Teaching Football Skills Heading To get more power, rock onto the back foot before the ball arrives to get some leverage when heading. Key Words • Rock Back Make contact with the forehead, not with the top of the head as shown in the insert below, and attack through the ball for power. Key Words • Forehead • Power Through Incorrect heading of the ball Heading should be a pleasure, not a pain. Heading needs to be learned as well as all other techniques, as many goals will result from headers, and all outfield players will be required to head the ball many times during a game. Headers not only finish movements with a strike at goal, they also start movements by intercepting a pass and heading to a player on the same team or heading to a teammate to shoot at goal. It is also important for all players to be able to head the ball out of defense. Faults & Fixes Chart Error Ball hits player’s head and goes in any direction. No direction in header. Player refuses to head ball. Correction Eyes must focus on ball. Place feet in correct position Build up confidence. Drill/Test Reference Coach serves ball, ensuring that correct contact is made Coach demonstrates correct timing. 1. 2. 3. Use a lighter ball Motivate Show correct technique 92 Special Olympics Football Coaching Guide Created: February 2004