Futsal Set Plays: Design Your Own
Each team draws one corner kick play and one kick-in play on a whiteboard, rehearses them against passive and then live defense, and uses them in a game where every set piece scores extra. Students practice strategy, teamwork, and decision-making.
How to play
- Four teams of 6 in pinnies, each with a whiteboard and a marker. Take 2 minutes to explain that in futsal the sideline restart is a kick-in and teams have 4 seconds to take it.
- Design (5 min): each team draws a corner play and a kick-in play, with a code name and who screens, who receives, and who shoots.
- Rehearsal (6 min): each team practices its plays at one goal, first against two passive defenders from a neighboring team and then live.
- Game (10 min): 4v4 plus goalkeepers on two courts. Every corner or kick-in in the attacking half must use a called play; a goal from it is worth 3.
- Wrap-up (2 min): each team explains which play worked and why.
Rules
- Everyone on the team, including the goalkeeper, has a role in each play.
- Screens are stationary: no pushing or holding the defender.
- Respect the 4-second limit; if a team goes over, the restart goes to the other team.
- During rehearsal, nobody shoots until the goalkeeper is ready.
Variations
Easier
Design only the corner play and keep rehearsal defenders passive.
Standard
Two plays per team, rehearsal against passive and live defense, and set-piece goals worth 3.
Harder
Opponents see the whiteboard before the game, so each team needs a second option if the play is read.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student takes the restart and calls the play.
- Autism or shyness: the student draws the play on the whiteboard and gets a clear, fixed role.
- Higher skill level: challenge the student to design a decoy, such as a fake restart.
Learning goals
- Plan a set piece as a group with clearly defined roles.
- Run the rehearsed play under time pressure and against opponents.
- Value each teammate's contribution to the team plan.
Equipment for a class of 25
- futsal balls: 6
- goals: 4
- pinnies (four colors): 24
- whiteboards: 4
- markers: 4
Teacher tip
Plays usually start out too complicated, so ask for no more than two passes before the shot. Snap a photo of the whiteboards to reuse them next class.
PatioLab has "Futsal Set Plays: Design Your Own" and 2499 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More activities like this
More main activities for High School
1-2-3-2-1 Running Pyramid Intervals
An interval workout where the fast segments build from 1 to 3 minutes and back down, with half that time as jogging recovery.
1-on-1 Self-Pass Volleyball
One-on-one games on narrow 10 x 20 foot courts where each player must self-pass before sending the ball over.
10-20-30 interval running in pairs
The 10-20-30 method strings together 30 seconds of easy jogging, 20 at a moderate pace and 10 at top speed, in five-minute blocks.
1v1 Ball Volley Matches
1v1 ball volley: singles games on a small court with a low net, hitting the ball over the net and allowing one bounce.
2-on-1 Fast Break with a Chasing Defender
Two attackers push a fast break against a defender waiting at the basket while a second defender chases from behind with a few yards' head start against them.
2-on-1 Through Three Defensive Zones
Pairs of attackers cross the court through three zones, each with a defender who cannot leave it, and finish with a shot on goal.