no-heading rule

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How you feeling about the no-heading rule at the younger ages

[Unregistered]

How you feeling about the no-heading rule at the younger ages

Kind of dumb
I don't think 8 year olds should be head balls that are crazy high. Goalkeepers shouldn't be punting very much at any age anyways.

Problem is they are going off of research that deals with leather balls 60 years ago. They weighed 10 lbs when wet. Needles to say issues came from it.


Today's balls at lighter

You need to worry about head to head contact

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I admit I'm torn. I agree with much of the above - head to head is a bigger issue, and all of it is a lesser issue at the younger ages. However, I also think it has some merit - there is a great deal of scientific evidence about muscle maturity that younger kids simply do not have. It isn't a permanent ban, just with the youngest ages. I do wish coaches would get better training on how to teach kids proper methods. Heading isn't as difficult a skill to master as other skills, and in the meantime kids can work with other tricks to control the ball - all good skills to keep working on.

I also don't think it will lead to the demise of US soccer as some claim. US soccer has so many other issues going on; heading the ball at 9 years old isn't going to change our NT performance

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Kind of dumb
I don't think 8 year olds should be head balls that are crazy high. Goalkeepers shouldn't be punting very much at any age anyways.

Problem is they are going off of research that deals with leather balls 60 years ago. They weighed 10 lbs when wet. Needles to say issues came from it.


Today's balls at lighter

You need to worry about head to head contact

You must be a dinosaur. There is a lot of data that shows that heading balls at all ages can lead to concussions. I hope you do realize that going up for a header often leads to head to head contact, therefore, if you don't allow headers, then you minimize head to head contact. Some colleges are going to no heading on clears during spring games and during practices and/or going to no punts or long goal kicks, instead bowling the ball out all the time and playing it out on goal kicks. Soccer has one of the highest rates of concussions in sports, figuring out how to minimize this is important.

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You must be a dinosaur. There is a lot of data that shows that heading balls at all ages can lead to concussions. I hope you do realize that going up for a header often leads to head to head contact, therefore, if you don't allow headers, then you minimize head to head contact. Some colleges are going to no heading on clears during spring games and during practices and/or going to no punts or long goal kicks, instead bowling the ball out all the time and playing it out on goal kicks. Soccer has one of the highest rates of concussions in sports, figuring out how to minimize this is important.

I've seen enough kids permanently harmed by concussions from soccer to tip me in favor of it. We can't prevent all risks and playing sports has risks. Like you said this also helps reduce head to head risk. Young players don't need to be heading balls. It's a skill that can be mastered later when they've got stronger skeletons and muscles.

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I've seen enough kids permanently harmed by concussions from soccer to tip me in favor of it. We can't prevent all risks and playing sports has risks. Like you said this also helps reduce head to head risk. Young players don't need to be heading balls. It's a skill that can be mastered later when they've got stronger skeletons and muscles.

Heres a thought teach them to use there feet your body to knock balls down. Heading it at younger ages equal turn overs more times than not.

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My U9 SS, who plays centerback, learned to head at an early age (from his older siblings, naturally)--and about once per game you'll see him moving in to head a clearance from the other team that crosses the center line, remembering the no-heading rule--and taking one step back and trapping the ball off his chest. Which, depending on how close the opposing forward is, is often quite useful, as it deposits the ball at his feet, rather than sending it back the other way, likely playable by either team.

I do like the other-team-retreats-behind-the-midline-on-goal-kicks rule that seems to be in effect in U9 these days, along with bans on goalkeeper punts at that age. (If for no other reason than there are plenty of eight-year-old keepers who can punt it into the opposite penalty box, especially on the short fields that U9s use).

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My U9 SS, who plays centerback, learned to head at an early age (from his older siblings, naturally)--and about once per game you'll see him moving in to head a clearance from the other team that crosses the center line, remembering the no-heading rule--and taking one step back and trapping the ball off his chest. Which, depending on how close the opposing forward is, is often quite useful, as it deposits the ball at his feet, rather than sending it back the other way, likely playable by either team.

I do like the other-team-retreats-behind-the-midline-on-goal-kicks rule that seems to be in effect in U9 these days, along with bans on goalkeeper punts at that age. (If for no other reason than there are plenty of eight-year-old keepers who can punt it into the opposite penalty box, especially on the short fields that U9s use).

Totally agree. And GKs at that age can't punt with accuracy either so 99% of the time it will just be a turnover anyway. The trend is more GK distribution rather than punts so this is good for Gk as well as field players.

This isn't a ban until kids are 18 and other vital skills can be improved upon in the interim.

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How you feeling about the no-heading rule at the younger ages

It's fine. Won't stop kids from getting concussions playing soccer, but it's not really a game changer at the U-littles ages.

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How you feeling about the no-heading rule at the younger ages

I think we should us these soccer balls to play with from U13 and below instead of the size 4s:

http://www.plutosport.nl/media/catal...lant_Light.jpg

Think about it ... they are the surface area of the size 5, yet the weight of a 4 (maybe even slightly lighter). If you haven't played with them, you should try one, though they are hard to get here in the states.

I've personally witnessed players train with them over some time and have notice a huge improvement of quality of touch and ability to put movement on the ball (spin and swerve). Want to encourage shooting? These balls fly off the foot and will reward a solid strike of the ball, for a young player, with seeing it rise all the way to the back of the net.

An added benefit is that when heading them, there is less impact and thus less possibility of head trauma. Also, their flight in the air over 35+ yards is rather poor due to the lightness of the ball ... think beach ball in the wind esk :) which discourages the GKs from punting long hanging punts and longer floated balls from back players. Driven balls play well and therefore encourage GKs to try and distribute short or with a low trajectory throw or punt. Heading is actually rewarded as it doesn't hurt (the impact is minimal) and you can get decent power on the ball without over working your neck.

I think it's important to teach young players to be brave and attack the ball ... why don't we just make it safer to do so?

-R

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You must be a dinosaur. There is a lot of data that shows that heading balls at all ages can lead to concussions. I hope you do realize that going up for a header often leads to head to head contact, therefore, if you don't allow headers, then you minimize head to head contact. Some colleges are going to no heading on clears during spring games and during practices and/or going to no punts or long goal kicks, instead bowling the ball out all the time and playing it out on goal kicks. Soccer has one of the highest rates of concussions in sports, figuring out how to minimize this is important.

Really? "Lot of data"? Being very selective in your readings and understanding of the situation, aren't you? Please link to any data proving that heading a soccer ball causes concussions.

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High kicks

I've seen more high kicks when kids are told to not head the ball. Hopefully refs will start paying attention to it and calling fouls when (especially taller) kids try to take down balls with high kicks. Otherwise, no big deal to me (though the kids grumbled about it a bit)

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I've seen more high kicks when kids are told to not head the ball. Hopefully refs will start paying attention to it and calling fouls when (especially taller) kids try to take down balls with high kicks. Otherwise, no big deal to me (though the kids grumbled about it a bit)

Discriminating against tall kids now? Nice.

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I've seen more high kicks when kids are told to not head the ball. Hopefully refs will start paying attention to it and calling fouls when (especially taller) kids try to take down balls with high kicks. Otherwise, no big deal to me (though the kids grumbled about it a bit)

I took my daughter to AR for a U12B game recently where the "No header" rule was in effect. It was ridiculous. What the previous poster hit the nail on the head. Those boys were either swinging legs up high, or ducking at the last minute because if the ball even grazed their head, it would be an automatic turn-over.

The problem is, the longer players wait to do headers, and the older kids get, the harder and faster the balls will come. The only concussions I have seen in soccer have been from kids falling or colliding with one another - not from a header.

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I took my daughter to AR for a U12B game recently where the "No header" rule was in effect. It was ridiculous. What the previous poster hit the nail on the head. Those boys were either swinging legs up high, or ducking at the last minute because if the ball even grazed their head, it would be an automatic turn-over.

The problem is, the longer players wait to do headers, and the older kids get, the harder and faster the balls will come. The only concussions I have seen in soccer have been from kids falling or colliding with one another - not from a header.

Mt. Hood Challenge had no-heading rules in for U12.

OTOH, they allowed goalkeeper punts in U9 games.

Weird