Soccer Definitions that Begin with the Letter C

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C

Caps - The number of official international soccer games a player has played in for his or her national team. Reputedly, at the turn of the century these players actually received a "cap" for each game. They don't now but the term is still used. (e.g., "She has 20 caps" or "She has been capped 20 times"). Soccer Caps

Carb Intake - Carb intake is a quick way to provide energy for soccer players. Soccer Carb Intake

Cards - There are 2 colors of "cards" which the referee will hold up to indicate serious fouls or behavior which won't be tolerated. He carries these cards in his shirt pocket, so if he reaches for his pocket it's a bad sign for the player who committed the foul. These cards are about the size of a playing card and one is yellow and the other is red. When a card is to be given (it isn't actually given to the offending player, it is actually just shown to him and to everyone else) the referee will stop the game, call the player over, hold up the card and write the player's name in his notebook. This is called "booking" the player and when it happens the player has been "booked", (e.g., "she was booked"). Any time a Yellow or Red Card is shown, a "direct" or "indirect kick" will also be awarded. (See "Fouls", "Deck" & "Booking").

Yellow Card - Indicates a formal "caution" for any of the following 7 offenses:
  1. "unsporting behavior" - this includes hard fouls; holding an opponent or deliberately handling the ball for the purpose of preventing an opponent from gaining possession of the ball; faking an injury; saying things that are designed to confuse or distract an opponent; harassment (such as jumping around, shouting or making gestures to intentionally distract an opponent; jumping in front of a corner kick, free kick or throw-in; worrying the goalkeeper or trying to prevent him from putting the ball into play; & adopting a threatening posture), gaining an unfair advantage by leaning on, climbing on the back of, or holding a teammate or the goal; blatant cases of holding and pulling an opposing player or his uniform; any action designed to deceive the Referee; and behavior which in the Referee's judgment is unsporting or causes an unfair advantage,
  2. dissent by word or actions,
  3. persistently breaking the rules,
  4. delaying the restart of play,
  5. defenders failing to stay the proper distance away from the kicker on a corner kick, free kick or throw-in (see "Corner Kick" & "Free Kick"),
  6. entering or re-entering the field without the referee's permission
  7. deliberately leaving the field without the referees permission.
A player who receives 2 Yellow Cards is given a Red Card & ejected. FIFA rules do not require a player to leave the field for the first yellow card. However, some leagues' rules do. You must go by your league's rules. (See "Yellow Card" & "Worrying The Goalkeeper"). Red Card - A player must be shown a Red Card and "sent off" (i.e., made to leave the field) for the 7 offenses listed below. A player shown a "Red Card" & sent off may not be replaced during that game (i.e., his team must play a player "short" for the rest of the game; however, in some leagues a player may be replaced if he is ejected for receiving a second Yellow Card). The 7 offenses for which a player must be shown a Red Card and sent off are:
  1. serious foul play (includes any use of excessive force or brutality against an opponent when challenging for the ball. Examples include a dangerous slide tackle from behind, or an "over the top tackle" in which a player raises his foot so the cleats could hit a player, or a two footed tackle that takes down the opponent. FIFA has broadened this definition by saying that "Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play. For current rules visit www.fifa.com, Laws of the Game. The above quote is from Questions and Answers, Additional Instructions for Referees). The rules now include "Decision 4", which says: "A tackle, which endangers the safety of an opponent, must be sanctioned as serious foul play".
  2. violent conduct,
  3. spitting at anyone,
  4. deliberately touching the ball with a hand in order to prevent a goal or to deny an obvious goal scoring opportunity (such as to prevent a "Breakaway".... this does not apply to the goalkeeper within his own Penalty Box)
  5. fouling an opponent to prevent an obvious goal scoring opportunity (e.g., holding to stop a breakaway),
  6. using offensive, insulting or threatening language and/or gestures,
  7. or receiving a second yellow card in one game.
Soccer Cards

Carry - Another word for "dribble". (See "Verbal Signals"). Soccer Carry

Casey Stengel Quotes - Motivating quotes for soccer coaches. Soccer Casey Stengel Quotes

Caution - An official disciplinary action where the Referee shows a player a "Yellow Card". (See "Cards"). Soccer Caution

Center Back - A center fullback. If you played 4 FB's, there would be 2 center backs; one would be "left" & the other "right". Soccer Center Back

Center Circle - Circle in the center of the field; usually 6 yard radius for U-8, 8 yard radius for U-10 & 10 yard radius for U-12 & older. On a kick off, defenders must stay outside this until the ball is moved by the kicker. (See "Kick Off"). Soccer Center Circle

Center Mark - A painted mark at the center of the Center Circle on which the ball is placed for a kick-off. Soccer Center Mark

Center The Ball * (Key Concept) - (aka "Cross The Ball" or "Center It"). Refers to an attacker kicking or passing the ball to the area in front of the opponent's goal. Attackers often pass the ball to this space without having a receiver in mind because it can create a scoring opportunity. (This is called "passing to space"). This term is more descriptive of what you want a youth team to do than "cross the ball". (See "Cross The Ball", "Creating Space", "First Attacker", & "Pass to Space"). Soccer Center The Ball

Center Of The Field * - (aka The Center). It is often necessary to refer to the "center of the field" (e.g., "don't go past the center"). The center of the field is roughly the area between the two goals and is where the CFB (Center Fullback), CMF (Center Midfielder) & CF (Center Forward) usually start the game. The term "middle" is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to the "center". (See "Middle" and "Center The Ball"). Soccer Center Of The Field

CF - Center Forward. (See "Forwards", "Positions" and "Formations"). Soccer CF (Center Forward)

CFB - Center Fullback. (See "Fullbacks", "Positions" and "Formations"). Soccer CFB (Center Fullback)

Challenge - When a defender tries to steal the ball it is called a "challenge" (e.g., "He challenged for the ball"). Soccer Challenge

Channel - There are two meanings:

  1. The defender should angle his body & position himself to "channel" the "onball attacker" toward the side line. This is the same concept as "turning" the ballhandler, but if you "channel" the ballhandler you stay with him & keep trying force him wide. This is a desirable tactic because it poses much less risk to the defending team than if the ballhandler is able to turn into the center of the field. The Defender should favor the center and turn his body so the ballhandler cannot easily get past him to the center of the field. This encourages the ballhandler to go to the outside. Forcing the ballhandler to the outside reduces the risk of the ballhandler getting a clean shot on the front of the goal (i.e., if he gets off a shot from the sideline area he has a bad angle). (See "Defense" and "Marking").
  2. The term also refers to a passing lane. (See "Slot").

Soccer Channel

Checking Off - (aka Checking Run and Pull-Return) When a receiver runs away from the ballhandler but then quickly runs back toward the ballhandler. The idea is to draw the defender away from the ballhandler to create an open space that the receiver can then run back into in hopes of being open for a pass. (i.e., the first run was a "dummy run"). The opposite of a "hooking run". (See "Hooking Run", "Show", "Third Man Running", "Movement Off-The-Ball" & "Creating Space"). Soccer Checking Off

Chest Pass - A pass made when a player receives the ball with his chest but instead of pulling the chest in to "cushion" the ball so it drops, the receiver tightens his chest & pushes it forward & turns it to direct the ball as a pass to a teammate. Especially useful when in scoring range. (See "Chest Reception"). Soccer Chest Pass

Chest Reception - The chest can be used to receive or re-direct the ball. There are 3 teaching points: (1) "Cushion" the ball by pulling in the chest & exhaling on contact (2) Hold arms down or out to the sides so there is no chance of the ball accidentally hitting the arm & being called for a handball (3) Turn the chest on impact to direct the ball in the direction you want it to go. (U-12 & up). (See "Chest Pass"). Soccer Chest Reception

Chip* - (Key Concept) - Similar to golf, a chip pass or chip shot is made by a jabbing motion down & under the ball so the ball goes up into the air. Chipped balls have backspin. The ball can be approached straight on or from the side & can be struck with the top of the laces or the side of the laces, but in all cases the ball is struck low using a downward jabbing motion with little follow-through. The more downward the strike, the more rapidly the ball rises & the more backspin. A chip shot will only work if the goalkeeper is out of the goal or if the goal is too tall for the goalkeeper to cover. But it can be very effective in youth leagues against a short goalkeeper in a tall goal. Not all "airballs" are chips. A ball struck low with a normal backswing and a normal follow-through will also rise into the air. This ball, called a "lofted drive", will not rise as quickly as a chip and has little or no backspin, but it will travel farther & with more pace. When coaching a Rec team, I often used the word "chip" in a generic way when I wanted a player to send a pass "over the top" of the opponents or to "clear" the ball, because it was easier than saying "kick a lofted ball with backspin". See "Chips Game" and "Chip Pass or Shot" in "Techniques & Fancy Footwork", which is part of the Premium site. (See "Lofted Drive" and "Hopped Pass"). Soccer Chip

Clear* (Key Concept) - (aka Clear the Ball). The first priority of defenders is to "clear the ball" (i.e., kick the ball) out of the "Danger Zone" (i.e., out of scoring range). If the ball is in front of your goal and in scoring range, the Defenders should "clear it" because a turnover would give the opponent a scoring opportunity. This is especially true in recreational soccer where players often don't have good skills. For Recreational teams, when the ball is in your Penalty Box, we recommend teaching your Midfielders to stay a pass away from the ball (15-20 steps) and your Forwards to stay a long kick (25-35 steps) away from the ball, and teach the MF's and Forwards to "shift and sag" with the ball, and teach your Fullbacks to clear it straight ahead. This way, your MF's and Forwards know what to expect, can position themselves to "win the ball", and you will have good field coverage. Your MF's and Forwards MUST fight for and win most of these cleared balls or you will probably lose the game. At higher levels of play the emphasis is on controlling the ball, but in Rec leagues teams often don't have the skill to "build an attack from the back", as it is called when the FB's pass to the MF's who pass to the F's, etc., and clearing it is the only realistic style of play. How to teach this Style of Play is described in SoccerHelp Premium. (See "Attacking", "Attacking Plan" and "Shift & Sag"). Soccer Clear

CMF - Center Midfielder. (See "Midfielder", "Positions" and "Formations"). Soccer CMF (Center Midfielder)

Coaching Rules * - Stating important concepts as simple "rules" is a useful way to teach young players, since most have been taught to "follow the rules". The following aren't real soccer rules, they are just my "rules". You may want to teach your players some of these:

  1. "Don't get thrown over" (When the other team has a throw-in). (During the game, be specific when giving instructions. For example, "John, move back 10 steps so you don't get thrown over"). See No. 3 below for the next step.
  2. "Don't get goal kicked or punted over" (by the other team). (Be specific if giving instruction. For example, "John, run back to the halfway line"). See No. 3 below for the next step.
  1. "Forwards, when you are pushed up & waiting for a pass, stay 2 steps behind the Last Defender so you won't accidentally be called offside".
  1. "If you are playing on the left side (LF, LMF, or LFB) or on the right side (RF, RMF or RFB), don't cross the center of the field". (LMF is Left Mid-Fielder, RFB is Right Fullback, etc.).

22 Coaching Rules Are Available On SoccerHelp Premium.

Watch How to Defend Soccer Goal Kicks, Punts and Throw Ins Video

Coaching Rule No. 3 Allows Team to Dominate Opponents

Importance of Stopper, Patches and Coaching Rule No. 3; Letter from U-10 Coed Rec Coach Playing 9v9:

Hi SoccerHelp,

We had 1 win and 4 narrow losses until I put into place your tactics for playing a stopper, marking on throw-ins, goal kicks, punts and free kicks (Coaching Rule No. 3) and using patches as incentives to motivate players. The team we played today would have normally beaten us, but we beat them 3-0 !! The number of assists and striking in the goal box was amazing, lots of far post positioning by our team, I changed the Stopper half way thru first half. My first choice at stopper ended up having no real energy, the second choice was amazing - he went like a steam train. I told him the whole field was his, as long as he ran back to position each time the other team went on attack - he did this - and performed incredibly well. Our defenders did see some action but it was more clearing type work.

As you recommended, I played our best goalie in the field because he's a great athlete and our second choice goalie was in goal - I was nervous at commencement of game. But the other team hardly got near our penalty box!!!

Marking improved all thru game, I gave out patches at half time for marking and assists. This really got my team going. Me yelling out to player as he/she went by - "you've got a patch for marking Logan".... or "Jack, you're patched for hard attack!" You should have seen the kids faces then watched them react on the field!!

The parents were screaming their heads off - they couldn't believe the change in our team. All the kids came off the field heads held high and smiling. They knew they'd achieved something great.

SoccerHelp - I am raising a glass to you guys this evening - I think the team is starting out on a great path. You've made the difference today mate!

All the best and have a great weekend. The start of ours has been awesome.

--Coach Chris, New Zealand Soccer Coaching Rules

Combination Play - When attacking players work together to execute a play. Examples are a "Give & Go", an "Overlapping Run", a "Takeover", a "Hooking Run" and "Checking Off". Soccer Combination Play

Commit The Defender - A misdirection play such as a feint, a wall pass or an "off- the- ball" or "onball" run that causes the defender to commit in a direction that is advantageous to the attacking team. Another way to commit the defender is for the ballhandler to dribble toward him & then pass the ball at the last second when it is too late for the defender to guard the receiver. Soccer Commit The Defender

Contain - Any tactic or technique that is used to restrict an opponent's movement (e.g., "We must contain their Forwards"). Soccer Contain

Control Dribbling * (Key Concept) - When a player is "in traffic" he must keep the ball close to his feet so he can protect it; this is called Control Dribbling. However, if he is in the open he will want to "Speed Dribble" so he can run faster with the ball. The techniques are different for Control Dribbling and Speed Dribbling. There is an excellent demonstration of Speed Dribbling on the Anson Dorrance-Tom Stone Soccer Clinic DVD. See How To Teach Dribbling and Speed Dribbling. Soccer Control Dribbling

Corner Arc - The small arc at each corner of the field. (See the Field Diagram). Soccer Corner Arc

Corner Flags - The flags marking the corners of the field. Soccer Corner Flags

Corner Kick - (aka Corners). A corner kick is a method of restarting play. When the ball goes out of bounds over the end line (aka the "Goal Line") and was last touched by the defending team, the attacking team inbounds it from the nearest corner by kicking it in from the Corner Arc (note: this doesn't apply if a goal was scored). Defenders must stay 6 yards back if U-8, 8 yards if U-10 & 10 yards back if U-12 or older. (If they don't, they might get a yellow card). The ball may be placed anywhere inside the Corner Arc or on the Corner Arc lines. There are 2 types of corners: a "Long Corner" and a "Short Corner". A player is not offside if he receives the ball from a Corner Kick. The ball is in play when it is kicked and moves. A goal may be scored directly from a corner kick. The kicker may not play the ball a second time until it has touched another player. (See "Short Corner" & "Long Corner", and "Offside Rule"). See Short Corner Set-Play & Corner Kick Attacking Strategies and Corner Kick Tips on Premium.

For detailed info on Corner Kick Tactics see Corner Kick Tactics.

Below is what the official FIFA rules say about Corner Kicks:

A corner kick is a method of restarting play.

A goal may be scored directly from a corner kick, but only against the opposing team.

A corner kick is awarded when the entire ball, having last touched a player of the defending team, passes over the goal line, either on the ground or in the air, and a goal is not scored in accordance with Law 10. Law 10 is "The Method of Scoring" and basically says that a goal is scored when the entire ball -- not just part of the ball -- passes over the goal line, between the goal posts and under the crossbar, provided there wasn't a foul or a law broken in the process of scoring the goal (an example of when a goal would be disallowed is if the team scoring the goal was "offside"). Click here to see a diagram of a soccer field.

Procedure:
  • The ball is placed inside the corner arc at the nearest corner flagpost.
  • The corner flagpost is not moved.
  • Opponents remain at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the corner arc until the ball is in play. (Leagues usually reduce the distance for younger ages to 5 or 6 yards).
  • The ball is kicked by a player of the attacking team.
  • The ball is in play when it is kicked and moves.
  • The kicker does not play the ball a second time until it has touched another player.

Soccer Corner Kick

Counterattack - All of your attacks will either start with a kick-off or a "re-start" (such as a goal kick, corner kick or free kick), or they will be "counterattacks" which start when you get the ball on a turnover from the other team. There are 2 types of counterattacks: One is a slow, patient, ball-controlling attack that relies on a lot of short passes in all directions (i.e., backwards & sideways as well as forward); the other is to launch a quick "direct attack" by moving the ball forward as quickly as possible into the other team's "Danger Zone". Unless you have a highly skilled team that can complete a lot of consecutive passes, the quick direct counterattack will be the most effective. The concept is very similar to a fastbreak in basketball and if someone says you are vulnerable to a counterattack they are referring to a direct, fastbreak counterattack. You are more vulnerable to a quick counterattack if you push up your FB's when you attack. There are 2 keys to launching a successful fastbreak counterattack: (1) When your goal is under attack, you must be sure that one or two of your forwards stay out toward the halfway line or even farther if the other team's FB's are deep. (Another advantage of this is it will force the other team's FB's to stay back, otherwise, they might push up closer toward your goal). (2) Your FB's or MF's must quickly kick the ball deep onto your opponent's half of the field so your forwards can win the ball and fastbreak. (See "Attacking", "Attacking Plan", "Breakaway", "Direct Attack" & "Formations"). Soccer Counterattack

Cover - "Cover", "Support", & "Depth" are related but different concepts. Whereas "support" means there should be several teammates within the immediate area of the ball (i.e., within the distance of a long pass on offense and a short pass on defense) and applies to offense (i.e., receivers supporting the passer) and defense (e.g., the Second Defender should back up the First Defender), "cover" is a defensive concept that has 3 meanings. One meaning refers to areas of the field that your "defense" should cover. For example, when the ball is on your end of the field, your defense must "cover" your Danger Zone & if the ball is in your Danger Zone your defenders must especially cover the area in front of your goal. The area your defense must cover depends on how far away from your goal the ball is, which side of the field it is on & who is faster, your fullbacks or the other team's forwards (e.g., if your fullbacks are faster then you can "push up" more because you have the speed to "recover"). A second meaning refers to a defender guarding an opponent (e.g., "His job is to cover the Right Forward"). The term cover is also used as a synonym for defensive support (e.g., "The Sweeper is responsible for providing cover for his fullbacks". This is similar to the concept of a free safety providing cover for his cornerbacks and linebackers in American football). (See "Support", "Shift & Sag", "Depth", "Width In Defense" & "Recover"). Soccer Cover

Coverage - Refers to being sure your defenders are covering important space such as the Danger Zone if the other team is attacking near your goal. (See "Cover", "Shift & Sag", & "Support"). Soccer Coverage

Create - You hope your players will learn how to "create". This refers to creating scoring opportunities. At higher levels, these players are very valued & often play CMF. For example, Carlos Valderrama & Marco Etcheverry are mid-fielders who "create" by great passing. These players are said to have great "vision" to see the potential to create opportunities. The great Brazilian player, Roberto Carlos, "creates" by making great "overlapping runs" down the side line from his fullback position to send beautiful "crossing passes" to his forwards. (See "Assist" & "Vision"). Soccer Create

Creating Space (Key Concept) - There are 2 different philosophies about how to "create space" - - "onball attacking" & "off-the-ball attacking". These are different styles of play.

"Onball Attacking" emphasizes the ballhandler dribbling to get open or dribbling for the purpose of pulling defenders toward him so receivers become open & he can try to pass to them (i.e., he "creates space" for the receivers by drawing their defenders toward him). This requires the ballhandler to have superb dribbling skills & the attack relies on the ballhandler to create opportunities. This style of play is easier to defend than "Offball Attacking" because the key is simply to shut down the ballhandler & mark potential receivers who are in scoring range. There are 3 reasons why you should not teach youth teams this style of play:

  1. Most youth players don't have & cannot acquire the dribbling skills to use it successfully.
  2. It doesn't stress "movement off-the-ball", which is something you want your players to learn.
  3. In this style of play, passing is a second priority to dribbling (whereas players U-8 & up should be taught that passing is the first priority unless they are close to goal & can dribble & score). Teams that pass the ball well almost always beat those that dribble too much. A good comparison is to basketball, where teams that dribble too much usually lose to teams with good passing skills.
"Off-The-Ball Attacking" emphasizes 2 things: (A) The movement of players without the ball (i.e., "movement off-the-ball") to create space & (B) Passing to open space. This is a better style of play to teach youth because it emphasizes passing & "movement off-the-ball". Examples of how to create space through "off-the-ball attacking" are given below.

A.  Examples of "movement off-the-ball" which pull defenders away from the ballhandler or away from the area to be attacked & thereby "create space" are:

  1. "Spreading The Field", which moves attackers wide in order to pull defenders away from the center. (This is relatively easy to teach U-10 & up).
  2. Having attackers stay a pass apart which forces the defense to spread out and, thereby, creates space. (This is relatively easy to teach U-10 & up).
  3. Having receivers move away from the ballhandler as he approaches them creates space because defenders will have to cover the receivers or else the receivers will be open for a pass. (If receivers don't move, then their defenders are in a position to pressure the ballhandler as he gets closer to the receiver). The best teams in the world, such as Manchester United, do this very well. This is fundamental & one of the most important things you can teach, but it is surprising how often high school players don't do it. (This is relatively easy to teach U-10 & up).
  4. "Checking Off", "Hooking Runs", "Diagonal Runs" and "Give & Go's" also create space by "movement off-the-ball". (These are relatively difficult to teach).
  5. Occasionally a receiver should move toward the ballhandler, but young receivers more often make the mistake of moving toward the ballhandler when they should be moving away, or of not moving to get open from defenders. A good analogy is to think about basketball or receivers in American football.
B.  Examples of attacking by playing the ball to open space are:
  1. "Through Balls" which are kicked to the open space behind the defenders when the other team's defense is "pushed up": ("Through Balls" are relatively easy to teach U-10 & up).
  2. "Switching The Play" where the ball is quickly passed from one side of the field to the other & is especially good when you are near the other team's goal & can attack the "back door". ("Switching The Play" is somewhat difficult to teach & is best for U-12 & up).
  3. Passes to open space near a specific receiver (such as "Leading Passes" & "Crossing Passes") are another way to attack by passing to open space. (U-10 & up).
  4. "Passing To Yourself" is a fourth way. (This is relatively easy to teach U-10 & up).
  5. It is very important to teach passers to pass to space and to teach receivers to anticipate passes to space. If you do this, your attack will greatly improve, your team will score many more goals and it will be more fun. Teaching how to play to open space is a different way of thinking than "passing to feet", but once a team grasps the concept you will be amazed at how much more they move off the ball and how they try to win the ball more.
    (See "Attacking", "Counterattack", "Cross The Ball", "Diagonal Run", "Direct Attack", "Dummy Run", "Movement Off-The-Ball", "Pass to Space", "Pass to Yourself", "Spread The Field", "Support", "Supporting Distance & Relative Position", "Switch The Play", "Through Balls", "When to Dribble/When to Pass", & "Width In Attack").

Soccer Creating Space

Cross * (Key Concept) - (aka Cross the Ball, Center The Ball, Cross It, Cross, Crossing Pass or Crossed Ball). A very important term & concept to teach U-10 & older, because "crosses" are a very important way to create scoring opportunities. To "cross the ball" means to kick the ball from the side of the field across the field toward the area in front of the opponent's goal in order to create a scoring opportunity. A cross is a "square pass" to the area in front of the goal (If a player passes the ball across the field to a teammate out of scoring range, it is not called a "cross", but is called a "square pass"). A crossed ball is usually a "pass to space" (as opposed to a "pass to feet"). Even at the pro level, the passer usually isn't passing to a specific person; he's just concentrating on kicking the ball to the front of the goal (often while on the run) because doing so often creates a scoring opportunity. (This is hard to do. Try kicking the ball sideways while running). A good cross will be to the area in front of the goal & about 7 to 20 steps out from the goal; if it is too close to the goal the goalkeeper will pick it up or catch it & if it is too far out the receiver won't have a shot. At the high school level and older, a lot of crosses are "air balls" that create the opportunity to score on a "header". I think it is better to use the term "center the ball" rather than "crossing pass" when giving directions to young players, because if you say "crossing pass", a young player thinks he should look for someone to "pass" it to. I've found it is better to teach your outside F's to "center the ball" without worrying whether a receiver will get there. Yes, they will sometimes center it when no one is there but it will teach receivers that they must "go to goal" & get in position to receive these "crosses" so they can make a one-touch or two-touch shot. Tell your receivers to stay 3 or 4 steps behind the ball when they run with the dribbler (i.e., the player who will make the cross) so they won't be called offside & so the ball won't go behind them. If they are even with the ball they will either have to stop & wait on it or will overrun it & it will go behind them. By staying 3 or 4 steps behind they should be able to slow down & reach the ball but still have forward momentum which will give them power on a one-touch shot. A more important reason to stay 3 to 4 steps back is so the cross doesn't go behind them. If it does, they have lost the scoring opportunity. If they are behind the ball they will have a chance; if the ball goes behind them, they won't). Tell them that when they reach the ball they should just block the ball with the inside of their foot & use a very short backswing; if they take a big backswing they will probably mis-kick. Placement is the key, not power. Crosses should go straight across. This is because if the cross is at a forward angle, it is harder for the receiver to kick it (since it is going away from him) & it is easier for defenders to clear it (because it is going toward them) and it is easier for the goalkeeper to catch it. A "Long Corner" is a type of "Cross" to "Center The Ball". (See "Finish", "Attacking Plan", "First Attacker", "Rebound", "Center The Ball" & "Creating Space"). Soccer Cross

Crossover Run - A misdirection play where 2 attackers run past each other in opposite directions. This can be a way to get open on throw-ins. Soccer Crossover Run

Cushioning The Ball - When a receiver relaxes a part of the body so it absorbs the force of the ball. The purpose, of course, is so he can control the ball. Soccer Cushioning The Ball

Cutback - (aka "Inside-of-Foot Hook"). Using the inside of foot to chop the ball across the body to the left or right as a way to change direction. Soccer Cutback


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