Is Heading Safe?There's been a lot of attention lately on the safety of heading in soccer games and practices. While no definitive conclusions have been reached several national soccer organizations are coming out with statements and recommendations. The American Youth Soccer Association (AYSO) has said that "Improper heading at any age may expose a player to risk" and that it is important to "teach the skill of heading correctly." The statement goes on to say, "AYSO does not recommend heading below the age of ten. Coaches are not encouraged to teach or practice heading at these early ages."
The United States Soccer Sports Medicine Committee has summarized the research that has been done on heading and head injuries in soccer. They suggest that "head injuries during soccer are more likely to be from accidental contacts such as head-ground, head-opponeent or the rare head-goalpost." The summary statement goes on to say that "The state of the current medical literature does not allow one to draw a conclusion about the results of multiple, sub-clinical impacts such as routine, purposeful heading. At this point, it is premature to conclude that purposeful heading of a modern soccer ball is a dangerous activity." For the full US Soccer Sports Medicine Committee summary go to: http://www.ussoccer.com. The site contains several other articles of interest.
In addition to proper technique most will agree that the proper ball should be used if and when heading. The ball should be the appropriate size and weight. Balls should not be overly inflated and balls with beat-up covers should be thrown away since water can seep under the plastic and increase the weight of the ball.
|
|
