Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activities work on heading. There is an excellent DVD devoted just to heading that you might want to check out at 30 Minute Soccer Clinic - Heading
When you watch a lot of youth games (and it’s probably safe to lump a lot of professional games into this statement as well) you see that heading is an often neglected skill. Great opportunities are squandered because players aren’t prepared to finish with their head. Goal scoring opportunities are given to the other team because of bad clearances with the head.
Here is a simple game to work on heading with a purpose.
Start with a 30 x 30 area (size can vary) and have two teams of five plus a neutral player in the grid
One team starts with a ball in one of their hands.
This player can throw the ball to any of his teammates (or to the neutral player who is always on offense) and that player would have to head the ball to a teammate who can then catch it. In other words one player throws it, one heads it and one catches it. (throw-head-catch). A team gets a point for 3 consecutive throw-head catches. If the ball hits the ground, or the other team wins the ball, the other team gets the ball and the count resets.
A team can also do a throw-head-head-catch (this means a player throws the ball to a teammate who heads the ball to another player and rather than catching the ball, this player then heads the ball a teammate. A throw-head-head-catch counts as one point.
The first team to 5 points wins.
You also have the option of playing this game toward goals. To do this, play a normal scrimmage but the way to progress the ball is through throw-head-catch. To score a goal the ball must be headed (and the ball can hit the ground before going in the goal).
This type of game is a great way to get players to be comfortable heading the ball and to work on directional heading.
There is an excellent DVD devoted just to heading that you might want to check out at 30 Minute Soccer Clinic - Heading
Have a great day!
Lawrence
