When does a corner kick occur in soccer?
Before answering that question, note that soccer involves several rules every player should know. So, the corner kick is one of them.
But, when does corner kick occur and what to do in this situation as the defending and attacking team?
Let’s get started
When Does A Corner Kick Occur In Soccer?
In soccer, a corner kick occurs when the ball crosses the goal line off target and the last person to touch it was a player from the defending team.
For example, if your team is trying to score a goal but the ball gets deflected by the defending team and goes out of play behind the goalpost area, a corner kick is awarded to your team.
As you can see from the image above, if the ball goes off target but is deflected by the defending team, a corner kick is given.
Keep in mind that the ball can also be deflected by the goalie and go above the goalpost. In this case, a corner kick is still given.
So, as long as the ball is deflected by the defending team and goes outside to the width of the pitch, a corner is given.
But, how to cause a corner kick?
How To Make The Opposing Team Concede Corner Kicks?
Here is what to do to push the opposing team to concede a corner:
- You have to use an attacking system.
- Make sure to dominate the opposing team
- Shoot from distance
- Play long balls
- Get a lot of free-kicks
1-Use An Attacking System
You would never have a corner kick if you don’t attack.
Your team must play offensive rather than defensive. This is how you will create multiple chances to score and since the defending team doesn’t want to concede goals, they are going to panic and clear the ball away anyhow.
This is how your team gets several corners in the game.
2-Make Sure To Dominate The Opposing Team
You have to ensure the ball possession throughout the game.
It is true that if you don’t have the ball, you can’t create chances and therefore, there won’t be corners in the game.
Have you ever watched games where there are 2-3 corners in the entire game?
Well, it happens. This happens because both teams are not able to attack and create chances in the opposing box.
To avoid this, make sure to hold the ball and play forward.
3-Shoot From Distance
Shooting from distance is the most efficient way to have a corner kick.
If your team spends the entire game creating chances and striking from distance, chances are the defending team will deflect the ball.
Some of your shots will probably go off target, but the few that are on target will give two possible outcomes: Either it gets deflected by the defence or the goalie and goes to the corner, or it’s a goal.
4-Play Long Balls
Another thing that makes a team concede corners is when the attacking team plays long balls.
Playing long balls is always a good way to make a defence panic. The majority of defences find it more difficult to defend long balls than short ones.
In Primer League, for example, the average corner kicks per game are 10.48 according to footystats. This is because the majority of teams in the UK enjoy playing long balls.
5-Get Multiple Free-Kicks
One of the best ways to have corner kicks is to get free kicks.
The free-kicks, especially the ones wide, always end up in a corner kick. This is because those free kicks are difficult to defend especially when they are well-taken.
So, having a lot of free-kicks will increase your percentage of corners in the game.
But, who must take the corner kick in your team?
Which Player Must Take The Corner Kick?
The corner kick taker must be designated in advance during the training sessions.
In training, the coach must analyse who should be the set-piece specialist based on their skills and ability to cross the ball.
If a player is designated to be the corner kick taker, every time a corner kick occurs, he is the one who should be in charge of doing it.
Also, the flag post should not be removed during a corner kick.
Plus, when a player has taken the corner kick, he can not touch the ball again until it has been touched by a different player.
So, the corner kick taker has two options: He can either play the ball or search for a header in the box. Or he can simply pass it to a teammate who must come closer to him.
However, how to score a corner kick in soccer?
How To Score A Corner Kick?
Here are 4 things to do to score a corner kick in soccer:
- The first thing to do to score a corner kick, the team taking the corner must search for the defence’s weakness and exploit it.
- Secondly, you need to work on various corner strategies in training and implement them in a match.
- Put all you tall players in the opposing box during a corner kick
- Put a player right outside the box.
- You must hit the ball away from the goalie. Kicking the ball away will prevent the goalie from catching it.
This is how you can increase your chances to score a corner kick.
However, what if you are in the defending team? How do you defend a corner kick?
Well, the best way to defend a corner kick is to mark all players in the box and read the movements of the corner taker.
Final Word
This article was all about when a corner kick occurs in soccer.
As mentioned earlier, a corner kick happens when the ball gets touched by the defending team and goes behind the goal line but off-target.
I hope you have gained value from this article.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave them in the comment section below.
You can also read: Why is passing so important in soccer?
