If you are a defender, it is important to keep your eyes on the striker who will be the main person the ball will come to. To be effective you will need to be on guard to ensure that he does not get a free run with the ball. Always pressure him and do not give him too much space to move around your D box.

Because you are the defender, ensure that your tackles are accurate. Unless you are very sure you will get the ball, he will invite the opponents to fall down or dive and get a free kick. Any free kicks, whether direct or indirect will be a good chance for them to score. To do this, always keep your eyes on the ball because it is the ball you want and not the player. Remember to be intimidating by moving sideways all the time. This will confuse the striker who might just end up running into you.

In recent years, many teams are playing the 4-0 formation which was made popular by the Spain national futsal team. This is where they play in a horizontal line where each player takes on the role of defender, midfielder and forwards respectively. The 3-1 formation too is common where the pivot forward plays on the center with the other 3 feeding the ball and play supporting roles to him. The 2-2 formation is where the team goes around in a single unit, passing the ball around them very much like a training session, seizing and taking a scoring opportunity when it comes. Teams that deploy wingers will use the 1-2-1 formation.

Futsal does not have the luxury of playing the ball for too long because it will only invite the opponent team to surge forward to try and steal the ball from your team. In Brazil, it is a game played by the kids before they mature into the full football game. Therefore, it is essential that in order to play futsal, you will have to start moving the ball around very quickly while knowing where your teammates are. Instinct is very important and it takes a lot of understanding in order to stage an effective attack that will end up with a goal against your opponents.

On top of that, the goalkeeper is not allowed to hold the ball using any part of his body for more than 4 seconds. He is also not allowed to touch the ball using any of his body parts after he passes the ball out and has not left his half of the pitch or touched by the opponent. The keeper cannot touch the ball in his half for more than 4 seconds regardless of which part of his body is in possession of the ball. If the ball is passed to him by his teammate, the 4 second rule starts.

So what is it that you should do when you get that opportunity? Truth is, one-on-one situations looks easy but it is actually harder than it seems. So some of the tricks that you must have when you are in that situation is to aim for the bottom corner but this is much easier if you are running from the wing position. Here you can easily shoot the ball towards the far corner. However, if you are running from the middle, then this might not be your game plan because there is a high chance you will shoot wide. Ultimately, stay calm and cool and then tap the ball, there is no need to blast the ball too hard.

The Goalkeeper is very much like the standard football position but takes on more defensive roles in many situations. Hence he will always be seen coming out of the penalty box where he cannot use his hands and take on the role of a defender.

The defender is an outfield player whose role is to break down the attack of the opposing team. Here is where the defender will do their best to hold the fortress against the team who is attempting to score and to cover the goalkeeper. Wingers are often deployed to feed the ball for the strikers to score. Called the Pivot, they take on the role of the forward as well as the midfields in the game where they are usually also the playmaker for the team.

If a team has accumulated 5 fouls, starting from the sixth foul, they will not be allowed to form a defensive wall. The goalkeeper must always be at least 5 meters from the ball and all other players must be behind the parallel line of the ball before the penalty kick is taken.
In football, backpasses to the goalkeeper is not allowed while in Futsal, the goalkeeper cannot use his hands or legs to receive a ball that he sent out to his own players unless it has already been touched by the opposing team.

If the ball passes the touchlines (out) then it is considered out and then a kick-in is awarded to the opposing team. It must be stationary before it is kicked. If the ball hits the roof, it is considered out of play and the opposing team is allowed to kick-start the ball. Fouls and misconducts too are awarded kick-offs similar to this. A penalty can only be taken with a one step kick towards the goal mouth.  As it is a very fast paced game, Futsal is played in 20 minutes of 2 halves bringing the total to 40 minutes. The game time could be extended accordingly by the referee as time will be stopped during kick-ins, penalties or free kicks.

Apart from the size of the pitch, which is about a quarter of the full football field of the standard game, it is played with lesser players on each team. While the standard football game is a game of strategy and is considered slower in many ways because the players are able to plan their move and attack, futsal is very fast paced and requires more accuracy and creativity. In fact, it is said that futsal is a game which is being played by famous footballers like Michael Owen, Lionel Messi and others to sharpen their dribbling skills as well as their techniques because they have more limited spaces to move around and hence would have to be able to make do with what they have.