Soccer Throw-in Drills Articles | Soccer

By: Scott Carlson

Many coaches treat throw-ins as if they were a small component of the game and spend little time with their team in practice covering the concept. While you should spend very little time practicing the act of throwing the ball, it is important for your players to understand what constitutes a legal throw in, and what their priorities should be when they take one.

Especially in the defensive third of the field, maintaining possession of the ball or clearing it way out of the defensive third should be of the highest concern. Players should try to throw the ball to a wide-open teammate who can take possession of it without heavy pressure from, defenders.

In the deep defensive third, throwing the ball to the goalie is also a viable option. Emphasis possession of the ball and low risk passes that are unlikely to get stolen. If every option is covered because all of your teammates are marked, a throw up the line to a teammate who can either take control, or clear it entirely.

On offense, many scoring opportunities can take shape from quick throw. The combination of an immediate throw-in and a sleeping defender is a recipe for a great chance at putting the ball in the back of the net. Make sure your team understands that there is no offside on a throw in, so if the defense is caught sleeping up the field, throw it in fast and go to goal.

Spending time practicing throw-ins is not necessary as long as your players perform legal throw-ins that are effective given the situation and field position. On defense, this means not losing the ball where it can be stole by an opponent in the area around the goal. When you are attacking, you can be more risky and try to throw the ball into open space and make a run or simply maintain possession and move the ball around until an opportunity develops. Get more Practice Plans & Coaching Advice