This glossary is our full guide to key hockey vocabulary and tennis terminology. Available as a downloadable PDF you can print and stick on a wall.
Attacking team – The team with possession of the ball in a game.
Centre circle – A 10m circle that goes around the centre spot. Only two players from the team taking the kick-off are allowed inside the centre circle during a kick-off.
Centre spot – A small spot in the centre of the pitch, where all kick-offs are taken at the start of each half or after a goal is scored.
Channel – The name given to the areas next to the two touchlines. Defenders can try to force the ball into a channel, while an attacker might attack a channel to cross a ball towards the goal.
Chip shot/Pass – A kick that lifts the ball to go over an opponent.
Corner kick – A kick taken by an attacking team from the corner of the pitch. It is awarded when the ball goes behind the goal line on either side of the goal, having touched a defending team’s player last.
Counterattack – When the defending team wins possession and launches an attack quickly before the other team can get back to defend.
Covering defender – A player who stays behind teammates when defending. Their job is to cover across and pressure opponents who get past other defenders before they can shoot.
Cross – A ball played across a goal from a wide position by the attacking team.
Cushioning/trapping the ball – A way of stopping and controlling a ball passed to a player. A ball can be cushioned using the foot, thigh, or chest. A cushioned ball should finish in front of the player, who can then pass, dribble or shoot.
Defender – A player on a team whose job is to stop the opposition from goal-scoring. They stay closer to their own goal and do not usually join attacks with their team.
Defending team – The team that does not have possession of the ball.
Dribbling – An individual player moving around the pitch whilst maintaining possession of the ball by keeping it close to their feet.
Far post – The goal post that is furthest away from where the ball is positioned and often used to describe where a player is stood when attacking a cross.
Formations – How the players of each team are organised and positioned when playing. Each position has a different role on the pitch. The positions include goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and striker.
Foul – When a player commits an offence of the rules of football. A foul results in the other team getting a free kick at the spot of the foul. A penalty kick is awarded if the foul is committed in the penalty area.
Free kick – A kick taken with a stationary ball by a player after a foul is committed. The team who committed the foul must be a set distance away from the free kick when it is taken.
Goalkeeper – A position on a football team. There is only one goalkeeper on each team. A goalkeeper defends a team’s own goal. They are the only player allowed to handle the ball but can only do so inside the penalty area.
Goal kick – A kick taken from inside the penalty area, usually by a goalkeeper. It is awarded when the ball goes behind the goal line on either side of the goal, having touched an attacking team’s player last.
Goal line – The boundary line that runs along the width at either end of the pitch. The goals sit on this line, and for a goal to be awarded, the ball must cross fully over the line between the goalposts. If the ball crosses the goal line on either side of the goal, a goal kick or corner will be awarded, depending on who touched the ball last.
Goalside – A tactic when marking as a defender. The defender keeps themselves between their opponent and their own goal to block their path towards the goal.
Halfway line – A line that goes across the width of the pitch exactly halfway between each goal line.
Kick-off – How a game is (re)started in football. It involves the ball being kicked from the centre spot by a player. One team starts the first half with a kick-off, whilst the other team kicks off the second half. After each goal, the team that conceded the goal restarts the game with a kick-off.
Linesman – An official who stays on a touchline and helps the referee officiate a game.
Marking – A defensive tactic where players are organised in positions to try and stop an attacking team and get possession from them. It involves a defender staying close to an opponent to limit their space and make it easier to intercept a pass.
Midfielder - A player on a team whose job is to link the defenders and the attackers of a team. They move between each penalty area. They help defenders to block the goal when defending and move the ball forward to attackers when attacking.
Near Post – The goal post that is closest to where the ball is positioned. Often used to describe where a player is stood when attacking a cross.
Offside – A situation where an attacker does not have at least two defenders between themselves and the goal they are attacking when receiving a pass. It results in a free-kick being awarded to the defending team.
Penalty area/box – A rectangular box that comes out from the goal line at either end surrounding the goal. A goalkeeper is allowed to handle the ball within the penalty area, and any foul of an attacking player inside the penalty area leads to awarding a penalty kick.
Penalty spot – A spot marked in the penalty area where a penalty kick is taken from.
Penalty kick - is awarded when a foul is committed against an attacking player inside the penalty box. No other player except the goalkeeper and penalty taker is allowed inside the box until the kick has been taken.
Referee – The official in charge of a game of football. They are helped by two linesmen.
Striker - A player on a team whose job is to attack with the ball and score goals. They stay near the opponent's penalty area in the best position to try and shoot when they receive the ball.
Throw-In – When the ball goes off the pitch off the touchlines, the ball is reintroduced to the pitch by a throw-in. This involves being thrown overhead by a player from behind the touchline where the ball went off the pitch. Whichever team touches the ball before it goes off the pitch, the other team take the throw-in.
Touchlines – The boundary lines that run perpendicular to the goal lines on either side of the pitch. Each touchline has a linesman that operates along it to assist the referee. A throw-in is awarded if the ball goes off the pitch over a touchline.
Volley – When a ball is kicked by a player in the air before it bounces on the floor.
Winger – Attacking players who stay wide on the pitch. They operate near the touchlines, and their job is to dribble the ball close to the goal line before crossing it for an attacker to try and score.