How does heading affect your brain
Elsa Wright
What is heading the ball
Heading the ball is when you use your head to hit the ball. Now i know, that doesn't sound like the smartest idea, then why do people do it? Most soccer players head the ball to score or to get a high ball out
Is it safe?
Yes, it can be if you hit the ball on the right spot of your head. But it also can be really dangerous. The impact from a single heading will most likely not result in brain damage like laceration of nerve fibers, but scientists have worried that damage from repeated headings could be significant. It can leave people with permit brain damage. Heading the ball can be very dangerous. According to Kelly Fitzgerald,Advanced scans show that soccer players who head the ball frequently have changes in the white matter of their brain that mirror those seen in traumatic head injuries.
Proper Heading Technique
Heading is common in soccer, but if you want to prevent brain injury, it's important to do it correctly. The soccer ball should make contact with your forehead, not the crown or side of your head. Keep your shoulders, neck and torso in line with your head. Jumping and twisting to angle toward the ball or closing your eyes can lead to injury.
Heading Technique
Questions that came up when I was researching
Can the routine act of heading a soccer ball cause traumatic brain injury? The answer to this question still isn’t entirely clear, but I believe it makes no sense to allow young children to knock their heads repeatedly against a soccer ball.
Are concussion caused by heading the ball? Yes but it isn't as common as player to player or they hit the ground. According to http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/02/soccer_headers_and_children_why_kids_shouldn_t_be_allowed_to_hit_the_ball.html, Many professional soccer players suffer head injuries when they collide with other players. Therefor, soccer-related brain injury may not necessarily be due to heading the ball