Skills & drills for women’s football

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What it looks like

Passing » Crossing the ball

How?

A cross often refers to a corner kick, but not always. It is a way of sending the ball into the box from somewhere on either side. Taking cross involves several skills. The kicking technique needs to be correct, the player must be have vision and awareness of who to aim the cross for, and in some situations she will have to create space for the cross under pressure from defenders.

Why?

There are two main types of cross: the near post ball and the far post ball. Crosses at the near post usually have quite a flat trajectory as they do not need to lob any players. The object is that an attacker runs in front of the defenders to head the ball into the goal. The far post ball needs a higher trajectory so that the ball goes over the defence to an attacker who then jumps for the ball at the far post, possibly with a diving header.

Tips & drills

Look up before you make the cross, so you know where your team mates are.