Shooting

Crossing and Finishing Drill

This crossing and finishing drill puts a wide player on the flank and two strikers in the middle, and asks them all to get their timing right together. The winger dribbles down the channel and crosses; the strikers split to attack the near post and the far post.

AgesU10 to adult
Players4 to 8
Space30 × 44 m
Time15 min
IntensityMedium

Animate it in DrawTactics

It works on the quality of the cross, the timing and angle of runs into the box, and finishing with the head or one touch. It suits wingers, full-backs who overlap, and any forward who needs to score more goals from wide areas.

Setup

Use an area 30 m long and 44 m wide that runs out from the goal, with a keeper in goal. Two wide players queue on one touchline of the area, each with a ball, and a disc marks the point to cross from, near the goal line. Two strikers start in the middle, about 25 m from goal and a few meters apart. Players swap roles after each go.

Equipment1 full-size goal, 1 disc, 1 ball per wide player

How it works

The wide player dribbles down the channel to the disc while both strikers jog into the edge of the box.
The first striker attacks the near post, the second peels to the far post, and the wide player whips a lofted cross toward the far-post runner.
The far-post striker finishes at goal.

Diagram of the crossing and finishing drill with every pass and run — Every step of the drill on one diagram.

Coaching points

Strikers split: one to the near post and one to the far post, never arriving in the same place
Cross early and hard into the space between the keeper and the strikers
Finish back across the goal with your head or a single touch
Time your run so you arrive at the same moment as the ball, not before it
Wide player: look up before the cross to pick out a runner, not just an area

Make it harder

Add a defender in the box
Add a third runner who arrives at the edge of the box for cut-backs
Alternate the wide queue between left and right flanks

Make it easier

Cross from a stopped ball
Strikers start closer to goal

Adapting it by age

U8–U10

Shrink the area to about 25 × 40 m, let the winger cross from a stopped ball, and allow a controlling touch before the finish. Ground crosses and cut-backs are fine at this age.

U12–U14

Cross on the run from the disc and ask strikers to finish in one or two touches. Switch the wide queue to the other flank halfway through so both feet get work.

U15 to adult

Add a defender and a keeper who can come for crosses, plus a third runner for cut-backs. Only count first-time finishes and headers.

Common mistakes

Both strikers run to the same spot. Name the roles before each rep: near post or far post, and swap them every go.

Strikers arrive in the box too early and stand waiting for the cross. Ask them to hold a curved run outside the box and only accelerate as the winger looks up.

The winger dribbles all the way to the goal line every time. Ask for an early cross from the disc when the strikers are already moving, and save the byline cut-back for a progression.

FAQ

Should strikers head or volley the cross?
Whatever the ball allows. Head anything above the waist and side-foot volley lower balls, aiming back across the keeper.

Where should the near-post runner go?
Into the space in front of the near post, about 6 m out. They either score from a driven cross or drag a defender and open the far post.

Make this drill your own

Open the crossing and finishing drill in DrawTactics to change the numbers and the size of the area, move the players, and export your own animation or diagram for your team. Or add it to a free session plan and print it.

Animate it in DrawTactics