Head to Pass the Soccer Ball

So we’re now going to look at how to head the soccer ball and I’ll show you the techniques to get this just right. And you’ll notice as we go along that you can head the ball in different ways depending on what you want to do with

the ball. For example, you can put different amounts of pace on the ball! Now the first type of header I’ll show is simply to pass the ball to a team mate. Ok It’s not quite as fun as heading at goal, but we’ll get to that later- I promise. Just follow these simple steps to head pass the ball well. ´

1) Keep your eyes on the ball as it comes towards you

2) Position yourself appropriatley so the ball goes for your head

3) Put your arms up in the air and bend them so your hands are close to each side of your head. Partly to get yourself balance and partly because, well, it looks kind of stylish.

4) Nod your forehead towards the ball to drop it to one of your team mates. Put the suitable power on it according to how far away they are.

´

So that’s the easiest one out the way, now we go to the tough ones.

Head to Clear the Soccer Ball

So this requires a bit more skill. But don’t worry, I know you’ll get the hang of it in no time! ´

´

1) Watch the ball as it is coming towards you

2) Position yourself so you can get underneath the soccer ball (aim to head it long and up)

3) Bend your knees and place one foot slightly in front of the other

4) As the ball arrives above you and just in front of you, bring your knees back to straight so your force is moving upwards

5) Head upwards through the ball using your upward movement And with any luck, the ball will go sailing up

in the air and away from danger (or at least that’s the theory anyway!). If not, keep trying and you’ll get the hang of it.

Head the Soccer Ball to Score

Now for the bit you’ve really been wanting to learn- how to score goals with your head. You’ll only normally need to do this from corners, free kicks and crosses, but it’s a very useful skill for anyone- particularly strikers and centre backs. (If you’re a goalkeeper then it’s not necessarily essentiel to your soccer skills, but it might be fun to have a go.) But it’s not a walk in the park- you need to keep watching the ball, keep your head downwards and get the timing spot on. ´

´

1) Keep your eye on the soccer ball as it is travelling in the air towards you

2) Bend your knees then straigten them to propel yourself upwards as you jump up in the air

3) Put your arms up in the air for balance (but try not to whack anyone in the face in the process!)

4) By jumping you have got your head over the ball

5) Arch your back to gain power with your upper body

6) Now angle your forehead downwards as you head into the ball with power

6) Try to direct the header in the bottom corner of the goal The timing really comes from practice as with all these skills. So scoring from a header is not as easy as it looks. But if that’s tricky, try doing a diving header…

Diving Header: Attack the Soccer Ball

Are you brave? You’d better be. A diving header will put your head into a low area with boots coming at you from all angles! The rewards are simple though: pull the diving header off with a goal and it will look and feel fantastic. ´

´

1) The ball is dropping a short way in front of you so keep your eyes on the ball

2) Throw yourself forwards so that you are horizontal to the ground

3) Time it so your forehead meets the ball

4) Your momentum from jumping forward will hopefully carry the ball towards the goal- it might just go in.

´

There you go: put all that into action and you really will be one step ahead with the game of soccer! So you’ve had to head the soccer ball, but have you tried controlling it?