Inswinging Free-Kick Delivery to the Back Post
An in-swinging delivery curls toward goal, which terrifies keepers and turns half-clearances into own-goals or tap-ins. From a wide or half-wide free-kick, a good in-swinger to the back post is one of the highest-value deliveries in amateur football because it punishes any keeper who hesitates. The key is flight and pace: high enough to clear the front defenders, with enough zip that a flick or a stretched leg redirects it home. Get the ball, the runs and the spin pulling in the same direction.
Open this routine on the free board — drag the players, draw your own runs, no account.
Match the kicker's foot to the side
An in-swinger needs the ball curling toward goal, so the kicking foot must be the one that bends it inward from that flank. From the attacking left, a right-footer delivers an in-swinger; from the right, a left-footer does. If you only have a right-footer, take in-swingers from the left and out-swingers from the right, and plan your runners accordingly. Get this wrong and your 'in-swinger' is actually curling away from goal, which is far easier to defend. Note your two best deliverers and which side each one whips in from.
Flight, pace and the danger zone
Aim for the corridor between the penalty spot and the six-yard box, drifting toward the back post. That zone is too deep for the keeper to claim comfortably but close enough that any touch is on target. The ball should be struck firm and flat-ish, clearing the first defender's head by a yard, not a lofted hang-ball the keeper can settle under. Pace is your friend: a quick, curling ball forces rushed decisions. Under-hit it and you invite a comfortable catch; over-cook the height and you let everyone get set under it.
Load the back post with staggered runners
Two runners beat one. Stagger them: a near-post attacker arrives first to flick on or drag a marker, and a back-post runner attacks the actual target a beat later. The back-post run should start from inside and arc outward and back, so the player attacks the ball moving toward goal with momentum, not standing still. A third option lurks centrally for any flick-on or knockdown. Decoys matter here: the near-post runner doesn't need to reach it, just to occupy a defender and the keeper's attention so the real target is free.
Drag the keeper and rehearse the timing
A keeper rooted to the line is hard to beat, so make them choose. Put one attacker right on the keeper, legally, to occupy them at the front of the six-yard box; a keeper worried about a near-post ball is slow to cover the back post. The whole thing lives or dies on timing, so rehearse it: runners trigger off the kicker's contact, not before. The classic error is the back-post runner arriving early and either being offside or having to stop and wait. Practise until the curl and the run meet at the same point.
Key points
- Right-footer in-swings from the left; left-footer from the right.
- Target the corridor between penalty spot and six-yard box.
- Strike it firm and flat-ish, clearing the first defender by a yard.
- Stagger near- and back-post runners; one can be a pure decoy.
- Occupy the keeper at the near post to free the back post.
- Trigger runs off the kicker's contact to avoid offside.
Common questions
What's the difference between an in-swinger and an out-swinger?
An in-swinger curls toward the goal and keeper; an out-swinger curls away from goal, toward the edge of the box. In-swingers pressure the keeper; out-swingers favour attackers running onto the ball.
We only have a right-footed taker, can we still in-swing to the back post?
Yes, take your in-swingers from the left side and your out-swingers from the right, then position your runners to suit each delivery.
How firm should the in-swinger be?
Firm enough to clear the first defender by about a yard and force rushed decisions, but not so high the keeper can settle and claim it.