Defending Corner Kicks #1

There are many ways to defend corner kicks. In this discussion we will focus on two common methods.

The first method is to place one player on the near post and one player on the far post, and then three players on the top of the 6-yard line. One of the players on the 6-yard line should be positioned even with the near post, one positioned even with the far post, and one positioned even with the center of the goal. These three players form a zone defense, and are responsible for any balls played into their area. (However, any ball played in the 6-yard box should be the goalkeeper’s responsibility.) Another player should be positioned near midfield acting as a target player, so that when the ball is cleared, he or she can win the ball and hold it to allow the other defenders to push up. Everyone else should play man-to-man defense with the attackers in or at the top of the 18-yard box. If the attacking team decides to send two or three players out to take a short corner, the first defenders to go out to defend should be the closest defender on the 6-yard line and the defender at the near post. The defender positioned at the middle of the 6-yard line should then shift up a bit to help cover that space. With all this shifting, if this isn't something that is practiced on a regular basis there will be a lot of confusion. See diagram below.

A second option has the same setup as the first option except you have one player 10 yards from the ball on the end line. This player's job is to defend short corner kicks as well as to prevent the driven ball to the near post. One other defender would stand between the top of the 6-yard line and the penalty spot to mark that space and the other two defenders will mark the two most dangerous players on the opposing team. There is less shifting in this type of defense. See diagram below.