Crossbar Challenge: Fun Soccer Game (Here’s How it Works)
Looking for a fun soccer game that tests both your shooting accuracy and striking technique?
The crossbar challenge is played by amateurs and pros alike, all around the world.
The idea is simple -- strike the crossbar as many times as you can.
Bit it’s actually a deceptively hard target to hit.
Even professional soccer players fail far more times than they succeed.
So, how does the “crossbar challenge” work?
Let’s take a look...
How to Play the Crossbar Challenge
The aim of the game is to strike the crossbar with the ball as many times as you can.
All you really need to play this fun game is a goal, a ball, and someone to play against.
While hitting the crossbar may seem easy, it’s actually quite hard to accurately judge the right height and power that you need to kick the ball.
This is why it’s such a good game for honing your striking technique… as you need to get just the right amount of lift on the ball for it to hit the bar.
How it works:
There’s no set distance where this ball should be placed.
Coaches and players can simply decide on a line for everyone to kick the ball from.
This is usually from just outside the box.
Once that’s decided, each individual player sets the ball stationary on the ground then takes a short run up before kicking it goalwards.
The only other thing to decide on is the number of kicks each player will take.
The winner is then the player who manages to hit the crossbar the most number of times.
Simple, isn’t it?
8 Crossbar Challenge Tips
These tips will focus on how to strike the ball cleanly with the right amount of power.
1. Practice!
The secret to being great at the crossbar challenge is of course to practice!
While it may be a bit frustrating at the beginning, with patience and hard work you'll soon see more of your shots hitting the crossbar.
2. Don't Strike the Ball Too Hard
As the crossbar challenge is all about accuracy, you don't need to hit it as hard as you can.
While you do need to hit it hard enough to reach the goal and the height of the bar, most of the lift should come from striking the underside of the ball and not from the power you put into it.
Meaning, you don't need a long run up.
Simply stand a few feet away and then take a couple of steps and kick the ball goalwards.
(Resource: How to Kick a Soccer Ball Perfectly (10-Step Guide))
3. Plant Your Foot Next to the Ball
Absolutely key to getting your strike on target is where you place your foot.
If your standing foot is too near or far from the ball then you are most likely going to reduce both the accuracy and power of your strike.
By practicing a few times, you'll soon work out just how near to the ball you should plant your standing foot.
4. Strike the Underside of the Ball
As you need to lift the ball up into the air so it can hit the crossbar you're going to want to strike the ball on its underside.
If you kick the top or middle part of the ball it just won't gain the right amount of height.
Hit the underside of the ball with the top of your laces.
This should be more on the inside of your boot along the top of your big toe.
The idea is to chip the ball into the air with enough power so that it strikes the crossbar.
5. Don't Follow Through
While with many shots you want to follow through so that your strike is more accurate, with a chipped shot it is best to stop your foot right under the ball and keep it close to the ground.
This helps the ball to gain elevation and rise upwards towards the bar.
6. Don't Lean Back Too Far
Another important thing is to not lean back too far.
If you do this, you increase the chance that the ball will rise too high and float up over the bar.
In addition to this, leaning back too much also reduces the accuracy of the shot as you are likely to be more off balance.
7. Judge the Distance and Height
While this is obviously easier said than done, with time and practice you'll be able to judge just how much height, distance, and power you need on the shot.
Combined with your improving shooting technique, this will help you to hit the crossbar a lot more frequently than before.
It often takes a couple of attempts before you gauge the target properly and start getting closer and closer to hitting the bar.
8. Hit the Bar from Above
The last thing to mention is that it is much easier to hit the bar when the ball is coming down rather than if you are arrowing the ball up towards it from the ground.
As such, you want to chip the ball so that it is around its maximum height just a tiny bit before it reaches the bar.
It will then dip down and hopefully hit the crossbar!
Conclusion
Well there you have it, how to play the fun soccer game that is the crossbar challenge!
With practice and patience, you'll soon be hitting the bar a lot more frequently and beating your friends and teammates in the process.
While it is deceptively hard to do, it’s well worth practicing the game as the skills you gain are key to being a good soccer player.
It’s also a lot of fun to play!