Long ball

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Long ball is the term used in association football to describe an attempt, often speculative, to distribute the ball a long distance down the field via a cross, without the intention to pass it to the feet of the receiving player.

It is a technique that can be effective for a team with a tall striker to get in the box, but it can take the place of a more precise passing game.

The 'long ball theory' was first discussed by a retired RAF Wing Commander - Charles Reep in the 1950's in England. Reep was a highly capable statistician and analysed not only the number of passes which led to a goal, but also the field positions where those passes originated. Reep documented his findings in various publications including match day programmes. It is from Reep and subsequent research by mathematicians that the concept of 'gulleys' (the optimum position between the corner flag and six yard box from which to make the final pass into the penalty box), the '3-pass optimisation rule' (pass 1 - long ball, pass 2 - control/knock down & pass 3 - shot from inside the box), the '9 shots per goal' maxim (on average, only one goal is scored for every nine shots) and the 'twelve point three yard' position (the mean distance from the goal that all goals are scored is 12.3 yards).