30
Wednesday, February 3, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
HEADING: Proper
technique is key
to safety
Continued from page 1
caused by proper heading of
the ball.”
That tracks with the expe-
rience of the Lady Outlaws
head varsity soccer coach,
Thomas Draxler.
“I think players should
be trained on proper head-
ing sooner than later, because
the sooner a player learns
how to head right, the safer
she will be,” Draxler says.
“Heading is a way of strik-
ing the ball when it’s in the
air. I say ‘striking’ because
it’s an important distinction
from ‘being struck by.’ For
example: ‘Mary struck the
ball with her head toward
the corner of the goal’ (no
concussion). As opposed to,
‘Kelly was struck in the head
by the ball while attempting
to block a shot’ (certainly a
concussion).”
Draxler has seen some
concussions in his 10 years
as a coach. Only one of
them was caused by heading
— improperly.
“I haven’t seen a concus-
sion from correct heading of
the ball,” he said.
“When you strike the ball
properly with your head, you
are pushing forward through
the ball with more energy than
the ball has coming at you,”
the coach explained. “In that
way, your head continues in
one direction, while the ball
gives way and launches off in
a direction different from its
initial flight. If you are timid
about a header and you don’t
push forward through the ball
with adequate energy, then
it’s your head that ends up
being launched in a different
direction, or being stopped in
its tracks, and that’s one cir-
cumstance when the ‘vigor-
ous shaking of the brain’ (that
causes concussion) occurs.”
Draxler does not absolve
heading entirely. He notes
that soccer concussions,
when they occur, are often
the result of collisions. So
two players going up to head
the ball at the same time are
at risk for that reason.
“(Heading) certainly
opens the door for collisions
— there’s no denying that,”
he said.
But that, he believes, is
an argument for more train-
ing, not for avoiding heading.
He is concerned that bans on
heading at early ages may do
more harm than good. Not
only does early training teach
proper technique — it also
instills good judgment as to
when to go up for a header
and when it’s too risky.
“It’s not the experienced
soccer players who are get-
ting concussions,” Draxler
noted. “It’s the inexperienced
ones.”
He’s seen knee-to-head
collisions when a goalie
comes out to make an aggres-
sive challenge. That’s a recipe
for concussion. And concus-
sions also come from players
striking their head on the turf.
While heading may not be
a lead culprit in soccer con-
cussions, it’s not entirely off
the hook.
The University of
Washington analysis notes
that “heading the ball, how-
ever, is not without conse-
quences. A player may head
the ball many times during
practice sessions and about
eight times during a game.
Many players at the 1993 US
Olympic Festival experienced
headaches after heading the
ball. These headaches lasted
from a few seconds to several
days ... (and) it is unknown
if repeated low-intensity
impacts, like those that occur
when the ball is headed, make
players more susceptible to
later impacts.”
Since no sport is entirely
without risk, and no player
who loves the game is
inclined to give it up on the
mere chance of injury, what
should players, coaches and
parents do to help student-
athletes stay safe as possible
on the soccer pitch?
Helmets or headbands are
sometimes seen as preventa-
tive measures — but it’s not
clear that they have any ben-
eficial effect. A helmet or
headband can protect from
a sharp blow, but it doesn’t
photo by Jerry baldoCk
Nina Horner heads the ball — properly — in competition.
do anything to mitigate the
violent shaking that causes
concussion.
It seems that the best pre-
ventative measures are for
players to learn and practice
proper technique, warm up
their bodies appropriately,
and play within themselves
so that they don’t sustain
collisions from reckless
play.