Gigi Galli posted:

Start your kicking motion before you're physically where you want to cross the ball from, this comes with practice but have a cross in mind before you do it. This will prevent you from hooking one in and falling over backwards with the ball going nowhere. Don't try to scoop the ball up with the top of your foot like you're chipping it, you use the inside/front portion of your boot to get the lift you want. This is easier said than done and takes a bit of practice, but once it clicks you'll find this whole maneuver a lot easier. If you have the space, dribble the ball a little further forward than you normally would for your last touch before the cross and try to hit the ball as it's barely moving forward.

All of this takes practice, but placing the cross in the correct way on your foot can be practiced against a wall. Place the ball stationary somewhere then run parallel with the wall and try to pick a spot on it that you want to hit. As you get better at this try doing it with the ball moving.