Coach Central

Library / Coach's Library

Coach's Library · Set Pieces

Small Players Can Be Dangerous at Corners Too

The Athletic on blocks, fake runs, and why the box isn't only for the tall kids.

Cam Jolley

Cam Jolley

Co-Founder & Academy Coach, Coach Central

I love this piece because it dismantles the lazy idea that corners are only about your tallest players — movement, blocks, and fake runs mean a small, clever player can be just as dangerous, which fits exactly how I think about roles.

The point

Height helps at corners, but it isn't the whole game. The piece shows how short players contribute — setting blocks and screens to free a teammate, making fake runs that drag markers away, attacking the near post for a flick, arriving late at the edge of the box for the second ball. A well-designed routine uses everyone's movement, not just a couple of big headers. Go read their examples of how the small players do the damage.

Why this is a roster philosophy for me

This is the set-piece version of something I believe about the whole team — everyone has a role, and improving the role of your less obvious players lifts the group. The kid who isn't tall isn't a passenger at corners; they're the blocker who frees your header, or the runner who creates the chaos. When every player has a defined, valuable job on a set piece, nobody's standing around feeling useless, and that's good for the football and good for the culture.

How I'd use it this week

Redesign one attacking corner so your shortest player has a decisive job — a block that frees the header, or a near-post fake. Make it clear that role can win the goal.

Takeaways

  • Corners aren't only about height — blocks, fake runs, near-post flicks, and second balls matter.
  • A good routine uses everyone's movement, not just a couple of tall headers.
  • Give every player a defined, valuable set-piece job — it's a roster and culture philosophy, not just a tactic.

Read the original

Coach Central is an independent educational resource. Linked works belong to their respective authors and publishers; we cite and recommend them, and the commentary here is our own.

More in Set Pieces

Set Pieces: The Free Points Most Youth Teams Ignore

Spielverlagerung's set-piece theory — where rehearsal actually earns its place.

Throw-Ins Are a Set Piece — Start Treating Them Like One

Spielverlagerung on Liverpool and Gronnemark — the marginal gain hiding in plain sight.

The Long Throw: An Undervalued Weapon, If You Have the Thrower

The Athletic makes the case for launching throw-ins into the box.

The Decoy Penalty Taker, and the Psychology of the Spot

The Athletic on penalty mind games — but the real lesson is how you protect a young taker.

Ward-Prowse's Free Kicks: Technique You Can Actually Build

The Athletic breaks down the biomechanics — proof a 'gift' is really a rep count.

← All library resourcesLibrary