Kickoff Tactics for Futsal: Set Play Ideas Every Team Should Have

Kickoffs are one of the natural turning points in a match, coming at the start of each half and immediately after a goal.

Most teams probably handle kickoffs much like a normal positional attack, but some teams use more deliberately designed set plays (jogada patterns).

In practice, designing your kickoff can be very effective because it gets all five players on the same page and improves how the team starts the game, while also making it easier to enter the attacking third.

This time, I will focus specifically on kickoff tactics that help you transition quickly into attack in the opponent's half and introduce some of the most representative patterns.

Block and dribble

This is the most famous and widely used kickoff tactic.

Go directly for goal

Because a direct goal is allowed from kickoff, it can be effective to shoot straight at goal if you have a player with strong shooting ability.
Even if it does not go in directly, forcing the goalkeeper to parry it out for a corner is also a worthwhile objective.

However, with the opponent's wall allowed within a 3-meter radius and the shot coming from roughly 20 meters away from goal, it is not easy to produce a truly dangerous effort.

In that case, applying option 2 is effective.

Block and dribble

This set play is an extremely famous kickoff tactic that is widely used around the world.

The kicker uses a shot feint, rolls the ball, and puts it into play.

When red no. 2 drives forward on the dribble, blue no. 3 is drawn out, so in that case using red no. 3 is effective.
(Local numerical superiority: 2v1)

Key points

• The kicker blocks the near-side wall to secure the dribbling lane
• Both wings take high positions to secure passing lanes and make the defenders harder to organize
• The goalkeeper stays slightly higher with cover in mind

Each player should take up the right position with the finishing triangle in mind.

Isolation

Ala isolation (2-1-1)

If you have an ala who is strong in 1v1 situations out wide, ala isolation is effective.

The other three players move away from that side and form a 2-1-1 shape so the targeted ala can be isolated.

Just like in a normal positional attack, create qualitative superiority through ala isolation and finish the move simply.

Fixo isolation (1-0-3)

An isolation pattern like the ones used by Russia's Robinho or Rodrigo of Shonan Bellmare.