Heading the ball

[mrsblue]

The third one. Removing drop kicks from the game? Why stop there, why not eradicate every action that results in the ball going above head height? I'm not doubting that repeatedly heading the ball will have contributed towards brain injuries in the past, but I am doubtful that the modern football has the potential to do this. The old leather puddings of the 60s and 70s were substantially heavier than today's engineered footballs and were made even heavier still by the amount of water they retained.

Without making sweeping changes to football that would be to extreme detriment to it (in my opinion), then one of the best ways to resolve something like this would be to ensure players are properly educated on heading technique. I'm not talking about having rows of 7 and 8 year-olds lining up to do heading drills for weeks on end, but I see no reason why heading can't be something that's taught properly as and when it becomes prevalent in the game, such as when kids step up to U14/15/16 football when set pieces are properly introduced.

I'm all for football being a progressive sport that continually adapts and bends as per the demands/requirements/safety/spectacle of the sport, but effectively prohibiting the ball from going above head height? I'm not so sure. Footballers would be far, far better served by the introduction of free substitutions for head injuries and mandatory weeks out for concussion cases.

You have no worries if your young children join a team so they can repeatedly head the ball at various angles/height/speed and ignore the probable damage they are sustaining?

 

[EastStandBlue]

You have no worries if your young children join a team so they can repeatedly head the ball at various angles/height/speed and ignore the probable damage they are sustaining?

That's odd, you've quoted my entire second paragraph but don't appear to have read it. At all.

 

[mrsblue]

That's odd, you've quoted my entire second paragraph but don't appear to have read it. At all.

No I read your first comment on this thread !

You say or come across as a forward thinking coach yet you deride the high possibility of kids being damaged by constant heading of the ball,When inflated the ball weighs 400/430 grams which when struck with speed can knock out grown men .

Children use a smaller ball but it's still comparable to their own stature...Funny it is not.

 

[EastStandBlue]

No I read your first comment on this thread !

You say or come across as a forward thinking coach yet you deride the high possibility of kids being damaged by constant heading of the ball,When inflated the ball weighs 400/430 grams which when struck with speed can knock out grown men .

Children use a smaller ball but it's still comparable to their own stature...Funny it is not.

So you read my first comment, and then replied to it quoting my second one, despite it refuting what you appear to have a problem with? How many times have you headed the ball in your illustrious women's career?

 

[mrsblue]

So you read my first comment, and then replied to it quoting my second one, despite it refuting what you appear to have a problem with? How many times have you headed the ball in your illustrious women's career?

You made the comment so little point in backtracking on your initial thought!

Having played around 400 games at an average of 3 headers per game 1200 is the approximate answer BUT only ever attacked it from drop kicks on a handful of occasions.

 

[mrsblue]

Id imagine he meant trying to change the game so that players dont have to head the ball as much.

Park football is only a leisure pastime as the possibility of the average child/man/woman progressing to even semi pro is remote.My banning drop kicks was mainly aimed at under 16s but if used in the professional game may enhance it as a spectacle even more?

We all know the FA will not ban it in the pro game which is fair enough as adults make their own choice but IMO this will be a law in children's football in the very near future.

 

[Jam_Man]

Park football is only a leisure pastime as the possibility of the average child/man/woman progressing to even semi pro is remote.My banning drop kicks was mainly aimed at under 16s but if used in the professional game may enhance it as a spectacle even more?

We all know the FA will not ban it in the pro game which is fair enough as adults make their own choice but IMO this will be a law in children's football in the very near future.

I can see sense in reducing them in kids games, maybe not up to U16's.

Dont see it as being a positive in the pro game though, variety being the spice of life and all that.

 

[chapperzUK]

No I read your first comment on this thread !

You say or come across as a forward thinking coach yet you deride the high possibility of kids being damaged by constant heading of the ball,When inflated the ball weighs 400/430 grams which when struck with speed can knock out grown men .

Children use a smaller ball but it's still comparable to their own stature...Funny it is not.

Blimey, how powerful can your girls kick a ball! :stunned:

 

[leeblue]

Non issue for me, every header any individual takes is completely of his own choice, no one has ever forced me to head a football during thirty years of playing, if you dont want your child of dad or friend possibly (and lets not forget there is little evidence to suggest heading a football 100 per cent causes issues) doing this then they should do something else or make a decision not to head the ball. Thousands of ex proffesional footballers do not have brain issues.........shall we ban punches to the head in boxing or limit formula one to 30 mph so no one has a crash, how about rugby as a non contact sport. Football is football and i am afraid that all this is the continuation of the ridiculous nanny state that continuously gets rammed down my throat.

 

[mrsblue]

Non issue for me, every header any individual takes is completely of his own choice, no one has ever forced me to head a football during thirty years of playing, if you dont want your child of dad or friend possibly (and lets not forget there is little evidence to suggest heading a football 100 per cent causes issues) doing this then they should do something else or make a decision not to head the ball. Thousands of ex proffesional footballers do not have brain issues.........shall we ban punches to the head in boxing or limit formula one to 30 mph so no one has a crash, how about rugby as a non contact sport. Football is football and i am afraid that all this is the continuation of the ridiculous nanny state that continuously gets rammed down my throat.

If this thread has made one parent think seriously regarding their young child heading the ball then I am glad!

Noticed West Brom had "justice for Jeff" on Saturday.

 

[leeblue]

If this thread has made one parent think seriously regarding their young child heading the ball then I am glad!

Noticed West Brom had "justice for Jeff" on Saturday.

Would it be a good thing if ovetprotective parents stopped their little angels playing football in large numbers....

 

[mrsblue]

Would it be a good thing if ovetprotective parents stopped their little angels playing football in large numbers....

No of course not.

I have seen some coaches whack the ball whilst using back spin at pace and expect youngsters to deal with it.
The truth is everyone to their own thing which means if parents deem it's ok for their kids then it's their choice.

 

[bucket&spade.f.c]

Out of curiosity where is the evidence that heading the ball could cause brain damage? I read something in the mail but nothing hard enough to stick plus it was the mail

 

[mrsblue]

Out of curiosity where is the evidence that heading the ball could cause brain damage? I read something in the mail but nothing hard enough to stick plus it was the mail

Last week on the telly a prominent neurosurgeon explained the brain on impact with the ball actually moves inside the skull which in his opinion will cause damage in particular to youngsters who are still developing .

 

[leeblue]

Last week on the telly a prominent neurosurgeon explained the brain on impact with the ball actually moves inside the skull which in his opinion will cause damage in particular to youngsters who are still developing .

I suppose its just odd that after 100 plus years this has only just come up. Of course the head hitting something is not good and parents should of course be able to make informed choices.

 

[* ORM *]

Sorry is this April 1st? Medical evidence tells me I should be giving up football. I have a perforated disc in my spine just below the neck. I've comprised and given up squash, badminton and golf each of which I loved and kept me fit. I am still playing competitive football 40 years after first playing a competitive match (and I might add holding my own at the level I am playing). You name the injury and I've pretty much had them all and the next serious injury will more them likely end it for me. Take heading and drop kicks out of the game FFS?

What next tiddlywinks with gloves on? Get real. Every sport has its dangers, just as walking down the street does. My daughter is heavily into horse riding and has two horses. I cringe every time I read some of the tragic accidents that happen in the horse world but I wouldn't ever deny my daughter one ounce of the enjoyment she gets from it.

Leave the game alone. Worried about brain damage for your kids. Tell them to sit behind a screen on Facebook or PS4 all day. I think I know statistically which one of the two is going to cause more problems for them in later life.

 

[mrsblue]

Sorry is this April 1st? Medical evidence tells me I should be giving up football. I have a perforated disc in my spine just below the neck. I've comprised and given up squash, badminton and golf each of which I loved and kept me fit. I am still playing competitive football 40 years after first playing a competitive match (and I might add holding my own at the level I am playing). You name the injury and I've pretty much had them all and the next serious injury will more them likely end it for me. Take heading and drop kicks out of the game FFS?

What next tiddlywinks with gloves on? Get real. Every sport has its dangers, just as walking down the street does. My daughter is heavily into horse riding and has two horses. I cringe every time I read some of the tragic accidents that happen in the horse world but I wouldn't ever deny my daughter one ounce of the enjoyment she gets from it.

Leave the game alone. Worried about brain damage for your kids. Tell them to sit behind a screen on Facebook or PS4 all day. I think I know statistically which one of the two is going to cause more problems for them in later life.

Maybe your viewing of Liveleak has scrambled your brain already?
Just saying like!

 

[Napster]

You name the injury and I've pretty much had them all a.

split perineum?

 

[markw]

split perineum?

I wish I could green for that :dim::hilarious::hilarious::hilarious::hilarious::hilarious::dim:

 

[Uncle Leo]

There's a piece about sport and concussion in The Times today. Interesting excerpt:

"Dr Grey said that the question of whether heading the ball was damaging to the brain also needed to be looked at. “I wouldn’t say there’s sufficient evidence to suggest we should have an outright ban on heading the ball, but we’re moving in that direction,” he said.
“Children’s brains are not fully formed, they are not as well protected as an adult’s and we do not fully understand the damage these repeated blows to the head are doing.”