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Home/Training Drills/Crossing Drills/First-Time Cross
CrossingAdvanced

First-Time Cross

Deliver a quality first-time cross. Shape the body to the moving ball, whip it in without a touch, keep it away from the keeper, and time the striker's run to the early delivery.

Create your own drill
Live animationCRO
Duration
10 min
Total drill time
Players
4
Recommended
Pitch
48 × 36 m
Setup space
Level
Advanced
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U13-U14
Any format

Setup & instructions

The ball is played down the line to the winger, who crosses it first time without controlling it. The striker times a run to attack the early delivery and finish. Emphasise the body shape to the moving ball and a clean, whipped contact. Vary the pace and angle of the pass down the line. Rotate the roles.

Setup time: 1 min

Tactical breakdown

Every touch a winger takes gives the defence a second to reorganise, and a second is a long time in a penalty area. Defenders drop, the keeper adjusts his position, markers find their runners. Crossing first time denies all of it, and that denial is worth more than the extra accuracy a controlling touch would have bought.

The technical demand is real, which is why this sits at thirteen and above. Striking a moving ball cleanly with the correct shape, while running, is considerably harder than striking a settled one, and a player who cannot yet cross well from a stationary ball will simply mishit these.

Body shape before the ball arrives is what makes it possible. The winger has to set his hips towards the target while the pass is still travelling, so the strike is a swing rather than a rescue. Players who wait to see where the ball lands end up square to it, and a square body produces a cross that either slices behind or drags in front.

Which foot decides which delivery. Meeting a ball travelling towards you with the far foot naturally produces a whipped cross curving away from the keeper. Meeting it with the near foot produces a flatter, harder ball. Neither is wrong, but the winger should know which he is about to hit rather than discovering it afterwards.

The striker's timing has to change too. A first-time cross arrives noticeably earlier than a controlled one, so a runner used to the slower version will arrive after the ball has gone.

How to run this drill

  1. Serve a moving ball into the winger's path. Played ahead of him at pace so there is genuinely no time to control it. A gentle serve turns the exercise back into an ordinary crossing drill.
  2. Set the hips before the ball arrives. Shape towards the target while the pass is still travelling, so the strike is a swing rather than a rescue. Square to the ball produces a slice or a drag.
  3. Choose the foot and know the delivery. Far foot whips it away from the keeper, near foot drives it flatter and harder. Pick before contact rather than discovering afterwards which one it was.
  4. Strike through it without a control touch. No settling. The value is the second the defence does not get, and taking one touch to make it easier gives that second straight back.
  5. Keep it away from the keeper. Between him and the defenders, as with any cross, but with less margin because there was no time to look up and check where he is standing.
  6. Retime the runs. A first-time cross arrives noticeably earlier than a controlled one. Strikers used to the slower version will arrive after the ball has already gone.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Set the body early to the moving ball
  • Whip it first time, no controlling touch
  • Keep the cross away from the keeper
  • Striker times the run to the early delivery
  • Clean contact across the box, do not scoop it

Common mistakes

  • Taking a touch and losing the early advantage
  • Poor body shape, slicing the contact
  • Cross too close to the keeper
  • Striker's run mistimed for the early ball

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add a defender to contest the cross
  • Vary near-post and far-post first-time deliveries
  • Serve a bouncing ball to shape to

Regressions

  • Allow a touch before the cross to start
  • Slower pass down the line to time it
  • Walk the body shape and contact first
Equipment
Cones×1
Full Goals×1
Tactical principles
first time crosscrossing without a touchearly deliverycrossing techniqueadvanced crossing drillwhipped crosswing play drillcrossing and finishingbody shape crossingu14 crossing drill
Audience
U13-U14

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All Crossing drillsAll drill collectionsCrossing for U13-U14

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