Heading

Intermediatedefending

Track the ball, set your feet, eyes up.

Win the aerial duel. Jump with purpose, arch your back, and drive your forehead through the ball.

Key points

•Time your jump
•Arch your upper body back
•Drive forehead through the top half of the ball
•Eyes open, mouth closed

Practice with Coach Diego

Camera setup tips

· Place the camera side-on to you, 2 to 3 metres away.
· Keep your whole body in frame, head to feet.
· Phone on a tripod or a laptop webcam both work.
· Perform the movement, pause, repeat. Your coach speaks every 15 seconds.

Theory & Technique

Heading is about aggression and timing, not just height. Watch the flight of the ball and time your jump so you meet it at the highest point. As you jump, arch your upper body backward to load the power. Then snap forward from the waist, driving your forehead — the flat area above the eyebrows — through the top half of the ball. Keep your eyes open as long as possible and your mouth closed to protect your tongue. Your neck muscles should be tense at contact. Use your arms for balance in the air but keep them below shoulder height to avoid fouls.

Fun Fact

Cristiano Ronaldo once headed a ball from a height of 2.56 metres — he hung in the air for 0.71 seconds, roughly the same hang time as an NBA guard!

Watch the real thing

Learn from real coaches first. Your live scoring compares you to the reference figure above; these videos are for learning, and stay with their creators on YouTube.