7v7 Soccer Throw-In Tactics — Youth Coaching Tips & Drills

What should I do on a throw in? The touchline is the longest line on the sides of our rectangular soccer field. If the ball rolls over the touchline during a game, the referee will call for a throw-in. The team that touched the ball last has to defend the throw-in. To do a throw incorrectly, you need to have both feet touching the ground and throw the ball with both hands over your head. You can run towards the touchline, but you can't step over it until the ball is out of your hands. Running before you throw can help you throw the ball farther, but it can be tricky to keep your balance with both feet on the ground. That's why many players drag their toe while they take their last step to help them stay balanced. If you do not do a proper throw in, the other team will get a chance to throw it in.

There are about 40 to 50 throw-ins during a professional soccer game, so we'll be doing a lot of them in our games too. Sometimes teams throw the ball without a plan and end up losing it to the other team. But if we work together and follow the same plan, we have a better chance of keeping the ball and maybe even scoring a goal.

So what's our plan for throw-ins? No matter where the throw-in happens, we will always use the same setup with three players ready to catch the ball. One player should be up the field, ready to run toward the ball if it's thrown down the line. Another player should stand across from the thrower, and the third player should be diagonally behind the thrower. All three players need to be close enough to receive the throw-in.

When doing a throw-in, the first thing we should look for is a chance to quickly throw the ball down the sideline to the forward player who can dribble up the field. This player might be open for just a moment, so don't wait. If that player is covered by the other team, our next choice is to throw the ball to the player diagonally behind us. This player is usually open and can pass the ball to a defender or our goalkeeper to quickly move it to the other side of the field where we have more teammates. Our last option is to throw the ball to the player in front of us. This player might be closely guarded, but if they move fast to get the ball, they can pass it back to the thrower and then we can start our attack.

When doing a throw-in, it's smart to be a little tricky. We can get a big advantage by grabbing the ball quickly and throwing it to an open teammate. Another good trick is to pretend to throw the ball one way and then quickly throw it in a different direction to surprise the other team. But it's not just the thrower who can be sneaky. The players waiting for the throw can take a few quick steps away from where they actually want the ball and then quickly run back the other way. This can make the defender move away from where we really want to get the ball.

Once the ball is back in play, we can use our passing triangles to find a good spot with more teammates than opponents to begin a dangerous attack.

Quiz question. If it is our throw-in, how many options should we give our team member throwing the ball? If you said three, you are correct. Most times we will ask our outside midfielder to throw the ball. This means that we will need the striker to be an option for a throw down the sideline, our center midfielder to be the middle option, ready to pass it back to the thrower. Finally, our defender on that side can be the third option.

There will be many opportunities to throw the ball in each game. Let's use this plan with three options, along with some tricky ideas to help us begin our attack.