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Home/Training Drills/Set Pieces Drills/Long Throw-In Routine
Set PiecesIntermediate

Long Throw-In Routine

Create a chance from a long throw. Thrower: launch it flat and far to the near-post zone. Target: attack the ball with a hard run and head it down into the danger area. Runner: gamble on the knockdown and finish first time.

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Live animationSET
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
4
Recommended
Pitch
44 × 36 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format

Setup & instructions

A thrower launches a long, flat throw into the near-post zone; a target man attacks it and heads it down or flicks it on, and runners crash the box to finish and gamble on second balls. Throw it flat and fast, not looped. The target starts three steps out and runs onto the ball. Rehearse it as a named routine and rotate roles.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Delivered flat and fast into the near-post zone, a long throw is effectively a corner that cannot be offside, and against sides that defend it badly it is one of the highest-value weapons a team can own. It is also badly misunderstood, because most players who can throw a long way throw it high.

Height is the enemy. A ball that loops gives defenders and the keeper time to judge it, position under it, and attack it with a run, which are all the things a defence wants. A flat, fast throw arrives on a trajectory people find genuinely hard to read, cannot be caught comfortably by a keeper who would have to come through bodies to reach it, and only needs a touch to become dangerous.

The target's job is the same as at a near-post corner. He is not trying to score, he is trying to make contact and redirect, flicking the ball on across the six-yard box or knocking it down into the crowd. A defence set up to deal with the throw is rarely set up to deal with the ball travelling on afterwards.

That is why the gamblers matter more than the target. Two players attacking the space behind the near-post contact, at the far post and around the penalty spot, convert most of the chances this routine creates. Without them the flick simply lands in an empty area and the throw achieves nothing.

If the team has no genuine long thrower, do not manufacture one. A short throw executed well beats a long one that reaches the first defender.

How to run this drill

  1. Identify a genuine long thrower. The routine needs a throw that reaches the near-post zone flat. Without one, use a short throw well rather than manufacturing a weapon the team does not have.
  2. Throw it flat and fast, never high. A looping ball gives the keeper and defenders time to judge and attack it. A flat trajectory is hard to read and needs only a touch to become dangerous.
  3. Aim for the near-post zone. The area a keeper cannot come for through bodies and a defender can only head towards his own goal. Overthrowing it into the middle hands him a comfortable claim.
  4. Target attacks the ball to flick it on. He is redirecting, not scoring. A hard run to make contact and send the ball on across the box turns a defended throw into an undefended second ball.
  5. Post two gamblers behind the flick. One at the far post, one around the penalty spot. Most goals from this routine come from the knockdown, and without runners the flick lands in empty space.
  6. Keep a player out for the clearance. Long throws commit bodies forward. One player holding position outside the box wins the header that comes back out and stops the counter before it starts.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Throw it flat and fast: a low trajectory is hard to judge and easy to attack
  • Aim the throw for the near-post zone or the penalty spot
  • Target attacks the ball with a hard run, never waits for it
  • Head it down into the danger area, or flick it on to the far post
  • Runners gamble on the knockdown and the second ball
  • Finish first time: it is chaos in there, so react fastest

Common mistakes

  • A looped, slow throw the keeper can claim
  • The target standing still and letting a defender step in front
  • Runners arriving too early, before the knockdown
  • No rehearsed roles, so the box is chaos with no end product

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add defenders and a keeper commanding the box
  • Vary it: near-post flick on, or a knockdown to the edge for a striker
  • Add a second-phase shooter on the edge for the cleared ball

Regressions

  • Throw by hand at a gentler pace to groove the attack on the ball
  • Unopposed to rehearse the movement and the roles
  • Walk the routine and the runs before adding pace
Equipment
Cones×1
Full Goals×1
Markers×1
Tactical principles
long throw inlong throw routinethrow in drillset piece drillflick onnear post throwattacking set piecesthrow in to the boxsecond ballu12 set piece drill
Audience
U11-U12

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