Proper Technique
To be legal, a throw-in must:
• Use both hands
• Throw from behind and over the head
• Face the field of play
• Have part of each foot on or behind the touchline
• Throw from the point where the ball left the field
Foul Throws
A foul throw occurs when:
• One or both feet lift off the ground
• The ball is thrown from the side
• One hand releases before the other
• The player doesn't face the field
Result: Throw-in awarded to the opposing team.
Offside
You cannot be offside directly from a throw-in:
• Players can stand in any position
• One of three restart exceptions (with corners and goal kicks)
Scoring from a Throw-In
You CANNOT score directly from a throw-in:
• If it goes into opponent's goal = goal kick
• If it goes into own goal = corner kick
The Long Throw
Some teams specialize in long throw-ins as a set-piece weapon, essentially creating a corner kick opportunity from the sideline.