One of the most common set plays or dead ball situations in soccer is the corner kick. The corner kick is awarded when the ball goes out of play via the by-line after it was last touched by a player from the defending team. From which side of the pitch the corner kick is taken from will be determined by where the ball first exited play after being touched by the defending player. The whole ball must cross the line for a corner kick to be awarded.

A team taking a corner kick must take it from within the quarter circle which is marked on the pitch. There are generally two types of corner kick. First there is the aerial corner kick whereby the ball is delivered aerially to a target by the corner kick taker. The person taking the corner kick must have good passing abilities, especially over a reasonably long distance to be able to execute a corner kick well. He will be looking to deliver the ball to a player who can then direct it towards the goal.

The other type of corner kick in the game of soccer is the short corner kick. The pass is generally delivered to a player who is quite close to the corner kick taker. The pass is also delivered on the ground. This tactic is used on occasion but is generally useful when the opposition team has players who are physically larger and have better aerial abilities than the attacking team. It is likely that when the ball is delivered in to the area it will be won by the defending team, so it would be better to deliver the ball to someone who can then make better use of it.

One rarely used but also useful tactic in soccer is was once used by Manchester United against rivals Chelsea. Wayne Rooney, who looked to be taking the corner kick, placed the ball on the arch and then ever so slightly flicked it away and he appeared to be letting his teammate, Ryan Giggs, take the corner. Giggs then dribbled the ball and crossed it for Cristiano Ronaldo to stick into the net. The goal was disallowed though as the assistant said he had not seen Rooney take the corner but this tactic can be useful because of its element of surprise. When learning how to play soccer you should also be familiar with other types of soccer set plays and not just corner kicks.