Dealing with Crosses - Part 1

Dealing with crosses is arguably one of the hardest skills to perform in all of football. In my opinion, there is nothing more impressive and dominant than coming out and catching a ball that 16-18 other players are all also competing for. However, completing such a skill is much easier said than done. Hence why I have decided to break this into a 3 part series. First up we are gonna break down some of the basics.

Starting Position

Getting your starting position right is a key part of effectively dealing with crosses. In this instance, we are gonna focus on your starting position from a corner. Your basic starting position will consist of a few key details; 

2/3 Back in your Goal:

We like to start ⅔ back of our goal because that allows us to attack the ball effectively as well as cover the space behind us too. A rule of thumb for any gk is ‘it’s easier to go forwards than it is to go backwards’. For this reason, we must ensure that we cover the space behind us first and foremost because it can be difficult to track back and cover that space if we start too far forward. It is much easier to attack the ball by running forward, so we often give ourselves an extra bit of leeway in that sense.

“It’s always easier to go forwards than to go backwards”

1 big step off your line:

Start 1 big step off your goalline. This gives you enough room to come out and attack the ball as needed, whilst also covering your goal. 

45-degree angle

Finally, it’s best to start on a 45-degree angle. If you start facing forward, it can be difficult to cover the space behind you. Therefore if you start on a slight angle, it allows you to easily step forward and attack the ball whilst also having the ability to work backwards if you need to.

I know this starting position sounds like a lot of maths, but once you know where to setup, you’ll be able to use this basic starting position for life. I will touch on adjusting your starting position for various factors in part 2 & part 3 of this series. 

Notice the starting position of our goalkeeper in the above image. They have taken 1 step off their line, opened their body up, and are positioned roughly 2/3 of the way back in their goal. This is the perfect starting position for our goalkeeper when they’re facing a corner kick.

How to Catch 

Now the cross has come in and you’re preparing to catch it. Catching crosses is a little bit different to catch a shot. There are a few things we need to note when catching a cross;

Catching the ball at its highest point

Due to the high number of players around you who are competing for the same ball that you are, it’s important to catch the ball at its highest point. As goalkeepers, we have a great advantage when it comes to corners, being that we are the only players allowed to use our hands. So why not make the most of it? As the ball comes in, every player will be trying to get the ball with their heads, therefore it’s important for us to catch the ball above head height, to ensure that no other player even has a chance at getting to the ball. 

Outside knee up 

Now this technique is more for your own safety. As you get older, corners get harder to deal with, as players tend to attack the ball more aggressively. This means as keepers we often get caught in the firing line of a few stray knees and elbows. Thus, it’s important for us to counter these movements, by putting our own knee up when we jump, to ensure that we are protecting ourselves from onrushing players.

*Notice this goalkeeper is catching the ball at the highest point with their knee up.

Communication

Finally, the most important part of all crosses is… Communication! Fortunately, when it comes to a cross or a corner, half of the players around you are actually in your own team, so they’re rooting for you to come out and catch the ball. However, with so many people it can be hard to tell each of your teammates what to do. Therefore, as the cross is coming in, we shout out one of two simple terms to let our teammates know what we are doing;

KEEPERS!

By yelling out keepers when want to come and collect the ball, we are indiciating to our teammates that this ball is ours and no one else in the team should try and get in my way. This is a short and clear method of informing everyone to get out of your way.

AWAY! (Out)

Yelling ‘AWAY’ or ‘Out’ has the opposite effect of yelling ‘keepers’. When you yell ‘away’ this signals to all of your teammates that the cross coming in is too far away for the goalkeeper to deal with. This tells your defenders that you will not be trying to collect the ball, so they need to get it away themselves.

See the above video of former Arsenal goalkeeper Mat Ryan as he plays a pre-season game mic’d up. Skip to 3:20 to see his communication for a corner.

Crosses are difficult. However, the only way we can improve is by practising! My task for you is to give it ago. It might not be perfect the first time, but you’ll certainly impress a few people if you show the confidence to come out and catch a difficult high ball.

The Goalkeepers’ View