Crossing drill: Shooting and defending crosses

-September 30, 2020

Crossing is a key aspect of football. Teams with good wingers should seek to play wide to feed crosses to their attackers. On the other hand, defenders must be prepared to deflect crosses. This crossing drill will develop the skills required to execute and defend crosses.

Setup

You will need half of an actual football pitch, 14 cones, and 4 to 6 balls minimum. Set the circuit as shown in the picture below.

This drill works best with 6 players, but you could involve a few more players. You can also have two groups and run this drill in both halves of the field. Use this drill to link your warm-up and a global training exercise.

Instructions

This football circuit drill comprises 3 main phases: crossing, shooting and defending. Follow the pictures and instructions below:

6 players wait in the stations to start, as shown in the first picture below.
Player 1 crosses the ball to 2. The cross must be airborne.
Player 2 shoots at goal as soon as they receive the ball (in the first iteration, nobody is at goal).
Soon after shooting, Player 2 must run to the goal area (the small area inside the penalty box).
Once Player 2 reaches the small goal, they may choose to stay close to the goal line to deflect shots or run back closer to the next shooting player to attempt blocking the cross or make their shot more difficult.
While Player 2 is running to the goal, Player 1 runs to the position Player 2 left. At the same time, player 5 runs towards the station Player 1 has left.
Once Player 2 is on goal, Player 3 crosses the ball to Player 4.
Player 4 shoots at the goal as soon as they receive the goal.
After attempting to block Player 4’s shot, Player 2 will pick up the ball and run outside the field to the station Player 6 will leave empty.
Continue moving players from station to station.
Players can score from a volley, header or controlling the ball with only one touch.

Player 2 runs to protect the goal after shooting.
Player 1 runs to the station Player 2 left.
Player 5 moves to the station Player 1 left.
Player 3 crosses to Player 4.

Player 4 runs to protect the goal after shooting.
Player 3 runs to the station Player 4 left.
Player 6 moves to the station Player 3 left.
Player 2 picks up a ball and runs outside the field to the station Player 6 left.
Player 5 crosses to Player 1.

Player 1 runs to protect the goal after shooting.
Player 5 runs to the station Player 1 left.
Player 4 picks up a ball and runs outside the field to the station Player 5 left.
Player 6 crosses to Player 1.
Player 2 is getting ready to move into Player 6’s station.

You can add variations to this game. For example, you can involve your goalkeeper. The goalkeeper will stay at goal while the rest of the players move from station to station.

Keep the intensity. Ask players to keep moving from station to station. Do not aim for a smooth transition between stations; focus on continuous movement as fast as possible. This exercise will be messy the first time you execute it but will improve as players get the idea and rhythm.

Takeaways

Although a small defending component is part of the drill, the focus is on finishing crosses. This drill will develop the following skills:

Crossing and long balls. Consistency is key in crossing. Crosses have to be timed and with the right power to avoid being intercepted and to make them easy for the shooting player to control.
Quick finishing. There is not much time for players to control and plan their shots. While controlling the ball and shooting is allowed, the drill encourages headers and volleys.
Ball control. Players shooting at goal are allowed one touch, but they must be quick. A great deal of control is required to quickly get the ball on the ground from an airborne cross.
Speed and reaction. Once a player shoots, they must sprint to stop the next shooting player from scoring. This requires quick reaction and speed.
Defending crosses and decision-making. Players defending the goal have to quickly decide whether to stay at goal, run back to reduce options for the next player, or attempt to intercept the cross.
Fitness. Players cover a big pitch area while quickly stopping, starting, shooting, etc.

We’d love to hear how your team benefits from this drill. Please share your experiences and modifications on our Facebook page or tag us in your training videos!

Pablo Matamoros

I am a software engineer with 25+ years of experience across diverse industries. I've climbed the corporate leader over the years, which has some benefits but means I moved away from my love for tinkering with technology. So, I build the odd website or application to keep learning and stay in touch with technology. FootballTechniques allows me to combine my programming knowledge with my passion for football.

To find out more about my professional experience, visit PabloMatamoros.com