Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): U14B - Week 8 - Crossing & Finishing

Warm up (15 mins)

Organization:

10 Players 6 Footballs 8 Bibs 12 Cones 45x20 Area

This coaching practice will help our players prepare for any session which involves crossing and finishing.

Instructions:

Players divided into 2 teams with each team in 20x10 area passing and moving. On coaches call, teams deliver and cross the ball from one area to another.

Coaching Points:

Quality of cross - When crossing the ball players should be hitting and area for their team mate to run onto.

Type of cross - Encourage players to try all different types of crosses, lofted, driven, swerve/curl

Timing of runs to finish - Start of with slow movement into the box, when the players head goes down to cross the ball the forward should use explosive movements to attack the ball.

Progressions:

R- Take away the mannequins in the middle and focus on the techniques

Get the players in pairs and work on crossing techniques

P-Add a defender in to the finishing stage

Add an overlap in before the cross

SSG (20 mins)

Organization:

11 Players 6 Footballs 11 Bibs 12 Cones 25x20 Area

This football coaching practice encourages passes to wide players and to use a variety of crosses and movement to finish on goal.

Instructions:

2 x teams of 4 + floating player (S) who plays for team in possession. When a team is in possession, a player can dribble or move to receive in the wide area to deliver a cross unopposed (defending team not allowed in to wide area). If team finishes from a cross = 3 goals.

Coaching Points:

1. Movement to get the ball wide - When coaching this drill it is important to make it realistic. Players should be looking to move into wide areas to receive the ball to deliver a cross. Player should not be in the wide area for more that 3 seconds without receiving the ball.

2. Awareness of team mates and defenders positioning - When the players are in wide area they need to recognise when to cross early or when to drive down the line before crossing. If there are forwards in the box and the defenders are unbalanced then encourage players to cross early. If the defenders are set up and there are no forwards in the box then wide players should be running with the ball down the line and forwards should be moving effectively to create goal scoring opportunities.

3. Finishing techniques - Forwards need to get into goal scoring opportunities and finish first time using all different techniques depending on the type of cross, heading, volleying, shooting.

Progressions:

Add more players and increase the size width of the area.