Crossing of players
The basic idea of crossing is that the attacking players can create a situation
where they outnumber their opponents by crossing while using individual feints, or
that the players are able to get a back to an advantageous shooting position by
crossing.
In modern handball, the crossing of players has many versions and is more or less
complex. When practicing the talents' crossing skills, there needs to be a sharp
distinction between crosses that mainly consist of the players changing places
(e.g. the French cross or the Veszprem cross) and crosses that aim to lead to a
direct chance of scoring.
In the Talent Training, the crosses where the players just change places as well as
play rhythms is not interesting, as the purpose of these elements is of a more
tactical nature.
The focus is on the directly goal oriented crosses, whether the purpose is to create
a situation where the attackers outnumber their opponents, or to bring a back to an
advantageous shooting position by crossing
If the purpose of crossing is to create a situation, where the attackers outnumber
their opponents, then the individual feinting skills are essential for the outcome.
The feinting player needs to pull his direct defender to him, in order for the cross to
be successful. In that respect, crossing is closely connected to the man to man
duels and in the training it can be of advantage to spend some time practicing
feints before moving on to crossing.
Therefore, the prerequisite for a successful cross is always that the player in
possession of the ball focuses solely on getting past his direct opponent in the
man to man duel. If the player does not attack with credibility, the cross will only be
successful against a bad defence.
The cross should not be chosen until the moment when the defender prevents the
break-through, and the crossing of players can thus be considered as an
emergency solution to be used if the player cannot get past his direct opponent. If
a cross is to succeed it requires that a space around the defending player in front
of whom, the cross is directed.
The player in possession of the ball must therefore be skilled in timing his attack,
be able to attack the free space, pose a threat towards the goal and at the same
time be able to protect the ball, so that it can be passed on. It is extremely
important to practice those basic skills again and again.
The timing and speed of the run of the crossing player behind the feinting player
are essential when carrying out a cross. In a sharp cross, there is only one correct
time and place for the crossing player to be - and exactly in that specific moment,
the crossing player must receive the pass from the feinting player and then
continue directly towards the goal. It needs to be exactly behind the player in
possession of the ball - at high speed and so late that this player can finish his job.
One of the biggest sources of when making crosses is without a doubt that the
player running behind arrives too soon, and this destroys the timing of the cross.
Similar to pressure plays, crossings aim to create situations where the attackers
outnumber the defenders, using a minimum of space. The less space you use, the
more room there will be somewhere else on the court.
The desired skills in carrying out this kind of goal-oriented crossing are the same
no matter from where the cross is made on the court. In the Talent Training,
crossing skills are practice through exercises based on
 centre back crosses (should be practiced first)
 back crosses
 wing crosses (used less and less)
In the trainings, the focus is that:
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the feinting player primarily seeks his own chance, meaning that the cross
pass is his second choice and is triggered only by a correct defensive
action.
the cross pass is made at the right time. The feinting player must not pass
the ball until he has pulled his direct defender with him. The feinting player
should generally keep the ball as appropriately high, and the pass must be
straight backwards. (It is important that the pass is effective, so that the
player who runs behind has the best opportunities to use the situation, style
is NOT important!)
the crossing player receives the ball at high speed directly behind the
feinting player.
the crossing player runs directly towards the goal after receiving the ball,
thus using a minimum of space.
If the purpose of crossing is to get a back to an advantageous shooting position, it
also requires screening skills as well as feinting skills of the player in possession
of the ball, as the defenders must now be screened off or kept flat, so that the
shooter can get to a sensible and undisturbed scoring position.
Then, the timing of the run of the crossing player plays a central part, as the shot
must be carried out on the crossing player’s first step.
In the Talent Training, crossing with a shot over a screening is primarily used
based on a desire to develop more players who can shoot from the distance. This
type of crossing is therefore inextricably linked with the recruitment strategy.
Both wide and narrow centre back crosses are practiced, so that the shooting
player can either take the shot on inwards side of the defending back or end over
a flat central defence.
When practicing this type of crossing, the corrections are especially focused on:
 the feinting player being able to correctly screen off the defenders after the
cross pass.
 the shooter coming at as high speed as possible when receiving the ball
and making a powerful jump before taking the shot
 the shooter working on his shooting rhythm in relation to the blocks of the
defenders.
This type of crossing should therefore also be combined with the individual
shooting practice, in which the shooters are made aware of their options in this
particular kind of attacks.
The practice of crossing is supported by the physical training, as crossing requires:
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the necessary core strength and balance in the body
strength in the legs
jumping strength
shooting power
In the Talent Training, the practice of crossing basically consists of simple
exercises with few players involved, mostly 2 against 1. It is usually quite difficult
for the attackers even if they outnumber the defence, which emphasizes that
crossing is often carried out in a not so sharp manner.
If players experience problems with elementary crossing, it might be better wait
practicing this part of the game until later, or to let the defender hold a ball in his
hands, so that the possibility to work technically correct is better.
The players' skills in Talent Training are therefore solely practiced in an isolated
form and not as part of a complex game.