Set play · 10 seconds
Free Kick: Dummy and Cross
A worked free kick from the right with two players standing over it. The first player runs up as if to cross it right-footed, runs straight over the ball without touching it and carries on down the line, calling for it as though the pass is on. The second player waves it away and acts confused, and that is the whole act: it freezes the defence. The first player then turns, comes back towards the ball on the outside, arcs in over the last few strides and wraps his left foot round it, whipping a bent cross into the six-yard box when it looked like nothing was on. The attack knows it is coming and holds its runs until the ball is struck, so nobody strays offside, then attacks the cross.
Instructions
- Two players stand over a free kick out wide on the right, the defence sets a two-player wall and marks up on the edge of the box
- The first player runs over the ball without touching it and carries on down the line, calling for it as if the pass is on
- The second player waves it away and looks confused; that is part of the act and it freezes the defenders
- The first player comes back towards the ball, never past it, and whips it in with the left foot
- Everyone in the box holds their run until the ball is struck, stays onside, then attacks the cross
Variation
- Mirror the whole routine from the left-hand side so you have it both ways. Add a near-post flick-on option if the cross comes in low and hard, or call a back-post variation if the defence overloads the near post.
Building lineups in seconds
Set your team sheet, plan your substitutions, and share it with the parents before you leave the car park.
