Corner — Far Post Delivery
The far-post corner is the highest-percentage aerial delivery in football.
◆Why this drill works
The far-post corner is the highest-percentage aerial delivery in football. The ball crosses the entire defensive shape and arrives at pace for a player running toward goal. At U12+, squads that practise the far-post delivery and the running pattern from outside the box score from corners at a significantly higher rate. This drill builds both the delivery and the run. The screening player at the penalty spot is often the most overlooked part of the routine, yet occupying a defender without competing for the ball creates the extra half-second of space the far-post runner needs to attack the delivery unmarked. Building the routine in isolated stages before adding live opposition means the cornertaker's technique and the runner's timing are both established before either has to cope with defensive pressure.
◇Variations and progressions
- Disguised delivery — cornertaker varies between an in-swinging and out-swinging delivery to the same far-post target.
- Second runner option — add a near-post runner as a decoy or secondary option if the far-post ball is defended.
- Reduced signal time — cornertaker must deliver more quickly after the whistle, testing the routine under realistic time pressure.
- Weather-adjusted flight — practise a flatter, more driven delivery for windy conditions where a looping ball is harder to control.
▦The drill in three phases
▶How to run it
- Cornertaker practises delivering to the far post cone: ball must land in the far post zone. 10 deliveries, count how many land on target.
- Add a far-post runner who peels from outside the box. Delivery timed to the runner's arrival.
- Add a penalty spot player who occupies the defender — not going for the ball, just screening.
- Full routine: cornertaker signals, penalty spot player screens, far-post runner peels, delivery aimed for arriving runner.
- Add GK and two defenders. Same routine against live opposition.
✦Coaching points
Praise when you see
- Far-post delivery landing in the 6-yard box area — not overhit past the back post
- Far-post runner arriving as the ball arrives — timing the movement to the delivery
- Screening player occupying their defender without needlessly fouling
Correct when you see
- Delivery landing short for the near post — the far post ball needs genuine pace and flight
- Far-post runner running too early and being tracked — hold the run until the cornertaker looks up
- Screening player drifting away from their job to also chase the ball
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