Heading a Football

[GB72]

I agree with that. Even in my Sunday League team's training, we might spend fifteen minutes on set pieces during which I've headed it out 4 or 5 times and starting to feel it, whereas in a game I might only have to head it that many times or less over the whole 90. Compare that to a kid's team that actually has proper training and potentially they've headed it even more teams. The answer isn't to take heading out of football, but if you can keep heading practise down to a minimum that would help.

Makes perfect sense. I could liken it to me going to the driving range. Hit 100 shots up there in a short period of time and my back gives me hell. Hit the same 100 shots over a 4 hour period on the course and no issues at all. The constant repeating of a header in practice has got to compound the amount of knocking around that the brain takes.

Guess another answer would be that if you have to train and practice heading, use something softer to teach technique rather than a full weight ball.

Honest question as I do not know. Does amateur and kids football have qualified people on the sideline who can recognise a concussion and people who can carry out a proper HIA.

 

[Orikoru]

Makes perfect sense. I could liken it to me going to the driving range. Hit 100 shots up there in a short period of time and my back gives me hell. Hit the same 100 shots over a 4 hour period on the course and no issues at all. The constant repeating of a header in practice has got to compound the amount of knocking around that the brain takes.

Guess another answer would be that if you have to train and practice heading, use something softer to teach technique rather than a full weight ball.

Honest question as I do not know. Does amateur and kids football have qualified people on the sideline who can recognise a concussion and people who can carry out a proper HIA.

That is a properly brilliant idea. Simple invent a 'heading training' ball, which is something like the hard foam balls you get. Half an hour heading them in training isn't going to cause any damage, and as you say, you can still practise the right heading technique.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Honest question as I do not know. Does amateur and kids football have qualified people on the sideline who can recognise a concussion and people who can carry out a proper HIA.

Short answer would be probably not. It is perhaps something that needs looking at especially in kids footie but even then can be darned hard to spot. Best solution would surely be any head clash or problem and get them into A&E and let the experts deal with it

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I stopped playing football aged 15 in the early 1960's.
Like many of my team mates I would struggle to kick the 'old' ball head high from a corner kick or into the oppos half from a bye kick.
The 13 year olds I watch now can all do that that quite easily. Even the ones who are barely 5 foot.

 

[Deleted member 1418]

Honest question as I do not know. Does amateur and kids football have qualified people on the sideline who can recognise a concussion and people who can carry out a proper HIA.

As a coach of an U15 team as part of my qualifications I have to undertake the FA Emergency Aid course, and refresh this every 3 years. My last EA course last year included head injury/concussion elements. So whilst I am not medically qualified, I can recognise a concussion. Given I am coaching 14 and 15 year old players, if one of my lads takes a blow to the head then they come off immediately and I follow the protocols set out by the FA Course (I always carry my guidance materials in with medical kit as well).

If you coach or manage kids football then you must have these qualifications otherwise you cannot coach.

Personally though I think the EA course should be retaken every 2 years.

 

[Deleted member 18645]

I can only comment on what the NFL has been doing. A lot of research has gone into the concussion syndrome and the modern NFL is light years ahead of where it was even 15 years ago in terms of player safety. There are independent doctors watching every play and they will pull players out for testing if they believe there is even a chance of an issue.

But going back into the 1970s and 1980s, it is truly frightening. I have done a lot of highlight clips for former players showing how they were put back into games when they were not medically cleared to do so. One of my former radio co-hosts and a long time NFL player has dementia and mental issues in his early 50s. But the NFL just washes its hands of the issues trying to delay any settlement as long as possible so there will not be so many players left to pay out to. It's sickening.

Technology and medicine has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. Sport has to follow.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Bit off colour but I can't help laughing at the story of the old Scottish coach.
One of his players had a head knock and his trainer told him that the guy did not even know his name.
'Tell him he's Pele and put him back on' came the reply.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

I'm not so sure that it is a matter of recognising possible concussions. I think the concerns are more comprehensive than that.
I think the concerns about dementia in later life are about the cumulative effects of a career in heading footballs. There doesn't seem to be the necessity to recognise incidents of concussions: is it not the concern that a footballer could go through a career without a concussion yet the years of heading a ball could cause dementia in later life?
If that is the case, then are we en route to football without heading?
Like smoking and lung cancer, the debate will be long before it is proved or otherwise. Indeed, can it be proved, now or ever, as opposed to mere speculation?

 

[Orikoru]

I'm not so sure that it is a matter of recognising possible concussions. I think the concerns are more comprehensive than that.
I think the concerns about dementia in later life are about the cumulative effects of a career in heading footballs. There doesn't seem to be the necessity to recognise incidents of concussions: is it not the concern that a footballer could go through a career without a concussion yet the years of heading a ball could cause dementia in later life?
If that is the case, then are we en route to football without heading?
Like smoking and lung cancer, the debate will be long before it is proved or otherwise. Indeed, can it be proved, now or ever, as opposed to mere speculation?

As mentioned earlier in the topic - the only case studies they have for this are of players who played donkeys years ago in the era of rock hard, heavy footballs. Todays footballs are chalk and cheese and much lighter - I highly doubt the effects would be the same. A lot of testing and investigation would have to be done before they ban heading from football. I can't see them ever doing that.

 

[Piece]

As mentioned above, at the junior age group (U12 and below), a lot of boys just won't head it for fear of hurting themselves. It is an advantage if you can head it at this age. I teach my boys (U12) the right technique to head a ball, just by manually throwing it across the 6 yard area and they come and jump to meet it and head it in the goal. I was surprised at how poor they were at heading at first; not only in technique, but how to jump and time the header.

More damage will be done by boys not heading properly; i.e. with the top of their head. They'll tell you even with today's balls, head it wrongly and it will sting!

The NFL Concussion film with Will Smith is really worth a watch.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

As mentioned earlier in the topic - the only case studies they have for this are of players who played donkeys years ago in the era of rock hard, heavy footballs. Todays footballs are chalk and cheese and much lighter - I highly doubt the effects would be the same. A lot of testing and investigation would have to be done before they ban heading from football. I can't see them ever doing that.

I would agree with you. Being of an age who used those old balls( God, did they hurt!), I appreciate that they are so different.
I wasn't saying that they should ban heading, I was merely pointing out that whoever is making a study as to whether there is an adverse effect by heading , is looking ( trying to calculate ) the future cumulative effect of a career in football rather than just at the amounts or incidences of concussions.😀

 

[Wolf]

As mentioned earlier in the topic - the only case studies they have for this are of players who played donkeys years ago in the era of rock hard, heavy footballs. Todays footballs are chalk and cheese and much lighter - I highly doubt the effects would be the same. A lot of testing and investigation would have to be done before they ban heading from football. I can't see them ever doing that.

I guess from a science point of view they may potentially be looking at even though the ball is not as heavy anymore, the speed and velocity of impact is higher than it was with the heavier ball. So whilst one factor is removed (weight), the speed replaces it and can mean the impact felt on the head & neck causing the brain as much impact. But until they do full case studies, Cat scans and MRIs of a player at regular intervals over a say 5-10 year period they won't fully know what it's like.

We had a similar thing done when we went through basic training, a study was being done into the heart of military personnel, we had an MRI on day 1 of training, then another done at the end of training to see how the heart had potentially improved blood flow as people got fitter. Perhaps they could do something similar to footballers to see how impact on the brain is and if there is any concerns over concussion or other issues.

 

[hovis]

can't hed the ball? I've bin playin fut ball all my life and edded the ball alot. nuffin rong wiv me!!