How to Build a Set-Piece Playbook From Scratch
A set-piece playbook sounds like something only pro clubs have, but it is just a clear record of what your team does on each dead ball, so players are not improvising every week. You do not need fifty routines. You need a handful your players know cold, written down in a way they can see and remember. This guide walks you through building one from nothing: how many routines you actually need, how to choose them for your squad, and how to store and share it so it survives changes in players and lives beyond the back of your head.
Open this routine on the free board — drag the players, draw your own runs, no account.
Start with five routines, not fifty
A usable first playbook has roughly five entries: one attacking corner, one defending corner setup, one attacking free-kick routine, one defending wall routine, and one throw-in routine. That is it. Five things your players can genuinely learn beats fifty they will never remember. Add a second attacking corner only once the first is automatic in matches. Resist copying ten clever routines off social media; a playbook is only as good as what your specific players can execute under pressure with the time you have. Build for your squad, not for a highlight reel. Once these five are reliable, you have a real competitive edge that most amateur opponents simply do not possess.
Choose routines that fit your players
Pick routines around the players you actually have, not the team you wish you had. Got a tall, brave centre-back? Build a corner that delivers to his head. Got a long thrower? A throw-in routine is free goals. Got a precise passer but no aerial threat? Lean on worked short corners and free kicks played to feet on the edge of the box. For each entry, decide the delivery type, the target zone, the runs, and who stays back. Sketch it once so the movement is fixed, then it is yours to refine. The best playbook is the one matched to your squad's strengths, because that is the one that produces goals rather than pretty diagrams.
Store it so it survives the season
A playbook in your head dies the week you are away or a key player leaves. Get it out of your head and into a shared, visual form. A purpose-built tool like Settik lets you draw each routine on a real pitch, label every player's run, and share a link to the group chat so players review it on their phones. If you prefer paper, keep a clearly labelled diagram per routine in a folder you bring to every game. Give each routine a short, memorable name your players can shout, like Near Post or Short. Whatever the format, the rules are: one diagram per routine, named, dated, and accessible to your assistant and players, not just you.
Key points
- Begin with about five routines covering each main set-piece situation.
- Add new routines only once the existing ones are automatic in matches.
- Choose routines around your actual players' strengths, not copied highlights.
- Fix each routine: delivery, target zone, runs, and who stays back.
- Store it visually and share it so it survives absences and player changes.
- Give every routine a short, shoutable name.
Common questions
How many routines should a first playbook have?
About five: one attacking corner, one defending corner setup, one attacking free kick, one defending wall, and one throw-in. Master those before adding more.
Paper or an app?
Either works if it is shared and visual. An app like Settik lets players review diagrams on their phones; a labelled paper folder works too. The key is that it lives outside your own head.