Purposeful heading in U.S. youth soccer players: results from the U.S. soccer online heading survey – epidemiological evidence

Kaminski, Thomas W.; Chiampas, George; Putukian, Margot; Kirkendall, Donald T.; Fokas, Jennifer; Kontos, Anthony P.

doi:10.1080/24733938.2019.1677937

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Some researchers drew conclusions based on self-reported estimates of heading in matches and training sessions [32][33][34] and used online surveys such as the US Soccer Online Concussion and Heading Surveys. 20,21 Other studies monitored heading incidents by counting the number of times that each participant headed the ball, 14,17,[35][36][37][38][39] or used a device that measured acceleration of head impacts. [40][41][42][43][44][45] However, those studies that monitored exact heading incidents in matches revealed partly different results from the present ones.…”

Section: Head Injuries In Match Play and Training Sessionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…19 Two empirical reviews on the implementation and adherence to this US Soccer heading guidelines and purposeful heading in youth soccer have previously been published and reported low number of headers and concussions. 20,21 However, a more precise understanding of the heading incidence, specifically in young players, is not only beneficial for such a debate, but would also facilitate an improved estimation of the potential effect of a header ban. In addition, it has to be taken into account that between-countries differences in rules, coaching approaches, and traditions may exist and affect the number of headers and mode of heading.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The UEFA Heading Study: Heading incidence in children’s and youth’ football (soccer) in eight European countries

Beaudouin

Gioftsidou

Larsen

et al. 2020

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

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To assess the real‐life magnitude of the heading incidence in children's and youth’ football in eight European countries with different “football cultures,” a cross‐sectional observational design, in which one match per team in 480 different teams from eight European countries (2017/18‐2018/19), was recorded by video. One training session was recorded in 312 teams. Clubs with Under‐10, Under‐12 (female/male/mixed), and Under‐16 female and male teams were eligible to participate. Heading frequencies and types were analyzed. Results are presented as headers per match/training and per team. Incidence rates (IR) per 1000 match/training hours were calculated. Under‐10 teams carried out the lowest average number of headers per match (8.8), followed by Under‐16 female (17.7), Under‐12 (18.4), and Under‐16 male (35.5). Total number of headers per match and team varied between countries. 80% of the total number of headers were single intentional headers, 12% heading duels, 3% unintentional headers by getting hit, and 5% others (trends apparent in all age groups). Three head injuries occurred during match play corresponding to an IR of 0.70 (95% CI, 0.23‐2.16). The lowest number of headers per training and team was found in Under‐10 (21.3), followed by Under‐16 females (34.1), Under‐12 (35.8), and Under‐16 males (45.0). In conclusion, this large‐scale study presents novel data about the number and type of headers in youth’ football throughout Europe. A more precise understanding of the heading incidence, specifically in young players, is mandatory for the debate of restrictions on heading in youth football.

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Section: Head Injuries In Match Play and Training Sessionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The UEFA Heading Study: Heading incidence in children’s and youth’ football (soccer) in eight European countries

Beaudouin

Gioftsidou

Larsen

et al. 2020

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

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“…While the most common cause of head injuries surrounds player collisions when directly challenging for the ball, it is suspected that contact with the ball itself may also cause problems (Matser et al 1998(Matser et al , 2001Comstock et al 2015;Kontos et al 2017;Tarnutzer et al 2017;Levitch et al 2018). Consequently, recent restrictions have been imposed in order to limit the amount of heading within youth soccer (e.g., UEFA 2020) (for survey research, see Kaminski et al 2020). Thus, it is of great interest to further examine the impact of heading with a view to informing future guidance and regulation (for a discussion, see Chiampas and Kirkendall 2018;Meyer and Reinsberger 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immediate effects of an acute bout of repeated soccer heading on cognitive performance

Ashton

Coyles

Malone

et al. 2020

Science and Medicine in Football

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Purpose: There isgrowing concern surrounding the harmful effects of soccer heading on cognitive function. The present study aims to examine the immediate effects of heading. Methods: 30 recreational male soccer players were divided into three groups that undertook 20 consecutive headers with a soft (8.8 psi), hard (16.2 psi), or no (control) ball. A battery of neuropsychological tests was completed before and after heading: King-Devick, trail-making (TM) (A, B), digit span (DS) and spatial span (SS) (forward, backward). Results: Significant increase in the time (M = 4.44 s) and errors (M = 1.45) for the King-Devick test within the hard and soft groups, although there was no significant difference for TM-A and TM-B. Significant decline for SS forward within the hard and soft groups (M= −16%), although the declines for SS backward (M = −16%), DS forward (M= −23%) and DS backward (M = −25%) were present only for the hard group (ps <.05). Discussion: While outside of regular match-play, this study showed that heading negatively influenced one indicator of a suspected concussion (King-Devick), as well as working memory (DS, SS) that is essential for daily life. These findings contribute to the growing debate surrounding heading safety.

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“…At this juncture, it is relevant to evaluate how well-received the heading guidelines have been within the game. Along these lines, Kaminski et al 12 recently conducted an evaluation of the adherence to a separate set of heading guidelines from U.S. Soccer, which revealed widespread adoption. However, separate guidelines that may be established by national governing bodies across the world face a unique set of challenges in terms of being able to develop, communicate and impose such guidelines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A survey on the English FA heading guidelines for youth soccer: Evidence of compliance, but with limited knowledge of safety

Roberts

Towlson

Malone

2022

International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching

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Soccer heading may be problematic for neurocognitive function. The English Football Association (FA) recently introduced guidelines in order to limit the number of headers within training for youth soccer. However, it remains to be seen what the influence of these guidelines has been on the leaders of soccer teams that are primarily responsible for implementing the guidelines. Thus, we aimed to explore grassroot youth coaches’ knowledge of, views on, and adherence to the heading guidelines. An online survey was distributed to team representatives across Local County FAs. The survey comprised of three sections: (1) background information, (2) heading practices including details on heading activities and views on heading safety, and (3) heading guidelines including levels of awareness, knowledge, and compliance. 240 coaches responded by stating they rarely (21%) or never (73%) practiced heading, although they mostly perceived heading as being somewhat safe (36%). While respondents indicated being only somewhat aware of the guidelines (43%), they scored very high on their perceived (92%) and actual (based on retrospective accounts of heading) (87%) compliance with the guidelines. There was a mixed perceived change within practice following the introduction of the guidelines (disagree = 26% vs. agree = 22%), and they were perceived as safe (86%) and appropriate (81%). Factors that were identified as being potential barriers were only marginally agreed upon (<30%) and tended to be related to in-game rules. While there is scope to successfully implement heading guidelines, there is some discrepancy between the requirements for heading safety and coaches’ knowledge.

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Purposeful heading in U.S. youth soccer players: results from the U.S. soccer online heading survey – epidemiological evidence

Cited by 11 publications

References 14 publications

The UEFA Heading Study: Heading incidence in children’s and youth’ football (soccer) in eight European countries

The UEFA Heading Study: Heading incidence in children’s and youth’ football (soccer) in eight European countries

Immediate effects of an acute bout of repeated soccer heading on cognitive performance

A survey on the English FA heading guidelines for youth soccer: Evidence of compliance, but with limited knowledge of safety

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