Overload Free Kick Zone Practice

Objective

• -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 36 x 32 yards area.
2. 2Split the group so the attacking side always has one spare player, and park the spare bibs on the halfway cone.
3. 3Balls at each zone, poles for the wall, keeper in goal.

How to play

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 spare player joins whichever side has the ball, so the attack always works with a plus-one.
5. 5A goal or completed end action counts double if the spare player touched the ball in the build-up.

Progressions

• +Remove the overload for the last two rounds
• +Raise the demand once the group is consistently successful

Regressions

• -Give the attack two spare players
• -Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

• -Rotate the spare player every 90 seconds
• -Run the practice on the opposite side of the pitch

Common mistakes

• -Blasting every free kick
• -No runners on the delivery
• -Spare player standing still instead of offering an angle