Dead-Ball Details

Free goals and free saves — sharpen the corners, free-kicks and the marking that stops them.

Soccer
Adult
75 min
16–24 players
1 coach
Effort 3/5
Half pitch with a goal
adult
set-pieces
corners
free-kicks
defending

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: 16 footballs, 30 cones, two goals, keepers, bibs in two colours, a mannequin or spare players for a wall

Warm-up12 min

Delivery and Movement

Setup: Split into groups near the edge of the box. Balls in supply. Keepers warming their handling in goal. The player-coach keeps it flowing.

How it works: Warm the body and the dead-ball skills together. Start with jogging exchanges and dynamic stretches. Then strikers practise the delivery that set pieces need: a whipped ball to a marked spot, in-swinging then out-swinging, both from the corner arc and from wide free-kick angles. Runners time a jog-and-attack onto the near post and far post so the deliverers get a moving target. No jumping to win it yet, just timing and quality of strike.

What to say

“Tell them: 'pick your spot before you strike — deliver to a target, not just into the mixer.'”
“Say: 'pace on the ball beats a floated one — make the keeper decide in a hurry.'”
“Runners: 'start your run late, arrive on the ball, do not stand and wait for it.'”

Easier

Deliver to static cones to groove the strike before adding runners.

Harder

Call the target zone out loud a beat before delivery so the deliverer must adjust.

Activity16 min

Attacking Corners

Setup: A goal with a keeper. A deliverer at the corner arc, a stack of balls. Attackers set in their routine positions, a couple of defenders to make first contact realistic.

How it works: Drill two clear routines rather than a scramble. First, the near-post flick: a runner attacks the near post to glance it on for two runners arriving at the back post. Second, the far-post overload: three attackers start central and time a run to attack the far post together. Rotate the delivery in-swinging and out-swinging, and add a short-corner option so the defence cannot settle. Deliver, attack, reset quickly, and keep count of clean contacts on target.

What to say

“Say: 'attack the ball at pace — the still man never wins the header.'”
“Tell them: 'first contact is everything; get across your marker to meet it.'”
“Keep the routine simple and rehearsed so everyone knows their job on Saturday.”

Easier

No defenders, so the runs and timing can be grooved cleanly first.

Harder

Full defensive set-up marking the routine, so it must beat real bodies.

Activity16 min

Defending the Box

Setup: The same goal and keeper. Now the focus flips: a defensive unit sets up to defend corners and wide free-kicks delivered by two servers with a supply of balls. Attackers try the routines from the last block.

How it works: Set the defensive plan and rehearse it until it is automatic. A blend works well for amateur teams: a keeper who commands the six-yard box, two players zonal on the near and far posts, the rest picking up the dangerous men tight and goal-side. On delivery, attack the ball first — head it high, far and wide — and then everyone sprints out together to squeeze the second ball and beat the follow-up shot. Rotate deliveries and demand the same organised response every time.

What to say

“Tell them: 'pick up your man early, get goal-side and touch-tight before the ball is struck.'”
“Say: 'attack the ball to clear it — head it high, far and wide, never square across your own goal.'”
“After the clear: 'everybody out together, quick, and the second ball is ours.'”

Easier

Deliveries to set zones only, so the unit grooves its jobs without chaos.

Harder

Add short-corner and disguised routines so the defence must communicate and adjust live.

The rest of this session is free — along with 3 more this week.

PitchPlans coaching team

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