and shout instructions at their players

Test match

A former way of deciding relegation and promotion: a team that does poorly in a higher league and a team that does well in a lower league face each other at the end of the season; this has been abandoned in favor of automatic relegation and promotion

Thigh trap

To control a flighted ball with the thigh

Thirds

The tactical division of the football pitch into three parts: the defensive back, the midfield, and the frontline; each division measures more or less 35 yards

Through ball

A pass made by one player to a teammate through a line of defense

Throw-in

The method of restarting play when the ball goes over the sideline, done by throwing the ball with the hands from outside the field; a goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in

Tiki-taka

An offensive football strategy characterized by quick one-two passes; popularized by Barcelona and the Spanish national team

Time added on

The amount of playing time added by the referee at the end of each half to make up for lost time; also called injury time, stoppage period

Time-wasting

The act of stalling play by delaying free kicks, faking injuries, and dribbling aimlessly

Toe punch

Kicking the ball with the tip of the shoes (where the toes are); also called toe poke

Total football system

An offensive strategy characterized by player movement, passing, and switching of positions; the total football tactic was popularized by Netherlands

Touch

Contact with the ball with any part of the body (except the arms and hands) is called a touch

Touchline

The line at the side of the football field measuring 120 meters in professional standards; also called sideline

Tracking

To stay with an opponent even if he moves to different parts of the field; used in man-to-man defense

Training ground

A place where clubs do their training and practice games; clubs often have a separate ground for training only to avoid over-using and destroying the surface of their stadium pitch

Trap

The act of slowing down or controlling the ball

Travel soccer

A youth soccer program popular in the United States where players travel to different places in order to compete

Treble

A club achieves a treble when it wins the two highest competitions in the country and the highest competition in the continent during the same year

Trivela

A curving kick done by striking the ball with the outside of the foot

Turf

A short reference to the artificial turf, a playing field made of synthetic or specially prepared grass

Two-foot

A sliding tackle made with both feet, usually done from behind; also called two-footed tackle

Two-touch

A drill where players are required to play the ball after two touches; improves the control of players