Who Should Take Soccer Throw Ins?
Should Your Fullbacks Take Your Soccer Throw Ins?
Or Your Goalie?
In U8, U10 and U12 Rec soccer it is worth thinking about
Another tip from Coach Doug
A Good Way to Reward Soccer Defenders

Coach Doug sent me a good idea that I want to share. This can apply to many Rec teams and to some Travel and High School teams. The idea is to have the Fullbacks take the Throw Ins, not the Forwards or Midfielders.

That has 2 advantages:

  1. There are more players to receive the Throw in

  2. It is a reward for the Fullbacks

When I coached, I did this until I got to U14 and at that point the opponents could transition so fast that I had the closest midfielder take the Throw Ins.

There were even times in U8 and U10 Rec soccer when I had my Goalie take the Throw Ins. When I had a Goalie who could make a big Throw In and the ball was near the Halfway Line, I would have the Goalie come up and take a big throw toward the opponent's goal or down the line, and quickly run back as soon as he threw the ball.

If you play on a long field and leave your Fullbacks deep and want to take quick Throw Ins, then this might not be a good approach for you.

Here is what Coach Doug said:

"I've had to really repeat myself often to my U8 girls that the Wings and Strikers (my attackers) do NOT take the Throw Ins because then they are not able to receive them. If a Wing or Striker takes a throw in, then that is one less person to fight to win the ball on the field, so I have laid down a hard and fast rule that only Fullbacks take Throw Ins on the entire field. It is also a reward for being on defense, because doing a Throw in is viewed as a fun thing to do, so it's a privilege of being a defender to take the throw ins. In general defense is less popular to play, because the chance to score is less, doing the Throw Ins help compensate for this."

David at SoccerHelp