Beckham's Cross

Crosses were unreliable. That was another major weakness Yang Yang had exposed during amateur matches.

Whether it was John Rep or people from Ajax, they had all hinted at this to Yang Yang.

They all believed that if Yang Yang could bring his crossing ability up to an acceptable standard, then with his ability to break through on the wing and his running ability, Almere's attacking firepower would definitely soar. Defeating Ajax might not be impossible, either.

Crossing looked simple, but in reality it was extremely difficult.

Yang Yang had not neglected to practice it. He had even imitated the crossing techniques of famous stars, but with little effect. One important reason lay in the technique used when crossing, the part of the foot that struck the ball, and even the body's posture.

That was often how football skills were. They looked simple and were easy to pick up, but difficult to master. Especially while moving, with the ball traveling at high speed, sending in a high-quality cross was undoubtedly extremely hard.

But for Yang Yang, this was also the most urgent problem he needed to solve.

Once he could improve his crossing as quickly as possible, it would greatly increase his chances of establishing himself in Ajax's youth team.

Sharp wing breakthroughs combined with reliable crosses would become his core competitive strength over the next two or three years.

It was just like Robben of Eindhoven. With his lightning speed and sharp wing breakthroughs, he was reportedly also working hard on his left-wing crossing.

Van der Meide, who had just transferred from Ajax to Inter Milan, was also excellent at breaking through on the wing and was likewise training hard on his crossing.

Of course, for these two stars to establish themselves in the Eredivisie and win the favor of Europe's giants, their crossing was at least reliable.

By contrast, Yang Yang's crossing was still among the most unreliable.

After analyzing and discussing it with Old Bing, Yang Yang chose crossing as his second Star Skill without hesitation.

"There's nothing else to choose, then. For right-wing crosses, he's the best choice."

As soon as Old Bing finished speaking, the star silhouettes around the Super Training Ground dimmed once again. Only Beckham's figure grew brighter and brighter, finally transforming into a bolt of lightning that shot straight into Yang Yang's forehead.

In an instant, every cross Beckham had delivered throughout his career played frame by frame through Yang Yang's mind like a video. It seemed to last a long time, yet also felt as if it had happened in an instant.

When Yang Yang regained consciousness, Beckham was already standing on the right side of the front half of the training ground.

"Beckham's crosses generally fall into two major categories. The first is the Long Cross."

As soon as Old Bing finished speaking, the star silhouette on the training ground quickly stepped forward. After only two short running steps, he struck the ball directly. It traced a parabola through the air before landing precisely in the designated area, with practically zero error.

This was definitely the highest-quality cross Beckham could deliver.

Yang Yang watched Beckham's kick from close range. Although he had seen it only once, he still noticed many details.

For example, Beckham's approach run, the part of the foot he used to strike the ball, the instep; his somewhat strange body posture; especially the forty-five-degree angle between his planted foot and the ball; and the way he spread both arms wide.

This kind of Long Cross had no curve, but it was extremely fast. The ball could even be kept very low, making it highly suitable for wing crosses. If there was a teammate with excellent finishing ability in front of the goal, the ball could be sent into the net in no time.

"The second category is the curved cross."

As soon as Old Bing finished speaking, the star silhouette and the ball on the training ground returned to their original positions.

Beckham still took only two running steps before striking the ball rapidly. A loud thump rang out as the ball flew from his right foot with fierce spin. At first, it seemed to be flying straight toward the goal, but it soon traced a curve and turned toward the outside of the goal, finally landing in the designated area with unbelievable precision.

Such exquisite technique and such a high-quality cross filled Yang Yang with admiration.

He had played football himself and had worked hard on his crossing, so he knew exactly how difficult it was to deliver a cross of this level.

From the star silhouette's demonstration, Yang Yang noticed a few more clues.

The approach run and body posture were more or less the same, but the technique and point of contact were different. This time, Beckham had used the inside of his foot.

Compared with a Long Cross, a curved cross was slightly slower, but it carried strong deceptive qualities. It was clearly meant to confuse the goalkeeper and defenders and make them misjudge the ball while defending.

"Beckham's crossing techniques generally don't go beyond these two major categories. If you can thoroughly understand and practice both of them until they become second nature, then as your crossing ability improves, they'll also greatly benefit your future practice of long passes and free kicks."

Football techniques were interconnected in much the same way. Many things were related to one another, and crossing, long passing, and free kicks were no exception.

Yang Yang understood that if he wanted to play well on the wing, long passes covering large areas were also necessary to some extent. They were a powerful weapon for stretching an opponent's defensive line. Once he mastered long-range switches, he could move the ball from one side to the other at any time and catch his opponents off guard.

As for free kicks, those should be considered an extra question.

Old Bing then had Yang Yang repeatedly watch the star silhouette's demonstration, emphasizing several important elements of Beckham's Cross, which were mainly divided into internal and external aspects.

Yang Yang had already observed many of the details concerning his own movements, such as the approach run, how many steps to take, the length of each step, the distance between the planted foot and the ball, the angle of his body, the use of his technique, and the way his muscles exerted force. There were countless details to pay attention to.

Simply put, Yang Yang had to discover the set of crossing movements best suited to him through relentless practice.

This did not surprise Yang Yang. When he had first learned Ronaldo's Rush, Old Bing had told him more than once that he had to find a set of steps of his own.

The facts proved that blindly imitating someone else did not necessarily produce what suited him best.

That was true of Ronaldo's Rush, and it was also true of Beckham's Cross.

Compared with factors relating to himself, external factors also required equal attention.

The situation on the pitch changed in an instant. The ball could not remain still and wait for him to kick it. Neither attacking teammates nor defending opponents would stop moving and wait for his cross. This required excellent vision and anticipation, allowing him to observe his teammates' runs and speed in advance and send the cross early to the position where they could best apply their strength.

Besides that, he also needed an outstanding sense of distance.

Whether it was a cross or a long pass, an excellent sense of distance was essential. At the instant he passed the ball, he had to judge the distance clearly, control the force he used, and ensure that the ball landed precisely in the area he had intended.

Yang Yang still remembered how the media and fans had joked when evaluating Beckham's crossing ability: as long as you stood still in front of the goal and struck a pose, Beckham could deliver the ball so perfectly that it would hit the top of your head and bounce into the net.

That showed just how difficult it was to truly learn Beckham's Cross.

Besides all the internal and external factors mentioned above, there was another indispensable element: practice.

Not only did his technique, muscle control, and body posture require repeated, nonstop training, but judging distances and controlling the amount of force also required repeated practice to master.

The renowned writer Gladwell proposed the ten-thousand-hour rule in his book Outliers, and it applied to football as well.

Of course, the so-called ten thousand hours was only a generalization. A supremely talented player might need only five thousand hours, while a player with less talent might need even more.

Yang Yang did not know whether his own talent was good or bad. None of that mattered to him. The only thing he knew for sure was that regardless of talent, training was necessary.

Right now, he had fixed his eyes on one goal: practice without stopping until he was satisfied.

At the same time, Old Bing also adjusted Yang Yang's training program.

For example, in his daytime wall-training exercises, the twenty-meter drill was changed into a crossing drill. After the ball rebounded, he had to calculate where to stop it with his first touch, then immediately follow up with a cross—and he had to do so while the ball was moving.

The purpose was to simulate a real match as closely as possible. This was only the beginning. Next, he would practice stopping the ball in different positions so that Yang Yang could learn to adapt his crossing to different situations.

Inside the Super Training Ground, Old Bing also added another exercise for Yang Yang: it created a virtual Beckham to practice crossing against him.

Twenty meters was only the starting distance. Once Yang Yang mastered it, the distance would gradually be increased.

As for the problem Yang Yang had originally worried about—insufficient strength in his right foot—Old Bing instead felt that it was not a problem. It believed that the main issue behind insufficient power lay in how he generated force. Ultimately, his entire set of crossing movements was not connecting smoothly, preventing him from unleashing his true strength.

Over the next few days, Yang Yang returned to the state he had been in before the amateur match.

Every night when he went to sleep, he trained in the Super Training Ground under Old Bing's guidance. The main focus remained Ronaldo's Rush and Beckham's Cross, along with a series of other basic training exercises.

During the day, aside from eating and taking his lunch break, he spent almost all his time buried in hard practice at the Skate Park.

Old Bing arranged all the training exercises very rationally, combining work with rest. Although the training was somewhat dull, it did not leave Yang Yang overly exhausted. From time to time, it even adjusted and changed his afternoon exercises during his lunch break based on his morning performance.

The days passed amid this relentless practice.

During this period, Karas van Balen, a scout from Eindhoven, visited the Chinese Restaurant once. Yang Yang was not there, but his uncle Shen Ming tactfully declined Van Balen's invitation for Yang Yang to join Eindhoven, saying that Yang Yang had already decided to join Ajax.

Karas van Balen was deeply disappointed. That afternoon, Eindhoven's Chief Scout, Pete Deviser, personally called the Chinese Restaurant and said that Eindhoven was willing to sign Yang Yang to a professional contract directly, offer him a substantial salary, and promise that he would enter the First Team within three years.

Yang Yang would not turn seventeen until October, meaning he would be only nineteen three years later. Eindhoven's willingness to make such a promise was enough to prove their sincerity. Yet Shen Ming still declined on Yang Yang's behalf, thanking Eindhoven for their favor. Yang Yang currently had only one goal: Ajax, where he could play under his idol Van Basten.

He had confidence in himself. As long as he continued working hard and improving, he would definitely make his debut for Ajax's First Team within three years.