Week 8

Outcomes

• ✓Players can deliver an in-swinging corner accurately to the near-post zone
• ✓Players can execute a near-post dummy run while a teammate attacks the far post
• ✓Players can set up and strike a free kick with power and dip from 20–25 yds
• ✓Players can identify their designated set-piece role and arrive at the right zone on time

Equipment

• 12 balls
• 20 cones
• 6 pinnies
• 2 full-size goals
• 1 whiteboard

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & FIFA 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Penalty area and surrounding space. Players moving freely.

   How to run it: Players juggle freely for 2 min to activate touch. Progress through FIFA 11+ sequence: hip circles, side-shuffles leading into jumping headers at a partner's throw, slow Nordic hamstring holds (partner-assisted, 3 reps), lateral jumps over a cone. Finish with 3 bounding runs at 70% from the top of the area to the halfway line.

   • ›Jumping headers: take off on one foot, drive both knees, attack the ball at the peak
   • ›Lateral jumps: land athletically — absorb force, don't crash
   • ›Nordic holds: lower slowly for 3 full seconds — the eccentric phase is where the value is

2. 2. Technical Practice – Corner Delivery Mechanics

   15m

   Set up: Both corner flags. 2 designated delivery players, 6 runners in the box, 1 passive GK.

   How to run it: Deliverer practises the in-swinging corner: approach from 45°, inside of the foot, aim for the near-post zone 6 yds out. Runners run set routes: player 1 = near post dummy, player 2 = near post attack, players 3–4 = back post, players 5–6 = edge of the area second ball. Run 10 corners from each flag. Coach adjusts delivery player's run-up angle after each set.

   • ›In-swinger: contact point is inside-of-foot, striking through the outside of the ball
   • ›Dummy runner: sell the near-post run fully before peeling away — don't half-run it
   • ›Back-post runner: start your run late and arrive early — opposite of the front-post runner
   • ›Delivery height: waist to chest height beats GKs who come to punch at shoulder height

3. 3. Skill Game – Set Piece Scenario Training

   15m

   Set up: Full attacking third. 6 attackers vs 5 defenders + GK. Coach assigns a corner routine before each sequence.

   How to run it: Coach announces which routine before each corner: Routine A (near-post flick-on), Routine B (back-post header), Routine C (short corner combination). Attackers execute; defenders defend with a zonal system. Rotate the delivery player and mix the routines unpredictably. Play 12 sequences.

   • ›Attackers: once you know the routine, commit to it fully — hesitation kills set pieces
   • ›Defenders: in zonal marking, your job is to own your zone — don't be pulled out of it
   • ›Short corner: the third man must have already made the run before the two touch

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Set Piece Bonus Game

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch. Two teams of 7. Any foul in the final third results in a free kick that must be taken as a set routine (teams have a designated routine they've agreed before the game).

   How to run it: Normal play. Every free kick and corner in the attacking third is an opportunity to execute a set piece. Coach tracks set pieces taken and how many lead to shots or goals. Award 3 points for a goal from a set piece, 1 point for a shot on target from a set piece. Normal goals = 2 points.

   • ›Set pieces are free opportunities — treat every one as a chance to score
   • ›Defensive set pieces: assign each player a zone or man before the game — know your job
   • ›Free kick shooter: one clear ball placement, one deep breath, commit to the target corner

5. 5. Scrimmage – Free Play with Set Pieces

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch, normal rules, both GKs.

   How to run it: Normal scrimmage. Every corner and free kick near goal should trigger the player's memory of the routines practised today. Coach observes how many players remember their roles without prompting. End the scrimmage early if a set piece goal is scored — celebrate it enthusiastically.

   • ›Set piece goals change games — the team that practises them wins the tight matches
   • ›Defending set pieces: concentration, communication, and commitment — all three start with C

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players gathered at the corner flag.

   How to run it: Static stretching led by a player: shoulder reach, hip flexor, quad, hamstring. Coach draws the 3 corner routines on the whiteboard. Each player points to their zone in each routine. Quiz format: 'In Routine B, where does Player 3 go?' Fast-paced, fun debrief.

   • ›Set pieces are the most coachable part of football — they happen exactly as designed
   • ›Knowing your role in every routine is the minimum — executing it under pressure is the goal

Outcomes

• ✓Players can organise a 6-2 zonal defensive corner setup and hold positions under delivery
• ✓Players can identify the most dangerous runner and assign man-to-man tracking responsibility
• ✓Players can clear the first ball from a corner powerfully and direct it to a safe zone
• ✓Players can transition immediately from defending a set piece to launching a counter-attack

Equipment

• 10 balls
• 20 cones
• 8 pinnies
• 2 full-size goals

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & FIFA 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Penalty area. Players in the box and around it.

   How to run it: Players perform heading and clearing movements without the ball: jump, head, land — 10 reps. Partner heading: throw-head-catch in pairs at 70% effort. FIFA 11+ additions: lateral bounding, single-leg squats (5 slow reps each leg), and a 30-sec hip flexor stretch on each side. Finish with 2×20-yd explosive clearing runs (simulating sprinting away from the box after clearing).

   • ›Clearing run: accelerate immediately after the header — don't watch where it goes
   • ›Single-leg squat: pause at the bottom — feel the stability work
   • ›Partner headers: eye the ball all the way onto your forehead — don't close your eyes

2. 2. Technical Practice – Zonal Corner Defence

   15m

   Set up: Full penalty area with GK. 7 defenders in their zonal positions. 1 passive attacker per zone.

   How to run it: Coach delivers corners from both flags. 6 defenders in zones (two at near post, two at penalty spot, two at far post); 1 player on each post covering the GK. Passive attackers stand in zones. On delivery, defenders must clear first ball away from goal with authority. After 5 min, make attackers active — they can challenge but no dangerous physical contact in training.

   • ›Zone ownership: when the ball enters your zone, it's yours — call it loudly and attack it
   • ›Clear the ball high and wide — aim for the touchline, not the midfield
   • ›Post players: stay on the post until the ball is cleared — then help with the second ball
   • ›GK: command the area — if you're coming, shout 'keeper!' before you move, not as you move

3. 3. Phase Game – Defending Set Pieces (5v8)

   15m

   Set up: Full penalty area + 10 yds. 5 defenders + GK vs 8 attackers (corners and free kicks only).

   How to run it: Coach delivers corner or free kick; 8 attackers try to score; 5 defenders + GK defend. Defenders are heavily outnumbered — they must use organisation to compensate. If defenders win the ball, they try to play it out to a target cone at the halfway line. Award 2 points for a clean clearance to the target, 1 point for a clearance to the touchline.

   • ›Outnumbered: you can't win 1v1 battles — you must be in position before the ball arrives
   • ›Second ball is the most dangerous moment — who owns the edge of the box?
   • ›Counter from the set piece: the first pass after a clearance is the most important one

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Set Piece Intensive

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch. Two teams of 8. Every 3 min, coach stops play and resets to a set piece from a different position. Teams alternate which is attacking and which is defending.

   How to run it: 3-min passages of open play followed by a set piece reset. Coach calls: 'Corner, left side!', 'Free kick, 22 yds, centre!', 'Throw-in, attacking third, right side!' Teams must immediately organise. Play continues from that set piece. Track goals from set pieces vs open play separately.

   • ›Organisation speed: set piece set-up should take 10 seconds — 5 for attackers, 5 for defenders
   • ›Throw-ins in the attacking third are set pieces too — have a routine
   • ›Defensive mental reset: after conceding an open play goal, defend the next set piece perfectly

5. 5. Scrimmage – Full Game, Set Piece Intensity

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch, normal rules, both GKs.

   How to run it: Normal game. Coach tracks all set pieces taken and whether teams organise quickly. Any set piece where a team is not organised within 15 seconds counts as a 'free goal' to the other team. Keeps urgency high around set piece organisation.

   • ›Set piece readiness is a habit — build it until it's unconscious
   • ›Games are decided by concentration — don't let a set piece catch you unprepared

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players in a circle near the centre circle.

   How to run it: Partner stretching (calf, Achilles, glute). Coach quiz: 'Name the 3 defensive priorities at a corner.' Answer: (1) organise into zones, (2) win the first ball, (3) counter after the clearance. End with appreciation for the week's detailed work.

   • ›Set pieces decide 1 in 3 goals at professional level — they matter enormously
   • ›You now have both an attacking and a defensive set piece structure — use them