What Is a Corner Kick In Soccer?
A corner kick in soccer is a restart of play, taken from the corner of the field. It is awarded to the attacking team when the ball goes out of bounds over the goal line after being last touched by the defending team. The kick is taken from one of the corners of the field and must be taken within four seconds.
What Are The Rules Of a Corner Kick?
The rules for a corner kick are governed by Law 17 of the Laws of the Game. The main rule is that all opponents must be at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the corner arc until the ball is in play. Once the ball is in play, opponents can attempt to defend against the attacking team’s attempts to score.
Offensive Corner Kick Strategies
The Ball Should Be Placed Correctly: The kick taker should aim for the far post, and the ball should be placed, so it curves into the goal. This will make it more difficult for the goalkeeper to save.
Placement of Your Players: You should have players positioned near the posts so they can tap in loose balls. You should also have players in the middle of the box to distract the goalkeeper.
Timing Is Everything: The ball should be struck with power and accuracy, and the kick taker should wait for the perfect moment to strike. If you can master these techniques, you’ll be well on scoring more goals from corners.
Defensive Corner Kick Strategies
Have all your defenders positioned properly: The goalkeeper should be in the center of the goal, with two defenders stationed on either side of the net. Meanwhile, the remaining defenders should be positioned along the edge of the penalty area, split evenly between the left and right sides.
Make sure your team is communicating well: All defenders should know who is marking whom and where everyone is positioned on the field, which will help prevent any confusion or mix-ups when it comes time to defend the ball.
Maintain a compact defensive shape when defending against a corner kick: All defenders should be close to one another, making it difficult for the attacking team to find any gaps in the defense. The defenders can more easily recover if the ball is played over their heads by staying close together.
Difference Between a Throw-In & Corner Kick
The main difference between a corner kick and a throw-in is that the attacking team takes a corner kick when the ball goes out of bounds over the goal line. While a throw-in is taken by either team when the ball goes out of bounds along either touchline.
A corner kick can also be taken anywhere within the quadrant of the field defined by the corner flag; a throw-in must be taken from the point where the ball went out of bounds. The attacking team typically looks to create a scoring opportunity when taking a corner kick.
To do this, they will often try to play the ball into a dangerous area in front of a goal where their teammates can get on the end and score. On the other hand, when taking a throw-in, teams are generally just trying to keep possession of the ball and retain control of the game.
