Set-Piece Game: Every Restart Is a Chance
4v4 with goalkeepers where every restart is taken as a real throw-in, corner or free kick, and goals from set pieces count double.
- Age
- U9–U14
- Players
- 8–12
- Duration
- 18 min
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Intensity
- Medium
- Area
- 40 × 25 m
- Type
- Tactical
- Approach
- Global
- Format
- Match
- Objectives
- Technical: Finishing
- Tactical: Set pieces, Decision making
- Concepts worked on
- Technical:Shooting
- Tactical:Set-piece routinesFinding free spaceMarking
Training diagram
Corner for blue: one player offers short, two attack the posts.
Legend
- Attacker
- Defender
- Goalkeeper
- Pass
- Run without ball
- Shot
- Ball
- Cone
- Goal
Young teams lose many balls at throw-ins and waste corners because restarts are never practised in a game. In this match every time the ball goes out it is restarted properly and quickly, and the coach adds free kicks with the whistle. Scoring straight from a set piece is worth double, so both teams pay attention: the attackers organise the restart and the defenders mark.
Objective
Take throw-ins, corners and free kicks quickly and with a plan, and defend them by marking, during a real game.
Organisation
- 40 × 25 m pitch with a goal and goalkeeper at each end.
- Two teams of four (three with 8 players). Spare balls around the pitch.
- Before starting, agree one simple plan per restart: who takes it and who offers short.
How it works
- Every ball that goes out is restarted as in a match: throw-in, corner or goal kick.
- Twice per minute the coach whistles a free kick for the team with the ball at that spot.
- A goal within three passes of a set piece counts 2; any other goal counts 1.
- Restarts must be taken within 5 seconds. 3 rounds of 5 minutes.
Coaching points
- Throw-in: both feet on the ground, ball from behind the head, thrown to the feet of a free teammate.
- The nearest teammate offers short; another moves away to create space.
- Corner: one player offers short, two attack the near and far post.
- Defending: each player picks an opponent before the ball is played.
- Restart quickly while the opponents are still organising.
Progressions
- Goals from set pieces count triple.
- Each team must use its agreed plan for the corner.
- Play 5v5 on a 45 × 30 m pitch.
Regressions
- Throw-ins can be replaced by a kick-in for the youngest groups.
- No time limit to take the restart.
- The coach announces the free kick a few seconds in advance.
Variations
- Free kicks are indirect: the first touch must be a pass.
Key principles
- Restart quickly.
- Every restart has a plan.
- Mark before the ball is played.
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