The Restart Part

Corner kicks and free kicks don't fit conveniently into any one part. Rather, they include all the parts a bit. That's why they're grouped together in their own part.

Should your players memorize and practice specific plays, then call one of these in the match? This approach has its drawbacks, at least at lower levels of the sport. Memorizing plays takes up a lot of practice time. During the match, it's hard to call a play without knowing where opponents will be. And the right players might not even be on the pitch.

The Thoughtful Soccer approach is to have one basic corner kick play and one basic free kick play. For each of these, a few key roles must be occupied. And each basic play branches into five or more options. During the match, your players look over the defense and spontaneously pick the option that's most promising.

Some specific options will be added to this section later. For now, please read the book!