Dealing with Late Crosses in Football
Crosses are a key part of the goal-scoring repertoire of any football team, bringing the ball directly in front of the goal mouth so that attacking players are presented with a solid opportunity to use their heads or feet to take a shot without having to change direction. Next time you are dressed in your Football Kits that you can find at places such as kitking.co.uk why not try out some of the suggestions below to see whether you can improve both your own and the other players abilities for dealing with late crosses during a football match.
When a ball is crossed close to the goal line, it is known as a late cross. As a matter of priority, such balls should always be hit towards any team-mate who is unmarked and in front of the goal. If no such player can be seen, the ball should be hit towards one of the four key scoring areas – the far-post area, the near-post area, the shooting area by the end of the box or the area around the penalty spot.
Accomplished
When it comes to dealing with late crosses, running through drills not only allows players to hone their skills for scoring in such a scenario, the drills also provide goalkeepers with valuable practise at dealing with late crosses from the opposing team.
For goalkeepers to effectively combat the threat of late crosses, they need to become accomplished in the art of catching high balls. The more skill a goalkeeper develops in this area, the less pressure there will be on the defenders and the more confident the team will be overall.
Putting together effective training sessions and keeping up to date with all the latest soccer drills for dealing with late crosses, along with the other aspects of the beautiful game, is an extremely time consuming business. Regardless of the environment you coach in, players will soon tire of the same old drills and reach a point where their skills fail to develop further.
Confidence
Some coaches may decide to supplement their normal training plans and focus purely on these skills. These typically consist of informational videos and animations for use by coaches to learn more about various setups and techniques and how to practice them.
The best training regimes will enable players to understand how and when to hit late crosses, provide lots of practise in hitting late crosses at various heights, assist with the development of movement skills and allow players to master the necessary techniques for finishing effectively.
