soccer skills vs AFL skills

[Dxmxgxd]

everyone in the world thinks soccer is an art... after watching the world cup this year i did enjoy it... so it not like i dislike soccer. however i think that the accuracy and skill level of the australian footballer is exceptionally greater then those needed in the soccer variety. the fact that u can still be playing D or F section footy and any half average footballer can still possess good foot skills regardless of his ability to get the ball. would most ppl agree that the skills required to handle the oval ball exceed the expectation of those handling the round ball?

 

[Browney2006]

Nope, not at all. If you have played both sports, then you would know that it is a lot easier to pick up the skills to play AFL, you must have played both sports to understand the skill levels of both sports. AFL skills are easy to pick up, thats why international players are starting to get a gig, and it only takes a good couple of years to play at the highest level. You have to play soccer for a good lifetime to by any good at it. In my opinion you cannot have a say in this at all unless you have played both sports for clubs or schools at a reasonably high level. I picked up footy skills in no time. I have mates that have played soccer there whole life and just started having a go at football and got the hold of it. If you are extremely fit and athletic, and very quick, you can just about pass yourself off as a footballer.

Also you brought up the point of a D or F grade footballer being able to possess good skills still, ie kick the ball, mark and handball etc. Isnt this kinda contradicting your arguement? Because even the odd 40 yr old fat bloke can still pick up the footy or the F Grade footballer, meaning that it is a lot easier to pick up the skills of AFL rather than soccer.

 

[Dxmxgxd]

i understand where ur cuming from... wot i meant by average footballers being able to kick the ball well is that it seems to be a professional soccer player u dun actually execute the skills in a match situation as much as u need to in AFL. most of the time in soccer the player can do wonder with a ball like just mucking around or in training but it appears most of the game time in soccer involves kicking in straight lines and players being able to time there runs and things and then sum freakish strikes. i agree whole heartedly that soccer players require great skill... but i think with AFL u either hav it or u don't, and with the cross over from soccer to AFL... can work both ways. coz i no blokes as well that are freaks at AFL footy and then switch to soccer and are good as well... thanks for the opinion i would like to hear otha ppls arguments.

 

[Crosby87]

It's harder to get good at Soccer, most definitely. Doesn't mean it's any more fun to play than Football, though.

 

[kookadog]

Definately the game of footy is more skillful than soccer. You have to work in a 3D environment, you also need to be much more aware of your surroundings to evade opponents coming from all directions. Footy is dynamic, it requires a variety of skills rather than footskills and headers. Footy easily, you don't see many skillful things happen during soccer games, EPL or world cup, The elite players of AFL can do amazing things with their skills, diving marks, leaping marks, pinpoint passes, snaps at goal, etc.

 

[Big John]

Soccer is way more skilled. They can do some freaky stuff.

Still prefer to play and watch footy though.

 

[magic19]

Can you imagine soccer players such as Rooney or Ronaldo, their footskills in aussie rules would be extreme.

 

[FrangaRoo]

I love both sports but soccer is more skilled...some of the stuff is sublime.

The closest that is seen in the AFL is when Judd gets the ball, but it doesnt take anything away from the AFL experiance.

 

[jackd]

I have played both Soccer and Australian Rules at senior and junior levels. Australian Rules is in my opinion takes much more skill than Soccer.

In Australian Rulles you have more skills to master and it is generally done under more physical pressure. Years ago I had the same argument with the Goalkeeper of a Victorian State league club. I asked him to run flat out, bounce the ball and kick it as far as he could with his wrong foot. He changed his mind and agreed with me.

 

[Wojee]

The basic skills of soccer are easier than footy, let's face it, just about anyone can kick a round ball that's sitting on the ground and have it go close to where they want it to, but at the highest level I believe soccer is more highly skilled.

 

[Horsebox]

Definately the game of footy is more skillful than soccer. You have to work in a 3D environment, you also need to be much more aware of your surroundings to evade opponents coming from all directions. Footy is dynamic, it requires a variety of skills rather than footskills and headers. Footy easily, you don't see many skillful things happen during soccer games, EPL or world cup, The elite players of AFL can do amazing things with their skills, diving marks, leaping marks, pinpoint passes, snaps at goal, etc.

Don't we all?

 

[FrangaRoo]

The basic skills of soccer are easier than footy, let's face it, just about anyone can kick a round ball that's sitting on the ground and have it go close to where they want it to, but at the highest level I believe soccer is more highly skilled.

Sums it up pretty well.

 

[Toasta]

you don't see many skillful things happen during soccer games, EPL or world cup.

I really have an opinion either way on this argument, but come on, thats a riddiculous statement.

 

[tomatoes]

I have played both Soccer and Australian Rules at senior and junior levels. Australian Rules is in my opinion takes much more skill than Soccer.

In Australian Rulles you have more skills to master and it is generally done under more physical pressure. Years ago I had the same argument with the Goalkeeper of a Victorian State league club. I asked him to run flat out, bounce the ball and kick it as far as he could with his wrong foot. He changed his mind and agreed with me.

What about running flat out, with the soccer ball at your feet, keeping close control and strike opposite foot? Just as hard if not harder i'd say.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

Soccer requires much more precise skill, and in that sense its a lot harder to master. Football on the other hand requires a larger variety of skills, though you don't have to be as exact with them.

Different skill levels, but soccer is much more impressive. Enjoy the following:

Ronaldinho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkrq1TtrsJo

Zidane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Saf_1xOr12o

Figo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwgKHeoaJuU

 

[Coin_Toss]

Soccer is very skilled, but I don't give a rats arse about Soccer. Give me Aussie Rules any day.

 

[Sid]

Having played both sports, here's my take.

Soccer is easier to pick up and learn, where as aussie rules is harder mainly because you have to master the oval ball.

However, to get good at soccer requires a lot more work. The fact that you can only use your feet makes it a lot harder in terms of controlling it. It is also much harder to score, meaning that consistency is required.

Soccer is definitely more skillful, but my favourite sport is still AFL.

 

[francescototti]

i love both AFL and football, but i would always choose football over the AFL.

In terms of skills, surely football or soccer purely for the fact that it is more difficult to use your feet to control a ball than your hands.

When feeding the ball in AFL you either kick of handball or slap the ball along the ground. Having played both sports, the difficulty of feeding an accurate pass by foot in both games is probably even - none is harder than the other. In terms of their secondary distrubution, handballing accurately is far easier than heading accurately.
it goes further than this with the smaller things such as:
- having quick hands under pressure is equivalent to soccer where there is often one touch play when under pressure - this is far harder than simply having fast hands.
- Attempting to curl/swerve a ball is far harder with a round ball.
- Soccer players must beat a goalie to score a goal

Receiving a ball under pressure is a skill of both sports, but i feel taking a mark under pressure is far easier than controlling the ball on your foot/thigh/chest/head - a ball which may have come from 60m away. Taking a mark from a ball kicked 50m away is no harder than taking a mark from 10m away - or at least its a very minimal increase in difficulty.....for soccer however it takes supreme technique and skill to take a ball down with close control off a pass from this sort of distance. Taking a big pack mark is more about courage than skill - taking the mark IS the skill.

Then there is the showboating element. in AFL you can run with the ball to beat player i.e. Judd although all this time you are able to hold the ball which is far easier than dribbling. Bouncing an oval ball is not hard for anyway with half decent coordination. Does this even compare to being able to juggle a ball with your foot 1000s of times, using the thigh & chest, balancing the ball on on your head etc? Beating a man in AFL is about speed and agility, in soccer it is speed, skill and technique.

i could go on and on. The best way to put it would be that soccer skills are a more difficult skill set to AFL.

AFL takes the cake in terms of physicality, courage, athleticism, but football takes it in terms of skill, strategy, and variety in playing style. If you have played both sports competantly at a relatively high level, and you were not being biased, you would agree with this.

 

[gadj1976]

I think people mistake soccer for having greater skills, however in my opinion they have more time to execute those skills, hence - it's not easier, nor more difficult.

Football - you're required to predominantly perform those skills whilst being chased at full tilt and execute those skills whilst not knowing which direction you could be mown down. There is a self preservation mode that comes from within when you're being chased. You want to get rid of the ball before being tackled.

Soccer - similar, however the execution isn't under the same pressure as much of the time. The sense of preservation doesn't occur as quickly as football IMO.

No doubt the top soccer players have great skills, but I think some of the things top football players do under extreme pressure is phenomenal.

 

[Partridge]

Soccer requires much more precise skill, and in that sense its a lot harder to master. Football on the other hand requires a larger variety of skills, though you don't have to be as exact with them.

Different skill levels, but soccer is much more impressive. Enjoy the following:

I was privileged enough to see both Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain 3 years ago, so I saw Zidane, Figo and co in the flesh. Seeing Zidane score a 20 yard volley not only justified the entire holiday but ranks as one of the greatest sporting moments of my life. As I saw Ablett's entire 1989 finals series live that's pretty good company.

I tend to agree that soccer at the highest level maybe shades it, but otherwise I'm not bothered. I love both sports.

 

[graystar]

Which player is more able to keep on their feet?

 

[Hoops]

The basic skills of soccer are easier than footy, let's face it, just about anyone can kick a round ball that's sitting on the ground and have it go close to where they want it to, but at the highest level I believe soccer is more highly skilled.

Of course it's more skilled at the highest level, soccer in the world is what aussie rules is in Australia, imagine if Aussie Rules could draw on the world for playersl

Lets take the AFL All Australian Team and the Socceroos. about the same particpation rate to draw from. The Socceroos are ranked about 40th in the world imagine if the AFL All Australian team was ranked 40th in the world. I think yould see a much higher skill level at the highest level for Aussie Rules

 

[The Kipster]

off-side rules, staging free kicks, not being able to pick the ball up, soccer is such a stupid sport......I would rather cut a nut off than have to sit down and watch a game of that boring inane soccer...

Stupid Game = Soccer

 

[Doctor Jolly]

Footy is a lot harder to learn than soccer. Just about anyone can kick a round ball without much effort. To kick a footy accurately requires a definate technique and a lot of practice.

 

[loki04]

Soccer as a sport in whole is less skilled than Football (Aussie rules) I have played both and the only area that soccer has a higher skill in is Tricks with the ball which in a game are rarely used , the person saying that it takes more skill to get around an opponent in soccer that is utter crap it is easier to get around some1 who can only use their feet than someone that can grab you , blindside you with a brutal bump ect.. evading tackles is more than pace and agility it is about knowing when to roll the shoulder / hips, when to fend off, when to flick the hand away, when to side step left shimmy right and turn out of trouble.

To find out what is more difficult to learn an oval ball or a round ball get your missus to have a kick off both and see what she says , as i have with mine and suprise suprise she could return the soccer ball quite easily , butr the footy came back at me with a mongrel punt going which way and everyway.
It is much the same with novices , even the handball is hard to grasp for some we had an american come to training and it took him weeks to get it anywhere near resembling one and he still couldn't do it right a lot of people for some reason (and it ****s me to no end) try to throw it up before they make contact or move their hand away before contact which makes the ball go in all directions and looks gay.

Marking has alot of different skills and not just holding onto the footy there is timing of leads, body positioning , timing of your jump to take a screamer , reading of the play , small nudges , blocking of your opponents run , when to push off , diving for a mark without landing on the ball and having the wind taken out of you (f@#k thats annoying) , having strong hands in a marking contest ect..

the simple bounce of the ball for some is hard to grasp let alone dribbling the ball around from the boundary for a goal or an opposite foot checkside from the boundary or kicking while running at full speed (very few AFL player can do this), and you do not want to even get me started on tatics in a game AFL owns soccer although I do enjoy the odd game of soccer.