How a Heading Ban Would Change Football
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 31. 05. 2024
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Studies have discovered a link between heading a football and dementia in later life. It has been suggested that heading could be removed from the sport.
But if heading a football was banned, what would the game look like? How would goals be scored? How would they be defended? What would a football player look like?
Seb Stafford-Bloor explores this idea. Illustrated by Henry Cooke.
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#Heading #Football - Sport
As I played centre back and had a dad who was (still is) very active in football, he would often take me to the park and just practise goal kicks from the hands for me to head back to him from my own half for an hour or so. Iâm sure itâs had no long lasting effects *breathing intensifies*
Studies since have shown ex players fall in line with the general population after retirement. You'll be fine I'm sure.
He probably did it with his dad, that's why he doesn't think twice to tell his own son to swing his head against a rubber force for an hour.
your profile pic is spot on for this comment lmaoo
Youre gonna be dementia bro sorry
"you've got to ATTACK the ball".
"But can't we just do some shooting for a bit?".
"No, these are the fundamentals of the game. If you can't do this none of the rest matters".
The next generation of footballers are going to be class at high volleys and bicycle kicks
If the purpose of banning headers is player health, would this development be a step forward or backwards (i.e. much more volleys and bicycle kicks)?
A cross-breed of takraw-ball and football coaching technique would be sick
W name, W team. Go hawks
@@Dz73zxxx Takraw ball? Care to explain more sir?
@@ditik2795 What's up with the W?
Van Persie's World Cup header is such a beautiful goal.
Borghetti for Mexico was better with a reverse header
@@2011maxik what a goal that was.. left Prime Buffon a standing statue
@@2011maxik That was genuinely one of the greatest goals of all time.
wonder if RVP would be able to remember it
Flying Dutchman â€
Football without heading wouldn't be any safer in my opinion. I think it would only increase the number of high kick attempts in greater velocity that can be far more dangerous when two players collide. Switching from head to shoulders would bring the game to the neck line that is also much more vulnerable for goalkeeper punches etc.. If the safety of the header is a concern, they should rather wear a protective helmet or get a softer ball so that the impact would be smaller.
it's a pick your poison situation. When the NFL started penalizing head to head tackles, players started going for the knees and now leg injuries are far more common.
"I have imagined scenarios that I think would be much more dangerous than the current reality, so we should do nothing" Marvelous work, you're a credit to your village.
@@timlamiam I guess they decided though that leg injuries would not be as impactful as a head injury, I know which one I would rather have
@@HerrCron 1) Understanding the potential impact of any decision is imagining potential scenarios 2) He didnât propose doing nothing.
Youâd at least get a lot of concussion and sub concussive head impacts out of the game.
Interesting vid, high quality as always! My father was an ex-professional footballer in the old days when the ball was quite hard. According to the Doctors we visited, Dementia/Alzheimer's can actually be related simply to heading a ball that isn't soft.
Yes but as the data suggests, the levels of dementia aren't attributed to what era a footballer played in, but more to do with the amount of games they played, so it seems that frequency has more of an impact than the hardness of the ball
@@ryan1111111555555555 Not necessarily. Greater hardness probably lead to less heading in the past, but per instance probably caused more damage.
Heading a ball with not properly fill with air innit?
@@ryan1111111555555555 Me nan(lord bless her soul) got all them issues and she never played futball.
Biggest cause of dementia is insulin resistance, it's known as type 3 diabetes. Diet is the key.
It would be interesting to watch a match with this rule to see how would a team actually adapt. Get one of those Sunday league teams!
Maybe ban of heading outside the box would be easier and better for players
@@benishben4364 Sure, easier. But for an experiment we should make it fun. Any header gives a penalty đ
Yeah, I think it's genuinely worth trialling at a low level, for the obvious safety reasons. But at the same time it would be pretty funny watching the chaos as the players adjusted đ
I mean you'd need so many matches to let the players adjust to it, it would be mere chaos at the beginning
@@angonuts7492 JEOPARDY!
Ref goes for VAR, Oh! It touched his head, didnât it and his head is in an unnatural position. the ref points to the spot!
As a doctor I think more awareness needs to be made to young people going into professional football but that's about it. No one is suggesting to remove head punching from boxing because everyone knows and accepts the risk. We don't need to eliminate all risk from sport, just to understand and accept it going in, like we do for all other sports where contact with the head is a thing that happens frequently. A slightly padded cap might also help a tiny bit but any force removed from the head is also removed from the ball
Cristiano ronaldo the greatest heading footballer of all time, might be the most at risk cause he s heading everytime for more than 15years.
@@dragonjay7277 dubious claim that he's the best of all time but that aside a lot of his headers are either flick ons or coming at the ball at a run. The most impactful headers are when the ball comes from a long way and you head it back the way it came, like a defensive header from a corner or a deep cross. I'd expect centre backs to be at the highest risk, especially at teams that concede a lot of crosses and in lower leagues where lumping it up to a big centre forward is more common
The issue, as with boxing, is that you are expecting very young, and not very wise adults, who, at that age have very little concept of what it will mean to them to have dementia in 40 years time to make a reasonable decision about their future. They will, of course bow to immediate pressure and 'live for the moment'.
Football could also introduce mandatory brain regenerative practices to help mitigate long-term effects. Many UFC fighters have found tremendous relief and recovery from the use of psychedelics. Considering football's enormous wealth, it really could fund far greater research into its effects so that the benefits could be understood for its footballers. The amount of games players play these days also comes into question now that we know there is a correlation between number of games played and dementia. Giving players more days between games can give the brain more time to recover from mild impact such as heading the ball.
@@cheifwhat exactly
You seem to assume that in absence of headers, the game will be played below the waist. To the contrary, shoulders will likely become the primary replacement. I can imagine a whole technique being taught of striking the ball by swinging the shoulder. And unlike the head, there will be the left and the right sides of the body to consider. Could be really exciting to watch, actually.
interesting comment
GK gonna get confused when stepping outside of penalty box
@@raulbisping9880 imagine a rugby league player - playing football. Massive powerful shoulders, they can produce quite the strike (can't really call it a kick) on the ball.
my mind is blown đ€Ż
It would be hard to distinguish what counts as a handball tho, which I can imagine would create a lot of controversy
Chest control would become more frequent, players would end up building that into their game as the next highest point on the body to control or manipulate a ball within the laws
Or shoulders
If you can't head the ball it means any ball kicked long or any cross would be impossible to defend, the game would become a farce.
It would destroy the game and essentially turn it into futsal on a bigger field.
I refereed some games at youth levels with heading banned. It definitely leads to players opting to use flying kicks in unreasonable situations because they can't use their head. Personally when U play I don't head a ball coming from the sky unless I am getting paid to do so.
It would be quite the predicament that my wife would need to figure a loophole for
(This was funny before they changed the title)
Great comment
you win the internet today brother...
huh whats ur wife got to do with football unless shes actually a player
@@shamilmurtazaa4391 get the joke?
@@shamilmurtazaa4391 She's a pro, so I'm told...
One trend that I've been seeing in the past 10 or 12 years watching football is the increase on accidental head to head contact between players, that might cause concussions or even knocking out players. Which means that modern tactics are making players go more agressive on headers to secure possession, perhaps this kind of problem regarding headers is what could make it being banned. Which doesn't mean tactics could get around and work to be more aggressive in other parts of the game though
Has there really been an increase in head-to-head contact though? I think head injuries are just treated more seriously now (game is stopped, players are checked for signs of concussion etc.), hence why you're noticing it more.
Related to this tangentially, ArsĂšne Wenger a few years ago suggested changing the laws to allow corner kicks to go behind the back line, which would promote inswinging kicks. That could help to reduce headers in the box by making them less necessary. It may frustrate goalies, but the drama that it would add to the game would make it worth the change. In any case, this one included, such changes would be tested out in lower-league and amateur competitions.
Fascinating video, keep it up!
I vaguely remember watching a documentary about this (I headed the ball a lot too) and the players being interviewed all talked about the balls they used in the past at practice being water logged and very heavy. They would then proceed to practice 200-300 headers off crosses per session with them.
For my part, as a tall defender, I was always to send opposition clearances, punts, and goal kicks right back where they came from with a header when possible. This wasnât something we practiced a lot, but I was also a target on corner kicks and we practiced those a fair amount, but not into the hundreds of repetitions, multiple times a week or anything.
That being said, I do remember often heading back a punt or clearing a driven cross and seeing little white bubble-type things popping before my eyes for a few seconds after impact. This all happened from about 12 years old, when players became strong enough to get the ball moving high and hard, and age 20 when I last played competitively. I would like to think there are no long-term ramifications, but I havenât used anyone elseâs brain but, so I wouldnât know the difference. đ€·đ»ââïž
I fell down laughing when the illustration for strong necked Harry Kane came up. Absolutely hilarious.
I could see corners and throw ins being even more dangerous. If you can't head it away, more likely to lead to a scramble, where a ball can easily just get poked in. Would be bloody farcical to watch
What are you talking about. The danger is the contact of the head with the ball, which will always lead to concussion. The rest isn't dangerous and not to the head.
@@MarcoBonechi poor choice of words from me. By 'more dangerous', I mean more likely to lead to a goal. Clearly the head injury risk would reduce greatly!
Walls for free kicks just outside the box would be tough. It would be easier to get the ball over the wall, but what happens if a defender in the wall jumps up and the shot hits them in the head?
Surely there would have to be an exception for free kicks. It would be impossible for defenders to avoid getting hit by the ball. You can't tuck your head the way you can your arms. Especially annoying if the penalty for an accidental header in ones own box would be a penalty.
Even when you ban headers, people would still get hit in the head.
Removing headers also takes away the dangerous under cuts some players do. When they know they won't win the aerial battle and just back into the other player, essentially flipping them over when they're in the air.
I feel a lot of studies still need to be done on the causes of dementia and how it progresses. At the moment the least we could do is side-line players in all age groups for longer so they are not getting repeated blows with concussions. The one thing IÂŽm starting to be certain on is lack of activity and mobility during old age increases the risk of dementia. Maybe we should encourage players to keep being active after retirement.
That is a really good point imo
Am I the only one who chuckled at the Harry Kane image imposing on the screen with the thick Mick Tyson neck at 5:38?
I don't want this to happen. Headers are a part of the game.
Same man
Maybe just add some kind of helmet
Never seen a dementia patient I guess
@@sunbae-nim that's what you sign up for. It's like being in the military, going to war and not expecting your leg to not get blown off.
That's why they get paid alot, the players know the risks
@@sunbae-nim You're saying it like only football players get dementia...
Id say the football tactics, training, R&D, and also football statistic analysis would highlight more about the short-ground pass trajectories
An alternative would simply be to make the ball softer, nothing would change as players would adapt but it would be safer
No. Concussion will still happen
@@MarcoBonechi obviously mate lol but itâs a suggestion, what is yours?
@@CJVP99 allow headers only from corners. Or never. Players will get more acrobatic.
It's not just head-to-ball impacts that would be reduced. Head on head collisions would decrease, since players wouldn't feel under pressure to maximise their height to receive a ball, so injuries like Rui Patricio's would be mitigated.
Are u seriously considering removing heading in football
@@swizzyLits yes, what's your argument for keeping it?
Bear in mind, in an article by Jacob Whitehead in July 26 of this year, he writes "In football specifically, heading has been linked to dementia, with a study showing ex-professional Scottish footballers born between 1900 and 1976 were *three-and-a-half times more likely* to have the disease as a cause of death."
@@fizz113 first of all players are have suffered life threatening injuries involving kicking injuries than heading injuries so if u want to be technical banning kicking in football is the best solution
@@swizzyLits firstly, the leg doesn't house a organ vital for sustaining life.
Secondly, kicking a player is already illegal, even if accidental (depending on the referee and the circumstance).
Thirdly, the chances of having life-ending or deprecating injuries from a leg injury are slim. I can't think of the equivalent of CTE or dementia for legs, but I doubt you can die from it. By contrast, 4 out of the players who won the World Cup in 1966 have died of dementia, and that's just an example off the top of my head (pardon the pun).
@@fizz113 bro there ain't many lethal head injury collisions in football compared to kicking injuries and that's the fact,and besides that why would you even consider banning heading in football it can't happen and won't happen that's like considering banning head strikes in boxing then there is no sport in that
I've always thought the only headers that need to be eliminated are defensive headers from a goal kick, and the mid-pitch heavy ping pong between teams thereafter
Why? That's a very good counter attacking move.
@@ryanergo754 did you watch the video perhaps?
I agree. That would reduce headers by probably 50-70% which would drastically reduce the total amount of damage for the league
Though banning heading may "decrease dementia" and other neurological problems, it may actually cause more injury. High feet, acrobatic overheads, etc. More chance to pull or strain a muscle, tougher landings, etc. Im a center back and ive had my head kicked before. Once. With a heading ban, it may increase that risk.
I think most people would rather pull a muscle than suffer from a neurological disease.
@@matthewreynolds4382 its not that simple but i understand if thats all your reptilian brain can register
@@bigbearrecordingstudio7921 Reptilian brain? đ Mate what are you on about, you better get checked from getting your head kicked in
Agree! Iâve been kicked in the head a few times, when the other players foot shouldnât be that high, if headers were removed this would increase almost tenfold. Iâd rather head a football than be kicked in the head, a kick to the head is more damaging than heading the ball.
@@spencersanderson1894 exactly. you have captured my point. you cannot erase aerial balls; so banning heading will just mean more feet in the air
Just here waiting for Lisandro Martinez joke.
I would suggest to add one more aspect for statistical review, how many goals are scored by teams lower down the pecking order? Playing everything on the ground and not higher up and out of reach surely would have an impact on the weaker teams more than on the big ones
i feel like the goal of corners without heading would just become getting it to someone and trying your best to just draw a pen, feel like it would cheapen alot
How about a specialized helmet or padded cap, instead of a header ban? Wouldn't that get the best out of both sides, I.e header opportunities and head safety
Fellaini was ahead of his time
Would a heading ban include bans on the ball accidentally hitting players in the face?
Only if the head is in an 'unnatural position'... đ€Ą
2:56 one of my biggest pet peeves in football is outswinging corners, so this stat truly makes me over the moon
I think a good alternative would be allowing headers only if the angle of the ball flight (with the location of the head as the vertex) is greater than 90°. With how good VAR is (lol) should be easy to enforce. But should still allow any header in the box.
See, this is the problem with people in academia. Sometimes they have good intentions, but their suggestions can totally ignore the consequences that they have in the broader world. Such is the result of a society (academia) encased in a bubble away from everyone else...
It's hard to imagine such a change ever happening; the fortunes of major clubs could be radically altered overnight depending on the strengths of their key players and they would bring enormous pressure to bear to prevent it. It would have be phased in for over a decade or more beginning with youth levels so that everyone has fully adapted by the time it's implemented.
Maybe only allow heading in the boxes so goal kicks are made safer. Probably the most damage done by then anyway since the ball had to travel so far with speed and height. Reduces risk without changing attacking or defending too much
It seems hard to play without heading, maybe just ban it in the box would be my compromise or maybe somehow cut down on people challenging for headers, whoever jumps first should be allowed to head the ball, idk itâs just such a radical change to the game, Iâm sure we could figure it out but it would almost be a whole new game without headers, maybe allow players to punch the ball instead haha
I think taking scissor kicks isn't easy like scoring a tap-in . When not done properly, scissor kicks could cause a lot of injuries to players. The only alternative is to make all the clubs install hyperbaric oxygen chambers which are being used by ex NFL players to regrow their brain tissues and reduce the chances of dementia and CTE .
Zero evidence that you can âregrow brain tissueâ from these hyperbaric chambers. Thatâs also a very simplistic understanding of the nature of the injury..which isnât just a case of âdeadâ brain tissue that simply needs to be âregrownâ.
I think if heading is banned, then the problem is how to regulate them. Are we gonna treated it like a handball?
Edit : yeah, i get it, i just answered it myself. But the reason behind handball is different. If the reason is different then should we regulate it same? There's so many way to protect the head. And heading is ingrained in football. What would be the best way to compensated it?
In U12 and below soccer in the US we treat an intentional header as a dangerous play - IFK to the opponent.
It's.. pretty simple isnt it? you answered your own question
This is another one of the stupid idea that shud follow the way of wider gol posts........ In the bin
How is that a problem? You yourself suggested the very obvious solution that automatically comes to mind.
@@johnmcgimpsey1825 That explains why the US futball team kinda sucks in the last 10 years
75 headers per match is only a few per player. I wonder if limiting the amount that can be done in training would solve most of the issue. I'm sure big CBs do 100+ per session
as a short 1.74m back right (amature) I struggled in the air eventhough I had a springy jump but being short meant I lacked maneuverability in the air. My couch later made me play as a right wing when we aquired a tall back right. But I'm sure if I had 10 cm more my game would've looked very different.
We shouldnât ban heading but I think we should make the centre backs and centre forwards wear some type of helmet because they are the ones getting the most headers
Finally, a sequel to âHow a Heading Ban would change Bowlingâ
Robin van Persie diving at a bowling ball
I think the way forward isnât a heading ban but an agreement as to what adequate protection from the negative affects would be. It could probably be just a well padded headband of sorts. I think many would welcome it.
You would still see long high balls but the contestation would revolve not around pulling oneself up first but boxing the opponent out to gain the space where the ball is to drop.
I have sustained two serious concussions while playing football, both as a result of contesting a header from an aerial ball. Most of the people I know who play football have all had similar injuries, and none of us knew anything about the long term risks of such injuries until just recently. I'm in my 30s now and quite frankly, the idea that I am now at a higher risk for mental health problems and degenerative brain disease later in life scares the absolute s*** out of me.
I think that heading should be removed from the game, or at the very least bring in mandatory protective headgear.
We definitely need a fun little headingless side league to see what will happen.
Headingly AFC automatically entered of course.
Haven't thought it through but maybe no headers off free kick situations. A lot of the driven balls are off free kicks. Goal kicks, corners, free kicks. All high velocity balls. No headers on free kicks or on balls that pass the halfway line (which would be eliminate most long ball headers). You can still head crosses from the run of play and head in stray balls in the box. Seems like a good compromise but who knows?
I remember during covid in the summer of 2020 we could only have friendly games and play without using our heads. It made no sense I know, but the game was so weird. I know there are long lasting effects for players who head the ball all the time, so I hope they find a solution at some point. In Canada they have a limit of how many headers you can do in practices at the youth level which makes sense. Maybe what they can do is (only for youth level), have it where you can only head in the box. Like how keepers can obviously only use their hands in the box. And then once you reach the senior level, have it like normal. I'm not a scientist but maybe that could help with reducing head trauma to youth footballers?
free kick defensive walls will lose alot of meaning too
It's going to be more dangerous. Imagine high foots in penalty area.
Good point
That's already against the rules tho
Halaand Against Dourtmend
Goalkeepers would also be in a lot more trouble taking a pass from teammates, without header passes they're allowed to catch with their hands, they'd have to boot basically every pass back up the pitch as quickly as possible, as opposing strikers would start preying on easy tackles against goalkeepers who aren't used to controlling the ball with their feet.
Side note : ball control with feet becomes a much more sought after skill in goalkeepers, more of a requirement than a nice-to-have.
They would need to change the technology/requirements of the ball. Over time, Iâve noticed match balls are getting harder and require a higher minimum air pressure. The newer balls go farther and faster as technology improves. For my recreational league, especially in winter, I will normally test many different match balls specifically for headers. I will normally inflate my balls to 9.5-10 psi. Newer match balls normally require a minimum of 11 psi. Having the ball just below the minimum also can reduce the distance and speed of the ball.
While I will not deny football being a cause for dementia, could it be that the people affected were playing football in a time when the footballs were generally heavier? And if so, won't that possibly decrease the amount and/or severity of the dementia cases for those that are playing the game now or have done so in the past ~ 30 years?
It tends to be repetitive subconcussive impacts to the head that causes the trauma so the weight of the ball isnât as important as the frequency. Any head impact causes the brain to rattle inside the skull so even a lighter modern ball would still have a significant impact
@@dannyl8994 Good point, although those repetitive subconcussive impacts are a factor of all times ofcourse. Then it might still help up to a certain extent in the long run to have had those impacts with a lighter ball.
Apart from this, I haven't even touched upon the fact footballers nowadays generally live a much healthier lifestyle than they did before the 1980s/early 1990s (Arsene Wenger comes to mind, who revolutionised the Premier League by putting his players at Arsenal on much healthier diets than what those players were consuming before), which will always have its effect on people's physical well being.
So altogether, I'm still curious whether you'd see a decline in the amount of dementia cases in some 30 years from now simply by playing with a lighter ball and a healthier lifestyle. Although I also understand people don't want to wait for this long to make any changes.
@@jdjphotographynl it could have, I just think that the sheer number of head impacts that they go through and the increased force they can generate being overall more powerful makes it still likely to have a larger impact come from frequency than the weight of the ball but I could be wrong.
I think diet will definitely help because of the impact it can have on brain health, although Iâve not looked into the regenerative effects of diet on the brain.
Youâre absolutely right that we will have to wait years to see the effects and that we canât wait that long. It will have to be some sort of brain scan to see the degeneration but I donât think we are at that point yet unfortunately
@@dannyl8994 the thing that I would like to get a look into is the players lifestyle leading to old age? Did they keep playing, did they do any other forms of exercise? I feel like this would really tie on to how normal people get dementia as its far more common than people realise.
It would surely lead an increase in players attempting overhead and bicycle kicks, which again can lead to problems if players fall awkwardly, can cause severe injuries. Bicycle kicks are attempted by players who are confident of it and has practised it regularly. Not allowing to head the ball means more players who are not in complete control might try them and then risk a serious injury.
@@davidmontgomery1442 Because they realis they have to get something on the ball at that moment. It can even be defenders using it to replace clearing headers. Also this then adds feet near others heads and without competing with the head it is still incredibly dangerous in any congested area
@@bartsimho1192 high feet is already against the rules
You are severely underestimating how catastrophic and horrendous dementia is
Video on short corners please
I'd be interested to see how the game looked without headers
I get the argument against headers especially at the very young level but I just canât imagine a compromise that doesnât harm the game (like defenses would need to play deeper which would harm more open play and any compromise would add a ton of rules i think) The sport would just need a warning at every level about the potential damage and maybe more people wear Cech like helmets to minimize damage. Also the league canât ignore former professionals at every level who develop issues later in life like the nfl criminally does
Absolutely it would change the game, but the issue is that helmets do not help. The injury is with brain vs inside of head, not the outside of it. NFL is a prime example
A change that is worth evolving into in my opinion. Safety of playersthrough their lifetime and not just during their playing years should be of the utmost priority.
Nah horrible change sports are inherently bad for the body. Simply use lighter and softer balls during heading practice to decrease a lot of the danger it's really not that complicated.
It would stop headed goals but it would stop headed clearances too
One of the most interesting football videos I've ever seen
I am 100% sure that heading won't be eliminated from football but I can see the introduction of protective helmets(like the one Petr Cech wears) to come in the near future
I feel like the football authorities would hate to have their stars be forced to play in helmets and massively alter the aesthetics of the game. People will hate seeing the next CR7 or Andrea Pirlo forced to wear a silly hat, or make every iconic moment hijacked by them
@@victorcsavage People said the same about hockey goalie masks and baseball batting helmets but over time they have become just as iconic as other items in the sport. It would take time but I think eventually it would become normal, kids would probably be arguing other whether nike or adidas helmets were coolest
until boxing and mma are banned this will never happen.
Rugby, NFL and other extreme sports too
They all have their risks and rewards, hence injuries
Why hasn't there been any thought of appropriate neck/headwear designed to make heading less dangerous? I mean, we wear boots and shinpads, why not a rounded cap of sorts? I guess it'd look a bit silly but I'm sure the big sportswear companies would get involved. It'd end up being another sponsorship opportunity as well.
The fa are trialing this in some jpl games. There are lots of dangerous high feet and grey areas like when a throw in gets aimed at a kids head and the ref gives a freekick for using his head?!
Personally I always hated heading and it was one of the reasons I did not want to play football at any competitive level. This stuff is dangerous and I am not surprised that it can cause serious damage. However, I feel like football would be a lot less varied without heading and that it might seem ridiculous to us who are used to seeing heading.
Also strength doesnât come with size in humans lol, itâs weight. Messi and prime hazard are examples of that. Or in other sports Tyson, a lower centre of gravity and testosterone
Actually no, taller and bigger human beings always have the potential to be stronger than their shorter counterparts. The lower centre of gravity can be compensated by having a strong core
@@johnratnam4864 no, they have the potential to be heavier. Testosterone limits growth by hardening bones and closing growth potential. Itâs much easier to translate energy from the ground without being tall. Once again, weight and centre of gravity matters far more. Iâm 6â 7â and 252 lbs, a silverback gorilla is 5â8 on average and almost 400lbs, do I think Iâd be faster and stronger⊠no lmao
@@limpa756 oh my did you really compare humans with a wild animal. Yes shorter athletes are more conducive to certain positions like wingers, fullbacks and attacking mids while taller athletes move generally towards the centre backs, GKs or CFs. But it doesn't matter as technology increases athletes now are well rounded and can literally play multiple positions.
@@limpa756 also if test hardens growth plates and stops height doesn't it also increase muscle and size with adequate stimulus and obviously a bigger muscle is at the very least has more strength potential
@@johnratnam4864 humans are apes⊠so are gorillas lol so itâs obviously a fair comparison given weâre both literally almost identical biologically. Yes it leads to greater muscle mass which once again leads to weight⊠if you have high testosterone youâll always carry more muscle even if youâre overweight. A 250lb 5â9 man is going to immensely faster and stronger than a 6â4 200lb guy. Theyâll accelerate faster, have denser bones, lower centre of gravity, can translate power from the ground more effectively etc
There are other options besides simply banning heading the ball. Some of the studies that have been done here in the states on concussion prevention have found that leagues that require youth players to wear a padded headband have the same rate of concussions as leagues that ban heading. Both interventions reduced the rate of concussions over leagues that did no modification. My son played in a youth league that banned heading the ball until the age of 10 or 12. He now plays in high school and I've noticed that many of the kids his age, including him, are not very good at heading the ball. The quality of the game suffers and even he has expressed frustration at his lack of skill heading the ball. It is something he's working on, but he definitely has a lot of ground to make up. I wish there had been an option to play in a league that required younger players to wear those protective headbands instead (there was not one available in our area at the time).
I love how whenever people complain about something controversial, Tifo is just like âyeah but what if it DID happen.â The irl channel has done the same with the Super League and the Premier League all stars.
Wouldn't it be easier to protect the players' heads?
The problem is that the brain can impact the inside of the skull on forceful headers - head protection can't prevent that.
doesn't stop the brain rattling around inside the skull, which is a really bad thing
American football players suffer from these problems, and they wear helmets. Reason explained by the comments above.
There's a movie about it: Concussion. Pretty good, if you forgave Will Smith already đ
@@cai0 exactly
Yeah, I get all that, but you don't have to completely eliminate the impacts, all you have to do is soften them so the consequences are less severe/common. The sport is never going to be fully safe, that's just the way it is. As it is now, the sport is not really what I would consider unsafe or dangerous.
American football impacts are far more severe and more repetitive. Not the fairest comparison.
Simply removing headers from areas outside the box would greatly reduce heading while keeping the game largely the same
Then how do you deal with Ariel balls outside the box
@@zariaian2927 chest and first touch on goal kicks. Other than that there aren't that many high impact headers
Without heading you would not have gotten the best head goal of all time..WC 2002 Mexico v Italy Jared Borgetti Wonderful header
I dont think its scoring with your head which is going to cause the most damage. Most headers that are scored, the player has more momentum than the ball. However, blocking shots and defending is not always the case. Arjen Robben once registered a shot ball at 118 mph, the fastest recorded. Average Shot speed is over 60 Mph. Anything hitting your head at that speed is going to cause damage, with teams now playing 3 games a week plus training it means there is a chance for most defenders to be hit once a day at those speeds.
You canât just take something thatâs a staple in the sport away. That being said their should be some sort of fine, David Luis seemed unbothered and never apologized to Raul Jimenez after fracturing his skull. Raul has NOT been the same since, and my heart stops every time he hits his head in a game
That's pretty assumptious of you, I've read that Luiz was upset by it and also asked fans to pray for Jimenez so đ€·ââ. I don't really get your point either - you're saying players should be fined for contesting 50-50 balls with their heads if they accidentally hit someone? Come on man.
What if we kept the rules the same but made all the players wear motorcycle helmets?
Let's add some padding all over the body and maybe let players handle the ball too.
@@sanmitrapol3402 and change the ball to the shape of an egg
Same law for knee guard. Player to wear head gear. Something padded like the one cech using.
Ahh maybe thatâs how the American football was born
@@Sashimi404 Scrum caps like the one Cech used to wear don't really help with impact, they're designed to stop your ears getting mashed
Wish you could have addressed another major concern which would've been defending direct freekicks.... They'd become almost as potent as penalties,, imagine a wall that has no right to jump so all you need is raise the ball and hope it dips
Why wouldn't skull protection caps be used such as Petr Cech wore? Perhaps the technology involved could be enhanced to give greater head protection and prevent the concussive effects of heading. Certainly this would put everyone in the same position as it could be a FIFA regulated garment and it obviously allowed Petr Cech to continue in his career after his injury.
They should add a speed limit too, so that the players don't hurt themselves if they fall while running too fast. And what about a minimum distance between players to prevent violent tackles?
đ€Ą
Of all players in the world right now,I think Victor osimhen of Napoli is the best header right now, certainly above the likes of haaland,lewandolski etc when it comes to heading the ball.
Osimhen getting dementia then?
And RONALDO ? đ€š
Ronaldo plays hockey
not even close to as good as lewandowski at heading
@@theblackswordsman9951 hes Nigerian, so could also be 43yr old and we wouldn't know lol
I think it's worth pursuing. I think the potential tradeoffs are worth it and could lead to new techniques and skills that wouldn't have been viable at the time headers were in
Imagine how valuable Marouane Fellaini would be in the world where he could dominate with that chest.
You're gonna hurt your head far quicker listening to epl ref's
I remember as a child I used to hate headers as it would hurt a lot
Weak.
Same. Looking back, our future selves would thank us
I'm surprised that noone is talking about how easy freekicks would be
the player doesn't have to head the ball, it's ultimately their choice. Just make everyone aware of the risks.
If heading was banned the ball would hardly leave the ground.
Nonsense
Absolutely.
Or maybe it'd leave the ground more often
Header goals are some if the greatest goals I've seen
Ronaldo's almost 3 metre feat is legendary
Perisic scored a really great ine today as well
And the most efficient way to take possession of an aerial ball is with the head
Van Persie's one in the world cup as well
Meh
Yeah I played as a center back and full back and had several concussions from Areal duels and have had long term cognitive issues because of it
I'd be OK with scrapping headers off of goal kicks. But a full "heading ban" would ruin the game as it exists. The fields would need to be made smaller.
Has Mbappe decided heading is banned?
Nothing can be official until FIFA run it past Mbappe first! đđ€Łđđ€Łđđ€Łđđ€Ł
So would a player be cautioned of they headed a ball? As a defender, do I just wait for the person to calmly control the ball and then proceed to beat me for pace?
5:10 blocking above head height without your head is perfectly possible an overhead kick.
Let's also ban kicking to prevent leg injuries
Whilst weâre at it why donât we also ban Half volleying the ball from 84 yards at 110 miles per hour just so people donât risk face injuries if they get twatted in the face
I'm so glad you've never suffered the devastation of dementia in your family
@@Naren25 and you're relating that to footballers heading balls? Do you know how many players would have to have dementia if this was true? Trying to moralise and put somebody down by invoking your family on a thread is sad
â@@interovic Yeah, I am relating heading to long term brain damage. That's one of the findings of the study mentioned at the start of the video. Some medical professionals believe that heading the ball is a contributing factor to dementia in ex-footballers.
If you genuinely didn't know that and were just making a joke then I'm happy to apologize. Sorry pal. I'm sure you can see how insensitive your comment looked initially.
And they should all wear life jackets at all time incase it rains too hard⊠no wait this isnât South ParkâŠ
I'd say this is where you bring hands in. An allowance of placing a hand strictly at head height with limited motion could be used instead in areal combat. This way tactics and game flow are not disrupted (unless the hand is not within its designated area). I'd be all for it as I'd rather that than seeing people with not just dementia but other mental health issues caused by repeated heading
I don't think anyone will support using hands in *foot* ball lol.
Football teams would change their selection of players all together. There would be no need to taller players. They might be stronger but I think managers would prefer strong, agile and faster players over players like lukaku or tall and slow center backs
Even e-Sports comes with health risks like Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, and there are more serious and fatal injury in sport fishing than in football. All sporting activities will come with risks.
One VERY important aspect that was forgotten is that the game would become more acrobatic and therefore nicer to watch. Just imagine headers being replaced by scissor kicks, because the danger of injuries to the head goes down to almost 0; no constraints for how high above the ground You're allowed to kick the ball.
The whole game would turn into something resembling Shaolin Football âœ
And people getting extremely high velocity kicks to the head and neck
@@vladimirputout2461 Nope. Since Your head has no place anywhere near the ball. What do You want to do with it near the ball anyways?
@@pawejankowski9364 You write in a dumb way
@@vladimirputout2461 Well, that's odd...!
Because I'm very intelligent. Why would You encounter such great difficulties then?
Maybe I can help untangle your thoughts
@@pawejankowski9364 Still dumbing around?