Ban on Heading

[Sam Ovett]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25362744

Banning heading sounds totally ridiculous...but could arguably help the long-term development of youth football. By cutting out heading we'd be forced to keep kids' pitches small and focus on the technical side of the game as opposed to 'kick it long to the big boy up front' ?

Thoughts?

I'm not sure if I'm for/against because heading is/was my favourite thing when I was a kid and at present...just thinking of ways a ban could help progress?

 

[Coach_Carter_92]

I don't know about others, but every session I have done we very rarely work on heading with children, especially seeing as younger children can barely kick the ball off of the ground anyway! Besides, if you actually watch most children when the ball is up in the air they move away from it, not try to head it.

 

[coagulantwolf]

I wouldn't support it so much for health benefits, but we regularly played under head height so we had to get the ball down and play football, and not hoof it up for a flick on.

 

[Beach Hut]

There are several lawsuits going against the NFL regarding continuos clash of heads and looks like the NFL will settle as well.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Seems a bit bizarre to me. It's part of the game. Never did me any harm in the Soccer Skill Tests ( was that what they were called ? ).

 

[Sam Ovett]

I think what I want is for kids to play on pitches relative to their size. I remember playing a youth game once and was really intimidated by the size of the pitch but it's what we had to play on. Just don't want our kids' development to fall even further behind Spain and other countries who keep the pitches relative to focus on technical training and how to actually play football.

 

[algie]

Utterly ridiculous. Ban heading and it won't stop there. What is this world coming to.

 

[Phat Baz 68]

Oh Jesus H Christ on an bike here we go again, do gooders and health mentalists at it again !!
Where is this nonsense going to end really ?
We are already breeding a nation of sickly kids who are so prone to disease etc etc because they "can't run in the playground, can't play conkers, can't play in the mud, can't do this can't do that !!!
Mental absolutely mental
GRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!

 

[RexCathedra]

"Soccer Heading Is Associated with White Matter Microstructural and Cognitive Abnormalities"
Michael L. Lipton, MD, PhD, Namhee Kim, PhD, PhD, Molly E. Zimmerman, PhD, Mimi Kim, ScD, Walter F. Stewart, PhD, Craig A. Branch, PhD and Richard B. Lipton, MD
Radiology, June 2013

 

[withdeanwombat]

Didn't Jeff Astle have problems related to heading footballs throughout his career. Mind you, this was a while ago when footballs were footballs.

 

[severnside gull]

just play standard 5-a-side surely?

 

[TheJasperCo]

Utterly ridiculous. Ban heading and it won't stop there. What is this world coming to.

I agree, it's absolutely stupid to ban heading. What next, groin protectors and steel-capped boots?

 

[RexCathedra]

It's one thing for adults to know the risks, and rewards, and give informed consent.
Whether it's just Park Life, or Goodison Park, you're a grown-up it's your call.
But kids having those decisions made for them? It's troubling.

Not saying there are good or easy answers, but it's not like there are no questions.

 

[SeagullSongs]

I played for Lancing Rangers for 8 years and our team scored the MASSIVE total of TWO headed goals while I was there.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Why don't we ban tackling, shooting and the ball as well while we're at it?

****ing clueless DICKS.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Oh Jesus H Christ on an bike here we go again, do gooders and health mentalists at it again !!
Where is this nonsense going to end really ?
We are already breeding a nation of sickly kids who are so prone to disease etc etc because they "can't run in the playground, can't play conkers, can't play in the mud, can't do this can't do that !!!
Mental absolutely mental
GRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!

This guy knows.

 

[Eksman]

That would be ulloa screwed them, the bloke gets his head on everything

 

[Willow]

Dixie Dean will be turning in his grave. There is a lot of skill in being a good header of the ball. In some ways the header is already relic of the past - nowhere near as many strong headerers of the ball these days as in times past.

 

[glasfryn]

adds more fuel to my theory that they are desperately trying to turn the greatest game on earth into a girls game FFS
it will be wearing fluffy slippers next

 

[Icy Gull]

It would make defending even more difficult and can you imagine how much abuse forwards would get when they ducked out of a perfect cross. What a shit idea, might as well just ban football.

Would heading become optional for adult players who thought they might get brain damage?