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Gwyn



Joined: 20 Oct 2014
Posts: 44

PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 9:57 pm 
Post subject: Headers
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Seeing the Jeff Astle cover reminded me of heading and alzimers, I don't know if it has been suggested already but what if heading in matches was only allowed in the penalty area, would this detract from the game or would it make it more skillfull as players would have to control the ball more ,as it seems lots of heading is head and hope. Interested to see what others may think. Apologies if this has already been covered.

Gwyn
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Pete’s Picture Palace
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Joined: 19 Feb 2013
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 12:09 am 
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If players are forced not to head the ball other than in the penalty area, I fear it will lead to goalkeepers punting it from their own box to the edge of the other and forcing defenders to let the ball bounce rather than head it illegally - an often tragic mistake.

I would guess that most of the damage has been done in a player's formative years, so banning heading at schoolboy level would make more sense. And that would get kids to learn to play the ball to feet, which again makes sense, as long as keepers are banned from hoofing it.

It's a topic well worthy of discussion. Thanks for raising it.
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Dorking



Joined: 05 Feb 2010
Posts: 2413

PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:50 am 
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I'm not saying that they should or shouldn't ban heading in football, but if it is under consideration, then the sport of boxing should be banned first.
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Bokbag



Joined: 12 May 2018
Posts: 149

PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 1:48 pm 
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Interesting thought Dorking I hadn’t considered that. Why is boxing and other sports deemed acceptable when the principal aim is to knock someone unconscious? I guess it’s consenting adults taking the risk. That would be my criteria, by law you can’t consent to those sort of risks below a certain age (maybe why you can only drink, smoke and join the army for instance, at that point you can consent to the risk). So following that patter I imagine banning it below say 12 years old would be best. It is a fact the brain is still developing at that age so I guess it is less risk.
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Flaming Pie



Joined: 26 Nov 2016
Posts: 922

PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:19 pm 
Post subject: Headers
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From what l recall, l think that Alan Shearer TV doc a few years ago seemed to be pretty conclusive that heading the ball and brain damage in later years definitely showed links. There’s a long list of former players who suffered as they got older with brain damage. From watching some of my grandkids training, under 13’s , they don’t appear to practice heading at all nowadays.. Members of the England 1966 World Cup team seemed to be decimated with dementia and Alzheimer’s as they got older. I was lucky to have a few long chats with Joe Mercer in his later years.. I know he struggled to even sign his name near the end . I imagine Joe, headed those heavy balls quite a lot during his long career. However, a lot of players( and boxers) did seem to escape unscathed by the pounding they received.. As far as l know, probably the greatest header of a ball, Dixie Dean, that the game has ever seen , didn’t seem to develop brain damage in his later years. I have read about his phenomenal heading ability, but there is very little footage of him in action. A few weeks ago, l spotted on YouTube British Pathe, Everton v Luton FA Cup 1933. The footage is scratchy, but the ball comes flying into the Luton penalty area and Dean runs in with a bullet header to score. A bit like that Ronaldo goal against Wolves that was disallowed in last nights game. By the way, Ronaldo is another fantastic header of a ball.
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seand



Joined: 07 Jan 2009
Posts: 839
Location: Dublin

PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:34 pm 
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If you take a detached look at it the idea of playing a ball by striking it with your head is quite nuts. Obviously today's balls are a fraction of the weight of the older balls that have undoubtedly done immense damage to a lot of former players (dementia is immensely disproportionately high among former pros) but still heading aball travelling 70 yards at 60mph can't be good.

I've been involved in kids training in recent years and we kept heading training to an absolute minimum- just try and teach the basics. It's not going away, and as has been said above football would be fairly far down the listof sports requiring intervention to protect participants.... all combat sports, rugby and most other forms of football (American, Gaelic, Aussie Rules) for a start. The health of former NFL American football players is chilling and we're only beginning to see the results of the first wave of super high intensity professional rugby- it's not going to be a pretty story.
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sharrowblade
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2022 1:49 am 
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Totally agree with the not allowing of heading for kids of primary age in training. I know its still allowed in match situations but that's very limited.

For several years used to watch the junior teams centre corner's at head height, 99 % of the time all the kids would either duck or shy away. I used to say 'great corner son, but what's the point, nobody's going to head it'. Either take it short quickly or drill it hard and low.

10 years ago an opposing coach approached me and said that he'd never seen anyone at U8s level score with their head and let one of our players had scored two against them. I said 'Yes, he'll be telling me all about it on the way home. He's got eight this season'

However, things have changed, although I still see the wannabe Pep's going through heading drills in pre match warm up with kids of primary age. It just just re-confirm's my belief that kids are still coached in this country by a lot of people who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near them.

Personally, as a youngster I always wanted to be able to head the ball like some of the greats, but very few have that ability and I wasn't one of them.

Even in my teenage years I dreaded the long boot from the keeper, the ball had a magnetic like attraction towards me at full back.

The ability to head the ball like Ronaldo, is truly one of the great spectacles of the game.

However, there are some in the medical profession who want it banned at all levels, and one day as depressing as that sounds, they might get their way.
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Flaming Pie



Joined: 26 Nov 2016
Posts: 922

PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:07 pm 
Post subject: Headers
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As a kid, l remember watching in awe the likes of Brian Labone, Jack Charlton and Ron Yeats heading a ball clear from a goalkeepers long kick. As Sharrow said, l thought to myself, l wouldn’t fancy heading that ball clear coming down from such a great height. Both Jack and Ron Yeats ended up with brain damage.. l remember learning how to head , using a tennis ,or plastic ball. Can’t remember many kids having actual leather match balls in the 1960s! Because they are now relatively cheap to buy, there does seem to be plenty of match ( full weight) balls about nowadays. You don’t see many youngsters heading them though. I think kids have learnt how to naturally avoid heading. Perhaps that’s how the game will go in years to come . If it is banned , young players will be used to the idea anyway, it won’t be a big change for them. Thinking about it, could youngsters be coached how to head a ball using the old plastic style balls, or is even the jolting of the head , to head a plastic ball still damaging? I think in boxing , wearing head guards for amateurs didn’t really reduce the risk of brain damage much, though obviously it helped to reduce cuts. It was the impact to the head of the blow and the ensuing jolt that is damaging.
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