Heading help?

Discussion in 'Player' started by fatdanny99, Feb 21, 2005.

  1. fatdanny99

    fatdanny99 New Member

    Nov 5, 2004
    US
    Ok, I need help with heading. When ever i head the ball, it ends up hurting my head. How do i head the ball without hurting myself? What are drills to help me with this.
     
  2. NHRef

    NHRef Member+

    Apr 7, 2004
    Southern NH
    Where on your head do you hit the ball?

    Do YOU HIT THE BALL or let the ball hit you?
     
  3. htafc

    htafc New Member

    Dec 12, 2004
    England
    yeah, that is what i was going to say
     
  4. metropolis2k

    metropolis2k New Member

    Sep 7, 2004
    England
    Keep your eyes open, have a lot of confidence and head it roughly where your hairline starts, above your forehead. Just pick up a ball now and bounce it off your head. You will find the area and you will then learn through practise to head with that part.
     
  5. fatdanny99

    fatdanny99 New Member

    Nov 5, 2004
    US
    I let the ball hit me.
     
  6. metropolis2k

    metropolis2k New Member

    Sep 7, 2004
    England
    Make sure you attack it in that case. It depends on how the ball comes to you, but if you can, get the power from your stomach moving your upper body and then use your neck to direct it.
     
  7. nvan_football

    nvan_football New Member

    Nov 1, 2004
    Vancouver,BC,Canada
    Hit the ball with your forehead, this is the only place where it should not hurt.
     
  8. serieAfan89

    serieAfan89 New Member

    Dec 29, 2003
    North Carolina
    be aware of the spin people put on a ball, that largely affects where the ball will go
     
  9. loden

    loden Member

    Jan 2, 2005
    Forest Hills, NY
    Club:
    FC Dynamo Kyiv
    Not only will it affect where it will go after you make contact, but the spin will make it hard to read where the ball is going to land in the first place. I the most trouble predicting where the ball will fall.
     
  10. Ben16

    Ben16 New Member

    Jun 10, 2002
    Georgia
    To help just strike the ball with your head. Make sure your hitting through the ball instead of leting the ball hit you.

    Sometimes headers are going to hurt no matter what.
     
  11. Turk from Pigs Eye

    Turk from Pigs Eye New Member

    Jun 14, 2002
    Pigs Eye (St. Paul),
    Buy one of those protective helmets.
     
  12. nvan_football

    nvan_football New Member

    Nov 1, 2004
    Vancouver,BC,Canada
    Football helmet is even better :D
    Damn, nobody wears those protective bands, it's a crap. They make sense if you play rugby but for soccer players it's a real waste of money and they will only impede you. You just have to learn a proper technique and it won't hurt.
     
  13. NHRef

    NHRef Member+

    Apr 7, 2004
    Southern NH
    When I use to coach the younger kids and give them their first heading lessons, we had pretty good luck doing this:

    Two people about 5 feet apart, one tosses LIGHTLY the ball to the others head. The "header" needs to attack the ball, if you let it hit you ya, its gonna hurt cause you are probably closing your eyes and letting it hit you on the top of your head. It should hit the forehead/hairline area. As you are going to head it put your hands out infront of you like you are standing in a doorway and are about to pull yourself through it. Now pretend you want to meet that ball on your way foreward just as you pass through the door.

    Doing this you will drive your head into the ball using your upper body/stomach to generate the power. If you do this and you hit the ball with your forehead/hairline, it won't hurt.
     
  14. metropolis2k

    metropolis2k New Member

    Sep 7, 2004
    England
    +1

    Great post NHRef.
     
  15. romagol10

    romagol10 Member

    Jul 23, 2003
    CO
    Club:
    AS Roma
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Make sure you get your power for the header from your stomach muscles. Arc your back then snap forward while keeping your neck tense.

    Of course, if you only want to redirect the ball just use your neck muscles.
     
  16. nvan_football

    nvan_football New Member

    Nov 1, 2004
    Vancouver,BC,Canada
    Find a wall, throw the ball with your arms so that it will be high enough after the rebound to head it.
     
  17. fatdanny99

    fatdanny99 New Member

    Nov 5, 2004
    US
    What's the difference between you hitting the ball and the ball hitting you?
     
  18. nvan_football

    nvan_football New Member

    Nov 1, 2004
    Vancouver,BC,Canada
    if you look at this from stupid physics' point of view there's really no difference. But actually it's more like...well, when a killer with knife attacks a victim, he's the only who makes an impact. The victim tries to run away and suffers. I hope it's clear now :) .
     
  19. NHRef

    NHRef Member+

    Apr 7, 2004
    Southern NH
    Basically if you stand still and let the ball come to you, that's the ball hitting you. If you get agressive and surge towards the ball, that's you hitting the ball. Not sure why, but it doesn't hurt if you do the hitting.
     
  20. metropolis2k

    metropolis2k New Member

    Sep 7, 2004
    England
    If you go and attack the ball you know when you're going to make contact and you're ready for it. If you don't and you let the ball hit you, you brace yourself for the impact and when it does hit you it's a bit of a shock.
     
  21. schmuckatelli

    schmuckatelli New Member

    Nov 10, 2000
    If you're going to do a training session on heading (lots & lots, in other words)one thing you might consider is slightly underinflating the balls you're using. Not so they're like heading sponges, but enough that you're not smashing your head into a brick. For most training sessions, coaches like to train with balls fully inflated so the players will make an effort at first touch control, but for a heading session, that's a recipe for a headache.

    Strongly concur with the "go after the ball instead of letting the ball come after you" approach. Good luck!
     
  22. Ray Luca

    Ray Luca BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Feb 2, 2005
    You hit the ball the ball goes flying off your head in the direction you would prefer it to go, and it does not hurt. The ball hits you the ball does not go flying off your head where you want to go and it hurts.

    That is the difference.

    However you can't forget to always protect your space to heaf the ball by using your shoulder width for example or using your forearms and elbows to keep the defender off you so you have the space you need to head with acuracy.

    If you want to be an animal in the air sometimes you do have to stick your head into other peoples protected space to score. Then that could hurt you get a forearm, elbow what ever and sometimes to get the ball when you do that. You can get hit by the ball in your ear. So you can't hear for a day or two, but if you score it's ok. Because at those times it takes mucho courage to head.

    Anerica McBride has that type of courage. You need the will and the belief that you can win every header.

    You won't have to worry about that.
     
  23. fatdanny99

    fatdanny99 New Member

    Nov 5, 2004
    US
    Thanks people, I think i got how to do it.
     

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