Match moments / We have the ball
The second ball
A long kick is only half a pass. Whoever wins the loose ball after the first challenge usually keeps the ball, so the striker and the midfielders around them have a job before the kick lands.
In the match
- Decision 1Striker
- Decision 2Midfielder
- Decision 3Number 10
You are 9, our striker. Their centre-back is right behind you.
The kick is coming your way. What do you do?
Play the build-up, then choose.
Best choice
Getting to the spot first and side-on means the defender has to go through you. A soft knock-down onto the floor, towards a teammate who is arriving, keeps the ball. In under-11 matches deliberate heading is not allowed, so use your chest, thigh or feet.
It can work
It might fall to you, but their centre-back is facing the ball and you are not. They usually get there first.
Costly
Nobody challenges for the kick, so their centre-back wins it unopposed and plays it straight back into our half.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 8, a central midfielder.
The knock-down drops behind 9. Where are you?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
You started moving the moment the kick went up, so you reach the second ball first and can see the whole pitch in front of you.
It can work
It may reach you, but their midfielder arrives at the same time and it turns into a fifty-fifty.
Costly
The ball dropped short, not long. With you gone, their midfielder picks it up with nobody near.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 10, just off the striker.
8 has it facing forward. Their back line stepped up for the kick. What do you do?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
Their defenders stepped up for the long kick, so the space is behind them. In 9v9 offside applies: start level with their last defender and go as 8 looks up.
It can work
It keeps the ball, but now you have your back to goal and their defenders face you.
Costly
8 has nobody to pass forward to, and their midfield gets back to close 8 down.
How you know it is happening
- Our keeper is about to kick long, or our defender is about to clear it.
- Their team has pushed up close to our striker.
- There is space between their midfield and their defence where the ball will drop.
Why it works
Most long kicks are contested, so the first touch is often a coin toss. The team with more players around the landing spot, already moving, wins most of the loose balls. That is something we control even when we cannot control the challenge.
The tactics behind it
Your job, by position
- STStriker
- Get there first and side-on.
- Cushion it down to the floor, towards a teammate, with chest, thigh or foot.
- CMCentral midfielder
- Move when the kick goes up, not when it lands.
- Arrive facing forward, a few metres from the striker.
- AMAttacking midfielder
- Be ready to run in behind as soon as we win it.
- DMHolding midfielder
- Stay behind the landing spot, in case they win it and play it back over.
How to explain it
- Draw a circle where the kick will land. Ask: how many of us are in it, and how many of them?
- Say the safety rule out loud for under-11s and younger: no heading in matches or training.
On the training pitch
- On your ownKeepy-uppy ladderThe technique underneath it, with a ball and some space.
- The practiceReceive, turn and shootThe same decision, over and over, with a little pressure.
- The gameThe gameA small-sided game set up so the moment keeps happening.
Set the game up so it keeps happening
- Every restart is a long, high kick from the keeper.
- A point for the team that wins each loose ball, and a goal for scoring within four passes of it.
- Under-11s and younger: kicks along the ground or a bouncing ball, never in the air to the head.
Three things to say
- Move when the kick goes up.
- First to the spot, side-on.
- Knock it down to a teammate, not into space.
On Saturday
Tick them off on the day. Nothing is saved: print the page if you want to keep it.
After the whistle
Ask yourself
- Were you moving before the ball landed?
- Did your knock-downs go to a teammate?
What to look back on
- How many second balls did we win in each half?