What to Do in a Throw-In When No One is Open

There's a moment every soccer player knows.

You've just won the throw-in. You step to the line, scan the field — and every teammate is blanketed. Defenders are reading the room. No one's open. The clock is ticking.

What do you do?

If you've been following our technical soccer content, you've heard us talk about disguising your intentions — how elite attackers use misdirection to create space and open passing lanes. The same principle applies here, just from a dead-ball situation most players treat as an afterthought.

Throw-ins are actually one of the most underrated weapons in soccer. A smart opponent will shadow your teammates, deny every obvious option, and dare you to waste possession. That pressure is real — but it's also beatable.

The key isn't finding someone who's open. It's making the defense think you're going one place, then going somewhere else.

That's what this breakdown is about.

The Art of the Fake Throw-In

Picture this: you're on the line, ball in hand, four teammates in front of you. One is making a run down the line. One is deeper, behind you as a back-pass option. Two are checking in and out through the middle.

And every single one of them has a defender glued to them.

This is where the fake throw-in comes in.

Before you release the ball, sell a throw in one direction — wind up, shift your weight, commit to it. You're not trying to fool anyone forever. You just need to make that defender move.

Here's the thing about defenders: they react. A convincing fake toward the player down the line pulls the defender toward the line. That defender can't be in two places at once. Which means the moment they step toward the line, the central option opens up — even if only for a second.

That second is your window. Use it.

The goal is to make your opponents move back and forth until someone breaks free. The more you sell each fake, the more ground defenders have to cover — and the more gaps appear. A half-hearted fake does nothing. A fully committed one forces a reaction you can exploit.

When that window opens, don't hesitate. Release the ball before they recover.

Make One Movement for the Defender, One for Yourself

At this point, you might be thinking, “Okay, but what if the opponent doesn’t fall for my fake throw-ins? What if they just stand still?”

This requires some quick thinking, an essential component of a high-level player. If you fake a throw-in to one direction and your opponent doesn’t move, capitalize on their mistake and throw the ball to your open teammate.

It works the same way as one of our Golden Rules of Soccer: make one movement for the opponent, and one for yourself, a.k.a. “The Double Movement.”

When high-level players want to make themselves open for a pass, they don’t simply run in the direction they expect their teammate to put the ball. First, they run in a different direction to throw off their opponent. Once their opponent commits to this direction, they suddenly reverse course and run in the opposite direction to receive the ball.

What if the opponent doesn’t chase you when you make your first movement? That’s their mistake, because now you’re open for a pass.

The Double Movement is Everywhere in Soccer

If you’re a striker, disguising your intentions is also the key to dominating 1v1s. Many iconic players use the Double Movement to get past defenders. When they receive the ball, they ALWAYS move in one direction and then immediately change course.

Don’t believe such a basic move can be so effective? Watch and learn with BGTV, a massive library of professional footage organized by position with analysis from professional players. Each clip features high-level players utilizing essential techniques - like the Double Movement - with breakdowns from professionals explaining the player’s thought process in this situation. If you want to incorporate the Double Movement into your game, studying footage is a great start.

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