I believe all players should be a bit aggressive, but some players are just vicious and constantly hack your legs, push you around, have cheap shots when they can and sometimes talk shit to you. If they are bigger, they are also more likely to take advantage of their size on you.

I have come across this a few times before but next season I will be playing in a far more competitive and physical league with players up to 2 yrs older than me. I've watched some of these matches before and there are a lot of physical challenges and everyone commits strongly. I'm not fully used to this as there was only mild roughness in my last season. How should I prepare for bigger, stronger, more vicious players?

What I have been doing is 100 push-ups, 150 sit-ups and some weights every day to become stronger. I also go running every day which will hopefully increase the size and strength of my leg muscles. I am average height.

Thanks.

well i am short n i intimidated people 20cm taller n way bigger than me, i use to go psycho, punch n they would would just back off, i would walk towards them n they would back off again. Sometimes you r naturally not afraid of challenges, i was but playing Rugby lEague helped me not be scared to play soccer n i alwys used ot be in the zone. Also make sure ur first touch is really really good n learn where to play ur first touches in order not to lose possession. try to go to the gym or sumthing, i want to , going soon

I must say I had this problem my freshman year of highschool.
I was diminutive (5'6"), and very thin.. First thing I started to do push ups every night, to gain some upper body strength and confidence. Then I started to get angry before games by listening to Korn, or even Nirvana.

All hell broke loose, because I was a mean little forward and the bigger and older defenders thought they could intimidate me.. that wasnt the case thankfully, as I enjoyed kicking the shit out of their shins when they fouled me..

They learned quickly not to f**k with me, and I ended up scoring 13 goals..
I was so aggresive by the end of the season, my coach rotated me between DM and LF when things got bad in the back... after my anger got there.. the other team had problems.

Moral of the story:

Be more aggresive than them.

hahaha Carlos you sound like a mixture of Maradona and Pablo Garcia.

Thanks for the advice too.

I sometimes watch Scarface scenes to get me in a state of mind where I think nothing can intimidate me.

There's nothing complete you can be told. It's a question of experience. Strengthen your core body muscles (abdomen) and chest, shoulder and arms, will give you more strength and offer you protection. But a lot of competing against rougher opponents is quite simply putting your body in the firing line and taking the knocks, and giving them back.

One really good tip I will give you is, sharpen your elbows!!

I don't mean elbow people in the face. I mean get those arms up for protection at all times, make them a rock hard barrier, make yourself wider by having those shields to protect you AND make those elbows sharp. When opponents come flying in to crunch you, you can turn your hips, shoulders, body, arms and they end up gettng a nasty jab in the chest, ribs or stomach from your pointy elbows !!! Their fault entirely. It'll make them think twice about tackling you.

Think, you must have come up against someone like that, you tackle them, and YOU end up worse ?

Sharpen your elbows.

^ thats some interesting advice, I might try that,lol, seriously.

I also play with people 2 years older than me or so, first of all know that them having a very tough and full of anger like attitude helps you a lot on your game and decreases theirs, you can never play football angry.
Second of all if you want to make your presence felt always go in for challenges, like for example I'd try to head the ball away from a guy that's 3 or 4 inches taller than me, even if I knew I wouldn't have the ball. Simple things like can really change their attitude towards you, and of course let's not forget the "Stare", if some guy tackles you and he runs as if nothing had happened( of course you are given the free-kick), stare at him, seriously for like 20 seconds, don't answer your friends if they ask you "are you fine" whatever, stare at him till he looks at you, then just spit and walk away.
But remember don't keep thinking about what happened go on with your game.

I just don't take it, give as good as you can get.

Pinch the back of their legs at corners, grab their balls, feel them up. It works! And if they react at all, go down. Then when they have been sent off, laugh. Give them a wee wink, but most importantly do not let it affect your game. If you get brought down, get back up. If they elbow you, get them sent off. Wee sly digs behind the refs back, then exaggerate what they do to you. If the ref catches you, plead innocence. Just don't get yourself sent off.

Some good advice has been given here.

While i have never been intimidated by people on the pitch, a lot of teammates were when we stepped up to the adult leagues.

If you are a good tackler get in there hard as soon as possible, then they will know not to come back again. If you are worried about trouble on the pitch, DON'T BE, thats what the referee is there for.

If they are really winding you up a bit of trash talk really dosent go a miss, also if you do knock them to the ground or somethink like that, go to help them up then pull your hand away 'school boy error'. Will no doubt get them fired up.

Most important advice of all is TO PLAY YOUR OWN GAME. Ignore what the opposition is doing, if it is intimidating you they have set out to affect your game, and im sure a lot of you will admit when you come across these kind of players your game is not up to its normal standard.

Umm well dealing with aggressive players does come with experience, at first it might be alot to take on board but as every game passes, you will learn your own style of dealing with it. People can tell you to do lots of things that may help, but might not be the solution for you. Expect a few crunching tackles, verbal abuse etc from opposition players at the start but later on you learn how to deal with them. In saying that i don't mean start throwing punches and so on lol.

Hmm...came across a few of these, its funny tho i think, grabbin their balls etc does work lol i must say, but the thing that really gets me as aggressive as them is when they foul me, that really pisses me off...especially when the ref doesnt give the foul....that gets me fired up big time, outside of football im a nice normal, non-violent(unless i really have to be) person, but when i get fired up at football i become the opposite, but of corz i dont go out swingin, throwin punches left right n centre...i channel it into football....somtimes if im fouled by an aggressive player who has been fouling my team mates etc, ill get up either push him n stare him dead in the eyes, square up head to head with him n put force onto his head showin your pissed off, or ill grab his shirt just below his throat n push him away, beleive me this works most of the time, ive done this to alot of aggressive players and most of them have said sorry about 5 minutes later and your not gonna get sent off for it most you'll get is a bookin if even that!...of corz u do get the occassional asshole who will continue fouling you and your team mates but sooner or later he will be sent off....but then sometimes u cant help doin more to these players due to frustration...the other week actually, one of my team-mates and also a really close friend outside of football, was pulled down n stamped on by one of there players, i left it, he got up and gave some back, then their most aggressive player(as i was told b4 the game) ran from behind me threw my team-mate on the ground n started kickin him, i made sure the ref wasnt lookin as the ball was up the other side of the pitch, i ran up vollyed this guy in the back of the legs and punched him in the back of the head, he didnt do nothin..the ref then came over i thought i was gettin sent off, but i never even got booked of corz i was lucky there id never do that unless i had to...and i would defenatly make sure the ref isnt lookin!...

In a match a few months ago I was playing in, a very heated contest, one of my teammates was badly tackled from behind, so he got up and pushed the guy, notifying the guy that he would not stand for that shit. How did the guy react? He instantly punched my team-mate in the face, really hard - it was a knock-out blow, literally.

So my team-mate collapsed fully on his back and his eyes rolled back into his head and he was unconcious for 2 mins. When he got up he had a huge lump on his cheek (the bone beneath the eye) and didn't know where he was.

On the way to the hospital he went back into unconciousness briefly, then woke up and vomited in the car. He had a concussion and was out of action for 5 weeks, still shaken up physically and mentally.

That game though, it has to be said, was really f-cked up. First of all, an official referee hadn't been organised (the home club is meant to - they f-cked up big time) so they got some dumb asshole to referee it and he wasn't even qualified, so he was making lots of stupid decisions..

Needless to say, the match was called off after the punching incident and while I was worried for my teammate's wellbeing I was just thinking "WTF WAS THAT!"

I think that's a rare incident, but it makes you think, if you react with a push you might get knocked out. Anyway, next season I'll be in a far more organised league which attracts reasonable attendences and players take it really seriously.

The guy who punched by teammate was banned for a year for playing football, and in the rematch of this fixture the opponents got all these new players (these really pro guys who killed us 4-1).

i rarley play important matches
so when there is an aggressive person i just dont go near him
because i used to be really brave and then i broke my ankle

Bark at them. Don't laugh, look pissed and bark at them.

There's alot of ways to throw people off their game, but I wouldn't suggest grabbing their balls,
Firstly, that's friggin nasty and Secondly in indoor (which is usually a lot rowdier)
Someone got their balls grabbed, started swearing and then punched the "ball grabber" right in the temple. He was bleeding and was taken out of the pitch and they got him ice and bandages.
I can't say I'd act much differently, and I'm usually calm on the field.

great advice mux.
being a sprinter, when i play indoor soccer i get hacked all the time like they do to C.Ronaldo. i'mnowhere as good as him but i'd say i'm a fair bit faster. what i normally do is not be afraid to get them back. say i've got the ball and i start running. somebody tries to block me off. i accelerate to full speed and turn my shoulder so it ends up being a really harsh sidebump with a lot of velocity to them (i'm not small either, most sprinters are very strong). basically i'm trying to send out the message that if you wanna hurt me, i'm going to forget about your safety. but against fair players, i would never do that.
i might start sticking out a few elbows from now on .

I would also suggest concentrating on your own game and not dividing your attention to try and wind other players up.

There was this lad, he is taller than me, but then again, he's a lanky streak of p1$$. Anyway, he kept pushing, pulling and sliding at me (he even went in 2 footed from behind, luckily he only clipped my leg, otherwise I'd be in real trouble) not once I reacted, but I was getting so frustrated. Anyway, from then on everytime he challenged me I stamped on his leg (I got away with it) I did it 4 or 5 times and he stopped challenging dirtily.

Well I have to admit I am a bit of a dirty player. When you are running and some guy tries to get to you, start holding your jersey, a little tap to the testicals would surely make him think twice about coming your way.

lol, very effective but its just not the right option, theres other ways to make players think twice bout coming your way such as solid tackling.

hahahahahhahahaha the funniest advice was to bark at them hahahaha
that is just so random lmao.
I just cope with aggresive players by giving as good as i get.

I think you'll just have to be composed rather than lose your cool and concentration of the game. Use your intelligence to outwit them. It's not always about being more aggressive and you'll get round them.

just laugh n nutmeg.

there was once a lanky prick, who tried kicking my d***, i turned around, pushed him to the ground, then he coudnt say sh*t.

i am very very used to this as i am 15 ,5'5", and 107 lbs. most people are bigger than me since i was 14 and a freshman starting for my varsity team which is 4-A and i got used to it. dont let it bother you but if it pushes me to far as i have a temper problem sometimes just knock them the fuck on thier ass, go shoulder first with all weight and nail him then he may respect you more but i dont exactly recommend that anymore as this year i broke a guys nose i dont know how and why bc he was nice but i took out my anger on him and now he is on my classic team.

Once a couple years ago, some guy attempted a knee on knee with me, and just grazed it luckily. Now, already having some slight knee problems, I was very pissed off at him, and the next time he got the ball, a couple minutes later, I did something quite similar to the Keane on Haaland tackle. I didn't totally mess his leg up, but he was in a fair bit of pain. Job well done. Needless to say he wasn't anywhere near me after that.

You have to be agresive in football, that`s the key. I hate to lose, and when I see we have problems, I become so pist off and be workhorse. If someone tackle me very hard or give me a kick in the leg or something, I will tackle them hard next time, but in a fair way. Someone say I might become angry, but actually is only fun I love it, play the Gattuso way with style
Players I admire in that case is: Gattuso and Haestad.

Cant believe people are advising to play dirty.. "Grab their balls and feel them up" wtf man.
I'm a striker that likes to dribble which means i get fouled alot. But when I go to ground, I dont care about winning any sympathy from the players or the ref and i get straight back up and chase after the ball.
Why you would want to retaliate and play dirty is beyong me, because that will make you the same as him.
I rather revenge by scoring a goal and doing something helpful for my team.
Remember that alot of young players read these forums so try be more sensible in giving them your "advice".

Grab someone's balls? WTF guys? If someone's being aggressive then you need to be aggressive right back to them. Do whatever they're doing to you. Otherwise, the best revenge is to score against them or just keep lifting your game. I don't think fondling the opposition is the real way to go.

Yeah, I wouldn't go with ball grabbing, but try steppin on their toes, and never get off their back. Give them a taste of their own medicine. When I play on the field, i just try to play my own game on offense, but when defending them, just annoy the heck out of them.

hhaa, grabbing balls!! where im from thats called being g*y...

Once in training there was a 50-50 ball about chest high and this player ad me both stuck our feet up to win it.. I won the ball and he said like wtf are you doing... So i said what was wrong with what i did... Anyway we kept playing and he kept going in hard to me... so after he did it twice, I felt like breaking his leg... Unfortunately my coach saw wat was happennig and made us jog around the pitch and apologise...

thats good, i think u should never try to injure someone or even think about it, be more agressive or try to be silky skilled if ur good enough.
lol grabbing balls wat fo u did that to the ref hahaha.

just try being a better trashtalker and deek him with some moves^

Thats what i was doing.... Like just touching the ball away from him but i knew he was coming for my legs...

not blowin my own trumpet or nuffin(i hav a gf for that) but i am quite short bein 16 and only 5 foot 5 and slim athletic build i always get kicked around but i have had an amazing season, i am no longer scared of injury i go in for anything now. recently we played yateley and ther player broke a player on my teams ankle with a dirrty challenge, this kid was huge but next tackle i went straight in and put him flat on his ass. i also love it winding players up, like proper actin gay like blowin them kisses or rubbin my leg for them works a charm. although if they get to angry and you aren't fully aware they will break you in half. happened to me he got a red card and a 8 game suspension with 60 quid fine. i was shaken for a bit but then scored the winning penalty woooo

I play in a league with players the same age as me, I have a reputation as a dirty player, I am not dirty but I don't let anyone get the better of me. I just let the opponents know i'm there by going into an early tackle and they never touch you for the rest of the game.
Im quite big but even if you're small it will work.

Nah, if it was sucking balls, then that would quite probably be gay.
I'd say grabbing would come under the heading "painful".

at the start of the game, when they got the ball, go in really hard, slide tackle them (fairly, but really hard) and intimidate them by showing confidence in yourself. if they are looking at you when the ball is not near you, put an angry face on like you are a serial killer or something, pretend to be really really angry and fired up like you are going to kill them.
i used to have this problem a lot when i was younger because i used to be small, so i used to do this technique. now, i have grown so i have no fear to 'step' to the guy if he tries something dirty to me. i do this - hold him by the neck, push him backwards while i am walking, and say "i will kill you", and he will back off forever.
dont hit the player, or you will get sent off!

yeahhh.....in most cases that whole 'going in early' thing will just get them angry and youl get realllll fucked up in about 2 minutes...

I play in a conference that consists entirely of inner city schools, so there are lots of dirty players, and lots of agressive players, and lots who are both dirty and agressive.

The best thing to do is if they are by you, dont run at them, just pass around them and create space.

Im not saying submit like a little girl. Hold your own and dont let them push you around really, but dont go out of your way to show them you mean business, that is not going to accomplish anything unless you enjoy ambulance rides.

if there is a referee around and there is no threat of violence, then you can counter aggressive play with aggressive play of your own, no matter how small you are, dont show you're scared as long as there are people around who will stop any fight which might break out

also having Phillipe Senderos like facial expressions will help...

I am a small guy and play LB, I have come across some very aggresive & tall Side Midfielders & Wingers and I always give a tough tackle at the beginning of the game so they know not to piss about with me, a hard tackle but not hard enough to foul them, take the ball but do it a bit rough.

Just play your own game and if he hits you hard dont react and let the ref handle it.

Dont go looking for him, if the oppurtunity comes to get him back but dont go out of your way to do him

All I do is be rough and school them.

And grab their balls