The long throw is a throw-in delivered with such power and distance that it can reach deep into the opposition penalty area, effectively acting like an extra corner or free-kick. It is a skill that is often overlooked, given that most players treat a throw-in as little more than a way of getting the ball back into play, but in the right hands it can turn a routine restart into a genuine goalscoring opportunity. A team with a good long-throw specialist has a real weapon in their locker every time the ball goes out near the opposition goal, as we saw in the 2025-2026 Premier League season.
The reason it is so effective is that it drops the ball right into the danger zone without giving the defending team any of the protection they’d normally have. A ball hurled flat and fast into a crowded six-yard box is desperately difficult to defend, with flick-ons and knock-downs causing all manner of chaos in front of goal. The player who made the skill famous in recent times was Rory Delap, whose enormous throws for Stoke City became such a threat that they were treated with the same caution as a set-piece, striking fear into defences all over the country.
To carry it out legally, you need to remember the basic rules of a throw-in, which involves keeping both feet on the ground and delivering the ball from behind and over your head with both hands. Beyond that, it is all about generating power, which comes from a good run-up to the line and a whipping motion through your arms and upper body, almost like a catapult. Arching your back and following through fully will help you get real distance on the throw, whilst keeping it relatively flat rather than looping it high makes it far harder for the goalkeeper to come and claim.
It should be said that this isn’t a skill that everyone will be able to do, as it relies, to some degree, on natural strength as well as good technique. That being said, plenty of the distance comes from getting the mechanics right rather than brute force alone, so it is well worth practising if you fancy becoming your team’s designated thrower. Spend some time working on your run-up and your release, gradually building up the distance you can achieve. Do that, and you’ll be able to offer your team a real attacking threat every single time the ball goes out of play near the opposition’s goal.