01 Mar Heading with the Middle Zone of the Forehead
March Coaching Newsletter – 2016
Heading with the Middle Zone of the Forehead
Heading is an important technical element in attack as around 20% of the goals scored come from the head, while in defence a defender must be able to make a good headed clearance. I start teaching this technique at level 3 (11 to 12 years), and only give basic technical instructions how to head the ball at training sessions.
The basic technique in attack is for the player to head above the horizontal axis and head the ball down, while in defence, the defender should head the ball below the horizontal axis to get the ball high and away from danger.
When heading with the middle zone of the forehead it is important for the player to attack the ball and to be accurate with contact. The middle zone of the forehead, where the ball is struck, is the part above the eyebrows in line with the nose.
The ball can be headed from a standing position, a running position, with a jump or without a jump. It can be headed forward, to the side or even backwards over the head, in all situations using the middle zone of the forehead.
The greatest problem with teaching this element to young players is the fear associated with an object hitting the head. Young players usually shut their eyes and let the ball strike their head.
If the ball is struck too low (nose or face) or too high (top of head) then this fear will be justified by the pain.
The heading exercise should progress by getting the player to head from the hand to a partner and then throwing the ball in the air and heading to a partner. The exercise progresses where the partner throws the ball to be headed back. Start with stationary exercises and then progress where both players are moving.
This way the player will gradually develop confidence with heading the ball. To build up confidence, the coach should start with a simple exercise by getting the player to try and juggle the ball with the head. The most important factor is to make certain that it is done correctly from the start and that the player is confident. If not then he or she will always have a poor technical habit that will be almost impossible to correct.
The technique requires the body to arch with the chin tucked in and neck muscles locked at the moment of contact. Eyes are fixed on the ball at all times and the knees are bent. The elbows and hands are raised to support not only balance but also the forward thrust when the head attacks the ball. When the ball approaches the player must arch away from the ball involving as many joints as possible. The sudden contraction to the ball will harness all the available power into heading the ball. This technique can also be used to flick the ball on to a team-mate running into space. Here the technique requires the player to drop the head slightly forward before making a backward movement to flick the ball forward. This is usually done with the top of the forehead.
Common Faults – Corrections
- The head is lowered just before contact, allowing the ball to strike the top of the head. This is the result of the player being afraid of the ball hitting his face.
- The elbows and hands are not raised and in front of the body to assist in the forward thrust and balance but held to the side.
- The eyes are not fixed on the ball.
- The legs are not bent resulting in the player just stretching to head the ball.
- There is no arch of the body away from the arriving ball.
- The neck muscles are not locked but loose and relaxed.
- The player waits for the ball to hit the head, instead of moving the head to meet and strike the ball.