Corners in football: routines that score

Corner combinations ready to rehearse in training: the zones to attack, the runs that free up space, and how to install a routine in your team.

Thibaud C. · Fitness coach · Last updated: September 26, 2026

A corner is prepared like any other passage of play: runs decided in advance, roles assigned, a signal. Here are three complete routines, simple and repeatable: one to free a good header of the ball, one to get round a zonal defence, one to attack the far post.

Routine 1 — Freeing the target (inswinger and double block)

How it runs: 1) the taker whips in an inswinger towards the near post; 2) the cluster breaks towards goal; 3) one player screens the goalkeeper to stop him coming; 4) another occupies the centre-back; 5) your target, starting from deep with momentum, arrives free on the ball.

Routine 2 — The short corner

How it runs: 1) two players go short to drag one or two defenders out of the box; 2) the receiver carries the ball to improve the angle; 3) he plays a cut-back to a player arriving at the penalty spot, who strikes it first time. Always keep one player back to cover the counter.

Routine 3 — Attacking the far post

The simplest of the three, and often the most rewarding in the amateur game, because most defences crowd the front of goal. How it runs: 1) three players break as a cluster towards the near post and drag the pack with them; 2) the taker clears the cluster, towards the far post; 3) a player who deliberately started late arrives there at speed, usually with nobody directly on him; 4) he squares it back into the middle rather than shooting from a tight angle.

The detail that makes it work: the far-post player must start from outside the box. If he's already waiting there, he gets marked like everyone else.

The four principles common to every good routine

• Create movement before the ball. A routine with no prior running fools nobody: it's the movement that moves the defenders.
• Attack the ball on the move, never standing still. A player arriving at speed almost always wins the duel against a stationary one, even a taller one.
• Occupy three depths: near post, penalty spot, far post. A defence can't be dense everywhere.
• Plan for the second ball. A player stationed on the edge of the box picks up a large share of the clearances, and that's often where the second chance comes from.

How many players should you send up?

There's no absolute right number, only a trade-off. Sending six or seven players up increases your presence in the box, but exposes you to the counter if the ball is cleared. The most used rule: keep at least one more player than the opposition has left up front, plus a player on the edge of the box. If the opposition leaves two players up, you keep three back.

That calculation changes during a match: a goal down with ten minutes left, plenty of teams deliberately accept the risk and send everyone up. It's a coach's decision, not a rule.