The Long Throw
In the final third, a long throw is a free corner the rules let you take by hand.
Launch a flat long throw to a target at the near post, flick it on across the six-yard box, and crash runners onto the second ball.
The setup
A long-throw specialist sets up deep on the touchline; a target stands at the near post with runners behind.
The movement
The flat throw hits the target, who flicks it across goal for crashing runners to finish from close range.
Why it works
A long throw is the only delivery into the box that cannot be offside. That single fact changes how the defence has to set up: they cannot push a line and catch anybody, so they are forced to mark bodies inside their own area with no way of squeezing the space. It also arrives flat and fast rather than hanging, so a keeper who would comfortably claim a floated corner is left on their line.
For an amateur side this is one of the few set pieces where the advantage is durable. Delivery from a corner depends on a good striker of the ball, and if that player is missing the routine goes with them — but a long throw depends on a specific, trainable, physical skill that one player either has or can develop, and it does not degrade under pressure or in bad weather. If you have a thrower who can reach the near post, you have a weapon in every match regardless of who else is available.
Coaching points
- The target’s only job is to win the first contact and glance it on — not to score.
- Throw it flat and fast; loop gives defenders time to attack the ball first.
- Two runners crash the six-yard box to pounce on the flick and the second ball.
Common mistakes
- Throwing to a crowd. The target has to be attacking a specific point, and everyone else has to be arriving behind that point — a throw into six milling players is a clearance.
- A looping throw. Height gives the keeper time to come and claim; the throw should be flat and hard enough that it is still rising as it reaches the near post.
- Forgetting the second ball. The most common outcome of a long throw is a partial clearance to the edge of the area, and if nobody is stationed there you have handed possession away in a dangerous spot.
- Leaving nobody back. There is no offside on a throw, so a defence that wins it can break with your whole team in their box. One player stays out.
- Taking the towel for granted. In wet weather a thrower who cannot dry the ball loses several metres, and most amateur pitches have nothing on the touchline to dry it with.
How to drill it
Train the throw itself separately from the routine, because it is a physical skill with a technique. Mark a target zone at the near post and have the thrower work through sets of eight to ten, measuring how many land in the zone flat. Distance improves quickly with the run-up and the arch of the back; accuracy takes longer.
Once the delivery is reliable, add the target and one runner and rehearse the flick across goal, then build up to a full box. Finish every repetition by playing the second ball live from the edge of the area, so the habit of following in is trained at the same time as the routine.
Common questions
Can you be offside from a throw-in?
No. A player cannot be offside directly from a throw-in, which is what makes the long throw so awkward to defend — the defending side cannot use a high line to squeeze the space in front of goal.
How far does the thrower need to reach?
Far enough to hit the near post flat from the touchline in the attacking third. The exact distance depends on where you take it from; if the thrower cannot reach the near post, take the throw further forward rather than looping it.
Is it worth building a routine around one player?
It is one of the few cases where the answer is yes, because the skill is trainable and does not depend on match conditions. It is still worth developing a second thrower, because a routine that disappears when one player is injured or suspended is not a routine.
Category: Throw-In
Open this routine on the free board — move the players, draw your own runs, share it with your squad.