Learn to Head the Ball Properly

How exciting it is when you see someone jumping high and heading the ball while it is still in the air. A player performs such a head shot with a wonderful efficiency that he develops after lots of practice in the youth soccer drills.

So, to get that perfection, start practicing for heading skills. If you are going to practice heading for the first time, deflate the ball a bit. By doing so, you release some air out of the ball and make it little supple.

In heading, the player will have to position himself to be just below the ball while it is still in air. This assessment should be accurate otherwise the ball will land on the ground and you will miss the ball. Thus, the first thing you need to learn is to make contact with the ball with your head. For this, you will have to keep your eyes on the ball, all the way when it starts approaching the ground. This way, you will be able to position yourself below the ball and able to strike it with your forehead.

You need to keep your eyes open and watch the ball coming to the ground. You can be seriously hurt if you don’t keep your eyes open. You need to use your top-front part of your forehead to strike the ball and not with the top of your head.

The proper heading techniques are taught in almost all youth soccer drills.  Some of those drills have been explained below for your better understanding of heading skills.

Sitting and Knees: This drill in youth soccer coaching can be practiced between two players using one ball. Now, tell one player to sit on the ground with his feet straight out in front of him. Now, the other player stands in front of the sitting player and throws the ball towards him. Start at a very low level and gradually raise the height of your throw.

Now, make the player to sit in another fashion with his both knees set on the ground. Throw the ball in the same manner and ask him to head the ball. While trying to head the ball, the player will have to limp forward a little. This drill will train the player to effectively direct the ball in a particular direction with his head.

Head out of Hands: For this drill, get cones and a ball for each of the practicing players. Now, the player needs to hold the ball with his hands and then make the ball to jump forward out of your hands by heading it. Using cones, you can learn to head the balls in a specific direction.

Using such soccer drills, you can develop the skill of heading. By practicing with your team players, you can get the confidence to head the ball perfectly in a match without the fear of getting hurt. Heading of soccer ball can be extremely helpful in a match for a team to keep the ball in its possession and play a winning stroke.