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Home/Training Drills/Heading Drills/Attacking Header from a Cross
HeadingIntermediate

Attacking Header from a Cross

Time the run to attack a cross and finish with a firm downward header. Meet the ball at pace, get above it, and head it down and across the keeper into the far side.

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Live animationHEA
Duration
10 min
Total drill time
Players
3
Recommended
Pitch
44 × 36 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format

Setup & instructions

A wide player crosses from the flank, a striker attacks the near or far post, keeper in goal. Time the run so you meet the ball at pace, and head it down and across the keeper. Serve a mix of near-post, far-post, and cut-back height crosses. Rotate crosser, attacker, and keeper, and add a second attacker for near and far runs. Heading loads: no deliberate heading at U11 and under, and at U12-U13 keep it to roughly 15-20 headers in a session and under 30 minutes of heading a week, using a correctly sized and properly inflated ball (US Soccer and FA guidance).

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Goalkeepers save flat headers comfortably and struggle badly with headers that bounce in front of them. A ball directed downwards hits the turf a yard or two before the line and comes up at an awkward height off an unpredictable surface, which is why heading down is coached everywhere and why it is worth explaining rather than just repeating.

Getting the forehead above the ball is what produces that trajectory, and it is a jumping and timing problem rather than a neck problem. A player who arrives underneath the ball can only head it up. A player who arrives with his head above its line at contact can head it into the ground.

Timing the run late is what makes that possible. Arriving early means standing under the flight, marked, and jumping from a stationary start, which produces almost no height. Arriving late and at pace means running onto the ball with momentum, and a running jump gets a player noticeably higher than a standing one.

Direction matters as much as trajectory. Heading across the keeper, towards the far side, means the ball travels away from where he is starting and he has the full width of the goal to cover. Heading back towards the near post plays it into the part of the goal he is already protecting.

The last habit is attacking the ball rather than waiting for it to drop into range, which is the same instruction as every other heading drill and is disobeyed most often here, because the ball is arriving from the side.

How to run this drill

  1. Start the run from outside the marker. Set up wider or deeper than the target zone so the run comes from an angle the defender cannot watch while also tracking the flight of the cross.
  2. Time it late and arrive at pace. A running jump gets a player considerably higher than a standing one. Arriving early means waiting underneath the ball, marked, and jumping from nothing.
  3. Get the forehead above the ball. Head position at contact decides trajectory. Underneath the ball you can only head it up, above its line you can drive it into the ground.
  4. Head it down, not flat. A downward header bounces a yard before the line and comes up awkwardly off the turf, which is the hardest ball a keeper has to deal with.
  5. Direct it across the keeper. Aim for the far side so the ball travels away from his starting position. Heading back towards the near post plays it into the goal he already covers.
  6. Attack the ball, never wait for it. The instruction is the same as every heading drill and is broken most often here, because a ball arriving from the side tempts players into letting it drop.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Time the run late so you meet the ball at full pace
  • Attack the ball, do not wait for it to drop
  • Get your forehead above the ball to head it down
  • Head across the keeper toward the far side of the goal
  • Start wide of your marker and come across the front of him

Common mistakes

  • Running too early and stopping to wait for the ball
  • Heading up under the ball instead of down through it
  • A flat, upward header the keeper saves comfortably
  • Starting goal-side of the marker with no room to attack it

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add a defender to contest the header
  • Vary the cross: near post, far post, and cut-back
  • Add a far-post runner so the crosser has two targets

Regressions

  • Serve the cross by hand at a consistent height
  • Head from a static position first, then add the run
  • Remove the keeper and aim the header at a target
Equipment
Cones×1
Full Goals×1
Markers×1
Tactical principles
attacking headerheader from a crossheading drilldownward headertiming the runfinishing with the headcrossing and headingstriker heading drillu12 heading drillfootball heading drill
Audience
U11-U12

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All Heading drillsAll drill collectionsHeading for U11-U12

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