Heading In Training to be limited in Football

[KiwiScot 1,489]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57996593

[Kenny Foggo 1,116]

If it helps reduce dementia in old age, that's a good thing. The old Wimbledon team would have got nowhere under these rules...

[Petriix 2,853]

I'm probably in the minority but I actually think football would be massively improved if heading was completely banned, just like the handball rule but for heads.

[Midlands Yellow 4,104]

31 minutes ago, Petriix said:

I'm probably in the minority but I actually think football would be massively improved if heading was completely banned, just like the handball rule but for heads.

Keep kicking it though? 

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,865]

1 hour ago, Petriix said:

I'm probably in the minority but I actually think football would be massively improved if heading was completely banned, just like the handball rule but for heads.

That would completely change the dynamic of so many aspects of the game though. We've seen changes like the backpass rule, goal kicks not having to leave the area, players not interfering with play not being offside etc. over the past few decades, but none of those have had anywhere near the impact that outlawing heading would have.

I think as health and safety becomes more prevalent and technology evolves, we'll probably see headbands or possibly even headguards made mandatory. Raul Jimenez is currently using a headband as he comes back from his fractured skull, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard with modern technology to produce these which will both protect the head from the impact of heading and also allow a 'true' header of the ball.

Whether or not the risks of dementia in later life are actually high enough to warrant such a change is still up for debate I suppose, but I'm sure more studies will come out showing a link between repeated heading and brain disorders which will force the authorities into making a decision.

[Vazzza 62]

1 hour ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

 I'm sure more studies will come out showing a link between repeated heading and brain disorders which will force the authorities into making a decision.

Surely it’s the players decision as and when these studies are conclusive. If people want to take the risk to play the beautiful game, and in some cases get paid very handsomely for it, then that’s their choice, all risks involved. Now they can gratefully make this decision with more knowledge at hand thanks to the studies.

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

I might be somewhat naïve on the subject as I am not familiar with the current level of research, but does anyone know what sort of damage from the modern balls of today has been identified?

It has only been during the last 5-10 years that the impact to the England team from '66 has really been brought to light, so working on a time scale back of roughly 50 years, it seems hard to say just how much the modern game will impact current players. 

I heard it mentioned that the lightness of the modern footballs means they hit you faster rather than the slower and heavier balls of the past, thus creating a similar level of impact, which seems true as if I remember my physics rightly the impact force is equal to weight x speed on impact. 

But what this doesn't consider is the elasticity / softness of the modern ball, and therefore how much of the impact gets absorbed by the ball rather than the head. I.e. being hit by a tennis ball at 100mph wouldn't do anywhere near as much damage as a cricket ball at 60mph - would it? So to my mind I can't imagine modern balls to be anywhere near as damaging as what we have unfortunately seen from players of yesteryear. 

That said, of course it absolutely is a sensible decision to reduce the level of impact from training, however minor or severe the potential future damage.

I certainly don't think we need to consider banning heading altogether though.

2 hours ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

I think as health and safety becomes more prevalent and technology evolves, we'll probably see headbands or possibly even headguards made mandatory. Raul Jimenez is currently using a headband as he comes back from his fractured skull, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard with modern technology to produce these which will both protect the head from the impact of heading and also allow a 'true' header of the ball.

This also sounds like a good idea. 

[Bill 1,788]

1 hour ago, Vazzza said:

Surely it’s the players decision as and when these studies are conclusive. If people want to take the risk to play the beautiful game, and in some cases get paid very handsomely for it, then that’s their choice, all risks involved. Now they can gratefully make this decision with more knowledge at hand thanks to the studies.

err, it doesn't quite work like that.

Employers have what is known as a 'duty of care' - and despite the wailing of the Mail/Express and other loony righties. employers are required at the minimum to have to be seen to be protecting their employees. Hence the smoking ban in some many places

Sadly that reality does not excite said loonies as blatant lies about kids being banned from playing conkers. And unsurprisingly one of the most productive of similar lies was Boris Johnson.

The corporate Manslaughter Act of 2007 changed things, whereby senior management could now be held responsible for any death of an employee where negligence was held to be responsible.

Unfortunately, we live in a country where even the most basic explanation of how this, and a reaction by insurance companies against 'no win no fee' cnts have affected much of our daily lives is never put out - yet the habitually thick seem unable to get through the day without their fix of supposed political correctness gone mad/health and safety misrepresentations.

You will note that schools are now being required to ban heading, as the kids are deemed within the school's duty of care. You will not see any parents required to follow this guidance, for the reasons set out above.

As to the correlation if heading to dementia the focus seems to have been on studying footballers, and not dementia as a whole. Much as when a relative had a head injury many years back, and talking with the consultant, I was told of the increase caused by numpties wearing bike helmets - which are basically a fad. You won't see young kids who hurtle up and down on scooters along the pavements wearing such nonsense - yet you will see the same kids walking along the pavement under school supervision, all wearing hi viz vests.

Much is about perception and appearance, rather than any proven risk or understanding of risk.

[dylanisabaddog 5,015]

4 hours ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

I might be somewhat naïve on the subject as I am not familiar with the current level of research, but does anyone know what sort of damage from the modern balls of today has been identified?

 

There was an expert on Radio 5 around the time Chris Sutton's father died. 

I'm not great with science but he said because modern balls are lighter they move faster which means the impact they make on a player's head is virtually identical to the 1960's. Think of being hit by a truck at 20mph doing the same amount of damage as a small car at 30 mph. 

The expert shared Sutton's view that heading should be banned outside the penalty area. 

[Fuzzar 1,705]

Have thought for a while, and agree with Wacky, that some form of universal headguard should be worn to mitigate effects of both heading and clash of heads. 

Banning, or restricting, heading would completely change the game and render it a pale imitation. 

[OTBC06 44]

Anyone seen the Will Smith movie Concussion. I haven't, but isn't that about head trauma to NFL players, which is why they brought in the helmet? Obviously they weren't heading the ball, but is there a connection, as its about how the brain rattles around in the skull or something after impact???  

[cornish sam 966]

13 minutes ago, OTBC06 said:

Anyone seen the Will Smith movie Concussion. I haven't, but isn't that about head trauma to NFL players, which is why they brought in the helmet? Obviously they weren't heading the ball, but is there a connection, as its about how the brain rattles around in the skull or something after impact???  

The thing about helmets (and gloves in boxing) is that they actually make the risk of serious brain injury worse as it means you can hit harder and the brain bounces around inside the head more.

[Bill 1,788]

3 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

The expert shared Sutton's view that heading should be banned outside the penalty area. 

The problem then arises is it would need to be FIFA enforced, or you would have different rules for UK games, as opposed to European, African games etc where the same rules on duty of care may not apply

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

3 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

There was an expert on Radio 5 around the time Chris Sutton's father died. 

I'm not great with science but he said because modern balls are lighter they move faster which means the impact they make on a player's head is virtually identical to the 1960's. Think of being hit by a truck at 20mph doing the same amount of damage as a small car at 30 mph. 

The expert shared Sutton's view that heading should be banned outside the penalty area. 

Thanks Dylan, if you just continue reading my post though…. 😆

Fitting your comparison to my point I would say, imagine being hit by an old truck at 20mph of 60 years ago before crumble zones and lighter materials were used for car production. 

Although that might have a same ‘impact force’ as a small car, the fact the truck is made of harder materials and older crash designs means it absorbs practically none of the impact. Whereas a modern car at 30mph would be significantly more bouncy.

Our balls of today are much spongier / soft, so how much more of a modern ball to the head hurts the ball rather than the head? 

Edited July 29, 2021 by Hank shoots Skyler

[Bill 1,788]

As stated earlier, a class action such as this is what is driving the concern for employers and governing bodies

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12157935/forty-ex-footballers-set-to-take-legal-action-over-dementia-links-in-2021