Heading Banned

U

Upper 90

Member
US Soccer is banning heading in practice or games through U10. U11-U13 can head only in games, no practicing. U14 and older is normal.

In general I think this will be ok for the younger ages as not a lot of real heading goes on anyway. There are exceptions here and there where the more adventurous/athletic kids are doing full speed long headers and 50/50's but in general there is not that much going on. There are quite a few headers on throw ins and bouncing balls though and that is going to be very weird, I guess the players will have to adjust. There is something to be said about conditioning yourself to head the ball properly. This new rule is going to prevent coaches from teaching and drilling until U14. That sounds like a disaster for HS age players, where heading plays a much larger role on clearances, 50's, corners, etc. They won't have ever experienced the proper technique and repetitions.

Is this a total knee jerk to the lawsuits? I am a little torn on this. Life long soccer lover, player, coach etc and my youngest is 9. He loves to head the ball. Obviously I don't want him to get hurt but I don't know if I like this direction. Interested in the opinions of the board.

One thought I had is give the ref a dangerous header call like dangerous boot for the U7-U10 ages. But I guess banning it may be the only practical way.
 
 
So you're not going to allow coaches to teach the correct way to head the ball until U-14, but we will allow them to start doing it at U-11 in a game with no training?
 
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A few news outlets are reporting it differently. I saw another version that says - nothing through U10, U11-13 can do limited practice, U14 open.

Now that makes just a bit more sense because at least you get to practice it. But sounds like if everyone adopts, which for insurance reasons they will, you won't see head balls in a game from U9-U13 period. That is overkill.

Here is an article from MLS site http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2015/11/10/us-soccer-announces-player-safety-initiative-after-resolving-concussion-lawsuit
 
Not overkill at all IMO. That age is the most susceptible to serious head injury. It is often not realized until years down the road. Peop,e need to realize the age of knowing and understanding head injuries is upon us.
 
Shin guards were not worn once
Then were optional

Slide tackles from behind were the norm and permitted
Now its almost always a card

It is about safety
Glad they are addressing it
Sorry it took a lawsuit
 
There's a couple of points to make on this topic, though they may appear inherently contradictory.

(1) If concussions are going to occur from the act of heading the ball, they are more apt to happen when using IMPROPER technique (i.e. the ball heading the player, instead of the player heading the ball). Given that, I think there is value in teaching players HOW to properly head the ball.

(2) The fact that players are not going to be allowed to head the ball at certain age levels should (in theory) reduce the direct/physical collisions that occur. I think this residual impact from not having headers is more likely to reduce concussions than the actual act of not having headers.

From a bigger picture standpoint, if this leads to more instruction in terms of proper possession, build-up, technical skills, etc in youth soccer and less "boom ball", that would be better for the game IMO.
 
I posted this on the Girls site:

In my opinion, this is absolutely ridiculous. Another instance of a governing body making laws that will affect thousands because of a few incidents. I feel for the family of the children who are involved in those incidents, however that shouldn't affect how the game is supposed to be played. Just like in american football with tackling, teaching the appropriate way to do a head ball would help to eliminate, or at least reduce, the risk of injury. This has nothing to do with being bigger, faster, and stronger. It's about learning how to do it correctly.

We always want to blame something on someone else so that another person can tell us what we can and can't do.
 
We can blame it on "someone else." I'll blame it on parents, clubs, coaches, and administrators for not doing BETTER in the past. All of those parties involved should know it's better to pass, receive, and dribble for development than crossing/heading...especially at U6-U10.

It's pretty simple. Look at where we are in the world right now with soccer. You can go on any club, high school, college, or pro field right now in the States and see loads of players who cannot do the simple things perfect. Get those down, the things that matter most (passing, receiving, and dribbling) and we'll see a massive turnaround in our country's ability to compete in soccer with the rest of the world.
 
Really? When was the last time a club or college coach decided a young player was not ready for their team due to their week headers assuming all other skills were up to par? If everyone in the US operates with this restriction then they are all equal.
The repetition of the activity has a lot to do with the injuries sought to be eliminated. Please remember what has become very clear in American football. Repetitive head trauma is a significant issue. The force on skulls caused by headers can be significant. Add to it the inability of young players to execute proper form and the results can be devastating for some players and their families.
Anyone can learn proper techniques as a teenager. Not a problem. There are high level soccer players who did not take the sport up until 12, 13 or later. How did they learn all these techniques?
Safety is a serious issue. We are learning more and more about the long term affects of some activities involving athletics. It is high time we promote a safe and enjoyable sports experience for our kids. It doesn't matter to me how this came about, it is good thing in my opinion.
 
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