The humble throw-in isn't, in my opinion, given the respect and attention it deserves in football. The most awarded set play during a game of football and it's rarely practised at youth level, nor is it given the respect it is due by professional clubs when measured against the far more valued corner kick. Even in today's world of possession based soccer, we give the ball away approximately 50% of the time from throw-ins. That seems to have been the accepted norm for as long as people have been playing the sport. Well, not in Eyebrow's world! Seriously, the throw-in, if used properly is an utterly devastating set-piece. Not just the long, flat, bombardment into the penalty box, but for a host of other scenario's too. It can be phenomenal for dragging opposition out of a stable defensive shape before a quick shift of play is utilised. Coaches need to coach the basic mechanics of the throw-in at a young age (9 or 10), before going into the tactical benefit of this undervalued set piece. This cannot be achieved without quality coaching. Well recently, I Attended a seminar by this guy, Thomas Gronnemark, which really opened my eyes. This guy has devoted his life to perfecting and optimising the throw-in. Catch him on YouTube, go to a seminar if he's in the States, or read what he has to say online. However you do it, just listen Spread the word; spread the love for the humble throw-in.
In your experience, is tackling taught well at the youth level? A friend and I--who used to be fellow soccer parents--used to talk youth soccer after our weekly indoor game (back when I could play) and that was one thing we talked about a lot; it didn't seem like young players knew how to tackle correctly.
I agree the 50% retention stat is pretty sad….it would seem that most throw-ins, especially between the boxes, could/should be played backward in order retain possession…yet, most throw-ins seem to be aggressively thrown forward or into contested space, resulting in the aforementioned stat…not sure why that is, but as mentioned, it seems long established and taken for granted…. The long attacking set-piece throw-ins is an oddity…I see it infrequently by a few teams…not sure what to make of it…the whole flip throw is kinda cool, but it also come across as a gimmick that rarely seems to works…to be honest, my perception is that such throw-ins are not something “quality” teams do…more of a gimmicky, desperate move lesser team employ…
Agree 100% that this is a vastly underutilized set piece opportunity. It should be treated not much different than a free kick in terms of value.
His senior year, my son's HS team (and yes--it's HS soccer, so nobody except Barcelona out there) got eliminated from the playoffs by a team that they should have played off the field, but for the fact that his team was just starting to gel (they had a first-year coach who inherited a REALLY big roster with no input from the previous coach, so he really hadn't settled on tactics, a starting formation, or even a starting 11 until the very end of the season, so they were still were a work in progress--that night they were all over the other team but never quite sorted out how to finish the chances they were creating). The other team defended OK but their only offensive "tactic" seemed to be to win throw-ins in the final third, crowd as many bodies as they could into the six-yard box, and then have one kid with hella good arm strength hoof it right into the mix. They did that well over a dozen times. Finally, in overtime, it worked out for them, and they won 1-0. It was, on the one hand, obviously disappointing for his team. And it wasn't an impressive win at all--I'm sure my son's team could've easily won it in regulation had they just had a couple games under their belt with that lineup in that formation (not knocking the coach, mind you--he had a LOT of kids to work with and no history with any of them, can't blame him for needing almost the whole season to figure out what his best lineup was and how they should play). On the other hand... the other team wasn't good, and they didn't play much in the way of decent soccer, but they identified throw-ins as a weapon thanks to this one kid, and--they won, and they got to go on in the playoffs. So, yeah--set pieces are nothing to sneeze at. Making the most of a throw in indeed should be coached better.
I see this long throw used all the time in high school games. I will usually check out the so called best high school teams in the area and pretty much every throw in near the box is a long throw in the mixer. It is usually the same kid so when the ball goes out of bounds fans have to wait until this kid runs over to the touch line to do this amazing bomb throw in. Because these teams have no technical ability this is how these games are decided by these long throw ins.
So, this begs the question, is this a good, sound tactic or something more along the lines of kick and run? Personally I am not sure yet; I could see augments made both ways…
I'd be concerned if my kid's team was relying on this at the youth level since it's probably not sustainable and you'll eventually be exposed by a team that can play. But at the HS level you're ultimately judged by wins and losses in a compressed season. If this is your best way of creating scoring chances why wouldn't you do it? I'd applaud the coach for recognizing where he has a tactical advantage and pressing it, much like we applaud coaches in other sports who adjust their tactics to their team's strengths and weaknesses.
The objective is to gain an advantage against the other team. The word "creative" is used a lot in youth soccer. Applies to throw ins too.
But to play devil’s advocate, kick and run is used to create an advantage, but it’s generally regarded as an inferior tactic that leads to poor skills/soccer development, especially if over relied upon…
I have the same view of this as above. I'd be concerned at the youth level because either i) the speed disparity will compress as they get older or ii) older teams figure out who the fast kid is and adjust accordingly, so it's not likely to work forever. But if it's still effective at the HS level and that's your advantage over an opponent, why wouldn't you play that way?
Fair and strong point…the only counter I can really make would be that such tactics/play continues/reinforces the stigma that HS soccer is, well, crap soccer… not saying it’s the strongest augment….
Yup, you're probably right. My overall point is that I might be concerned with a youth team pressing some tactical advantage (depending on what it is) since it may stunt the players' overall growth, which should be the primary focus. But in HS, winning takes on more importance (which isn't to say it's the only focus) and if a coach or team has a tactical advantage which may not fit squarely into the idealized version of possession soccer currently in vogue, they should have no issue pressing it.
It's A good tactic; the problem was that in the case of the team above, it appeared to be their only one.
So, here's a newbie question. My daughter makes alot of throw ins, but her coach hasn't really given much direction on it. Its either "down the line" or "throw it at" somebody. The former works sometimes, but the vast majority of the occasions she throws it TO a teammate, possession gets lost in the time required to settle the ball. I have told her to throw to upfield space...put the ball in play where a teammate has a chance to take it on the move and attack upfield. Thoughts?
For the latter, it's probably a matter of her teammates learning to trap and receive the ball better. Is your daughter throwing it to their feet? Chest?
Chest usually, but I don’t think it matters that much…by the time she runs the ball down and gets set to throw, there is a pack of eight girls waiting on it. It’s a 50/50 ball at best, which is why I told her to throw into space unless somebody is unmarked.
Best bet are quick throw ins so for player closest to the ball, try to catch the other team unprepared. In youth games, crazy how many opportunities are lost waiting for the fullback to run up the field to do the throw in. Othewise, it's more important for the fielding players to find space to give themselves a better chance of settling the ball. So planning runs, communicating and practicing ahead helps. I think throwing into space as stated is a good start in being proactive.
IKR? We literally won a tournament game about a year ago by changing this up. My daughter was guest-playing for another team, who's coach let her play some MF. On our way to the game I told her that in instances where we had a throw-in on their end of the field, to just pick it and throw it if she was close to the ball. Sure enough...we're tied late, and the ball goes out off on the opposing team, and everybody on the field goes into stasis while the LB comes trotting dutifully upfield for the throw. Daughter has a moment of clarity where she finally recalls something thing I have told her during her lifetime, grabs the ball and flings it into the box. One of our FWDs sprints up and taps it in FTW.