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Set Pieces

Counter Free Kick Zone Practice

Practise deliveries and strikes from set positions

Set Pieces
Shooting
Attacking

Counter Free Kick Zone Practice is a 16-minute set pieces drill for 3-16 players, suitable for Under 10 to Adults at intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, full goals, poles. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.

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Set Pieces
Shooting
Attacking
Technical Practice
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Agility Kit
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed
Counter Attack

Duration

16 min

Players

3-16

Pitch size

38 x 34 yards

Ability levels

Intermediate / Advanced

Pitch diagram

Pitch set-up: Counter Free Kick Zone Practice12338 x 34 yards

Counter Free Kick Zone Practice — Marked area · 38 x 34 yards

Step 1 of 5Take three kicks from each zone in turn.

  1. 1. Take three kicks from each zone in turn.
  2. 2. Central zones are struck at goal, wide zones are delivered.
  3. 3. Runners attack every delivery.
  4. 4. The team in possession starts each rep in their own half and must build forwards.
  5. 5. Turnovers earn a direct counter at the mini goals worth two points.
  • Cones mark the area
  • Dashed lines = zones / thirds
  • Ball
  • Poles to dribble / run through
  • Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble

Objectives

  • -Practise deliveries and strikes from set positions
  • -Decide between shooting and delivering
  • -Rehearse the routine with a wall in place

Setup

  1. 1Three marked free kick zones around the edge of the area with a pole wall in a 38 x 34 yards area.
  2. 2Place two mini goals on the halfway line for the counter-attacking side to aim at.
  3. 3Balls at each zone, poles for the wall, keeper in goal.

Coaching instructions

  1. 1Take three kicks from each zone in turn.
  2. 2Central zones are struck at goal, wide zones are delivered.
  3. 3Runners attack every delivery.
  4. 4The team in possession starts each rep in their own half and must build forwards.
  5. 5Turnovers earn a direct counter at the mini goals worth two points.

Coaching points

  • -Same approach and strike every time
  • -Delivery beyond the first defender
  • -Attack the delivery at pace
  • -Counter in a straight line — the first pass forward beats the recovery run

Common mistakes

  • -Blasting every free kick
  • -No runners on the delivery
  • -Dribbling into traffic when the counter is on

Where this drill fits

Build a session with this drill

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