# Question about Ulittle headers



## Monkey (Aug 13, 2017)

I caught part of a Ulittle game this weekend.  I think it must have been U10 boys.  On throw-ins, I heard the coach tell his boys to aim for the head of the opposing players.  I guess under the new rule, any header garners an indirect free kick for the opposition?  Did I interpret this correctly?  I would think that just like with handling, any unintentional header when your head is in its natural position, including when your opponent chucks the ball at your head, should not be called. None of the balls hit the kids heads when I was watching so I don't know what the refs would have done but it seems like a cheap trick to pull.


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## outside! (Aug 13, 2017)

Monkey said:


> ...but it seems like a cheap trick to pull.


Agree on the cheap trick part. If my kid was on that team, I would seriously start looking around.


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## baldref (Aug 14, 2017)

inadvertent header is either no call, or at most a drop ball, depending on tournament rules. a coach who tells his players to throw a ball at the head of an opponent is sent off.


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## Surfref (Aug 14, 2017)

Inadvertent header equals a drop ball.  I bet if a ref quickly dropped the ball at the feet of an opposing player, that coach would stop telling his players to throw at the opponent player's heads.


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## coachrefparent (Aug 14, 2017)

Too bad there is no video of this Coach and the team he works for.


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## MWN (Aug 14, 2017)

I do many 7v7's as I enjoy those games and the craziness of the parents.  This is a interesting question and I believe a better action would be as follows:

1) Stop play and inform the coach that the "header" rule at this level exists for the safety of the players and is mandated by US Soccer and that (1) if he continues to coach his players to violate the rules I will be forced to report his behavior and he will be removed from the sideline; and (2) if his players follow his advice to intentionally throw the ball at the heads of their uLittle opponents I will consider such action "Unsporting Behavior" and those players may be cautioned (Yellow) and I will award a direct free kick to the opposing team, the conduct also can be classified as "playing in a dangerous manner" and an IDK awarded to the other team, which would be a good first step.  In any case, coaches that intentionally coach their players to violated the rules/laws need to be drummed out of youth soccer.


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## Art (Aug 14, 2017)

A competent referee would not give a ifk for an unintentional header...in the case of an intentional header its an indirect freekick. If the defending team on a corner heads the ball away its and IFK for the attacking team outside the penalty box parallel to the area the header occurred. The ball would be stationed right before the box, has to be touched to score.

It would be neat if the parents brought the rules sheet with them.


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## coachrefparent (Aug 14, 2017)

Art said:


> A competent referee would not give a ifk for an unintentional header...in the case of an intentional header its an indirect freekick. If the defending team on a corner heads the ball away its and IFK for the attacking team outside the penalty box parallel to the area the header occurred. The ball would be stationed right before the box, has to be touched to score.
> 
> It would be neat if the parents brought the rules sheet with them.


The parents are clueless. One argued with me (as a bystander waiting for a game) that offside occurs if the player has passed the defense when he receives the ball. My 9 year old laughed out loud. Fools.


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## espola (Aug 14, 2017)

coachrefparent said:


> The parents are clueless. One argued with me (as a bystander waiting for a game) that offside occurs if the player has passed the defense when he receives the ball. My 9 year old laughed out loud. Fools.


We haven't reached the point of having a mass of parents who understand the game.  American baseball parents know what a suicide squeeze is and why we will never see one in Little League, basketball parents know what an offensive foul is, football parents know  what pass interference is - but most American soccer parents never played the game, or left after a couple of years of coed rec soccer at recess.


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## Socal United (Aug 14, 2017)

Now I had the head of the refs here in North County tell me that any time it hits the head it is an indirect free kick.  She said it was because it is a safety issue not a judgement call.  The refs all weekend at Premier Cup called it accordingly, even the 6 year old that got hit in the face with the ball.


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## Monkey (Aug 14, 2017)

Socal United said:


> Now I had the head of the refs here in North County tell me that any time it hits the head it is an indirect free kick.  She said it was because it is a safety issue not a judgement call.  The refs all weekend at Premier Cup called it accordingly, even the 6 year old that got hit in the face with the ball.


Ok now I understand. It was the Premier Cup at 4S Ranch.  The coach must have known that they would call it.  I am glad my kids do not have to deal with the new heading rule.

 Not to put any ref on the spot, but how would you handle the situation if the ref association told you to call all headers, including intentionally hitting someone's face?


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## GunninGopher (Aug 14, 2017)

Socal United said:


> Now I had the head of the refs here in North County tell me that any time it hits the head it is an indirect free kick.  She said it was because it is a safety issue not a judgement call.  The refs all weekend at Premier Cup called it accordingly, even the 6 year old that got hit in the face with the ball.


I have missed the last couple local association meetings, but nowhere have I heard or seen that the restart should always be an IFK. That is ludicrous. Stopping the game for any contact might be a proper response to a perceived safety issue, but that shouldn't dictate the restart.

What I think is causing some confusion is that I have heard some waffling about is whether we should stop the game if there as any sort of unintentional light contact, including a 'brush' of the ball against the hair. What is clear to me is that the game is stopped when there is an intentional header or when there is a chance that a player might have been injured from an inadvertent ball contacting the head (as we are coming to understand what constitutes this sort of an injury). I think that some officials are taking the position that any contact to the head is a risk of injury. I'm not there yet, but I will stop the game if the contact was at all direct and/or hard, regardless of intent. For me, restarts are as appropriate, IFK or dropped ball depending upon my perception of the intent. 

Anyone suggesting that an unintentional touch of the ball to the head should be an IFK is wrong based upon everything I've seen from authoritative sources on this subject, both verbally and in writing. Until I see some official directive from a proper authority that says that unintentional heading is to have an IFK restart, I'd be difficult to convince. That being said, if a competition put it in writing in the rules and made that policy public, I'd print out the rules for the competition and make sure both teams were aware of it during the pre-game, which is what I hope happened in the tournament(s) being discussed. Actually, I'd still have a lot of trouble with that. It just doesn't make any sense that we would mandate an IFK restart in all situations. 

A dropped ball is a time honored practice to restart a match when play has been stopped due to injury, I think some people have misunderstood some conversations or other instruction.


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## coachrefparent (Aug 14, 2017)

GunninGopher said:


> I have missed the last couple local association meetings, but nowhere have I heard or seen that the restart should always be an IFK. That is ludicrous. Stopping the game for any contact might be a proper response to a perceived safety issue, but that shouldn't dictate the restart.
> 
> What I think is causing some confusion is that I have heard some waffling about is whether we should stop the game if there as any sort of unintentional light contact, including a 'brush' of the ball against the hair. What is clear to me is that the game is stopped when there is an intentional header or when there is a chance that a player might have been injured from an inadvertent ball contacting the head (as we are coming to understand what constitutes this sort of an injury). I think that some officials are taking the position that any contact to the head is a risk of injury. I'm not there yet, but I will stop the game if the contact was at all direct and/or hard, regardless of intent. For me, restarts are as appropriate, IFK or dropped ball depending upon my perception of the intent.
> 
> ...


Yep.


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## baldref (Aug 15, 2017)

Monkey said:


> Ok now I understand. It was the Premier Cup at 4S Ranch.  The coach must have known that they would call it.  I am glad my kids do not have to deal with the new heading rule.
> 
> Not to put any ref on the spot, but how would you handle the situation if the ref association told you to call all headers, including intentionally hitting someone's face?


the ref association doesn't decide on interpretations. i do believe someone here is mistaken because the rules i read for the tournament i ran in, specifically said inadvertent header was a drop ball.


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## espola (Aug 15, 2017)

baldref said:


> the ref association doesn't decide on interpretations. i do believe someone here is mistaken because the rules i read for the tournament i ran in, specifically said inadvertent header was a drop ball.


Shouldn't it be no call - play on?


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## baldref (Aug 15, 2017)

Socal United said:


> Now I had the head of the refs here in North County tell me that any time it hits the head it is an indirect free kick.  She said it was because it is a safety issue not a judgement call.  The refs all weekend at Premier Cup called it accordingly, even the 6 year old that got hit in the face with the ball.


i just looked up both sets of rules sent out to referees for both tournaments this weekend. both sets say inadvertent header is a drop ball. i doubt leanne said differently, but if she did she made a mistake.


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## coachrefparent (Aug 15, 2017)

espola said:


> Shouldn't it be no call - play on?


No.


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## watfly (Aug 15, 2017)

baldref said:


> i just looked up both sets of rules sent out to referees for both tournaments this weekend. both sets say inadvertent header is a drop ball. i doubt leanne said differently, but if she did she made a mistake.


That's interesting that the dropped ball for inadvertant headers has been adopted by some tournaments, that probably makes sense from a safety standpoint.  All of our tournaments this year and last (including league) utilized the original rules as posted by USSF, non-deliberate headers resulted in no foul and play on.   Either rule works, although punishing a non-deliberate header with an IFK  seems to contradict the USSF guidance, but fortunately I have yet to see that employed.

Refs do you get sent the rules for each tournament (as opposed to just a link to the rules on the tourney website)?  Do these rules sometimes differ from the rules as posted on the tourney website? Thanks.


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## espola (Aug 15, 2017)

coachrefparent said:


> No.


Why not?  Did I miss something on the USSF/USYSA "play less soccer" directives?


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## Art (Aug 15, 2017)

I posted IFK because that was the rule for scdsl, anyone outside of SCDSL I encountered was rather new to the no header rule. Id say a drop ball would be a waste of time havin to get to the spot and explaining why theres a drop for this situation. It just feels out of place to me. A ifk is a simpler restart where you get into position right after you make the call, a drop ball is like a foreign candy to the kids at those ages.


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## espola (Aug 15, 2017)

Art said:


> I posted IFK because that was the rule for scdsl, anyone outside of SCDSL I encountered was rather new to the no header rule. Id say a drop ball would be a waste of time havin to get to the spot and explaining why theres a drop for this situation. It just feels out of place to me. A ifk is a simpler restart where you get into position right after you make the call, a drop ball is like a foreign candy to the kids at those ages.


So is stopping the game for no reason.

The usual reason for an IFK  is that one team has committed an infraction that deserves them being disadvantaged, but the infraction is not so offensive as those that deserve a direct free kick or penalty kick.  Being struck in the head by the ball may not even give the stricken player's team an advantage.  A drop ball is just as pointless as an IFK in that situation, but at least it does not give the player's opponents any advantage.


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## Surfref (Aug 15, 2017)

watfly said:


> That's interesting that the dropped ball for inadvertant headers has been adopted by some tournaments, that probably makes sense from a safety standpoint.  All of our tournaments this year and last (including league) utilized the original rules as posted by USSF, non-deliberate headers resulted in no foul and play on.   Either rule works, although punishing a non-deliberate header with an IFK  seems to contradict the USSF guidance, but fortunately I have yet to see that employed.
> 
> Refs do you get sent the rules for each tournament (as opposed to just a link to the rules on the tourney website)?  Do these rules sometimes differ from the rules as posted on the tourney website? Thanks.


The current instruction from USSF and Cal South is that any inadvertent contact between the ball and a player's (11 and younger) head is a drop ball.  The coach is also supposed to take that player out to evaluate for a head injury.


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## MWN (Aug 15, 2017)

watfly said:


> Refs do you get sent the rules for each tournament (as opposed to just a link to the rules on the tourney website)?  Do these rules sometimes differ from the rules as posted on the tourney website? Thanks.


@watfly USSF sends out its recommendation, the various Youth Soccer affiliates (US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer, AYSO, YES) then adopt their own interpretation (or the US Soccer) rule.  In the case of US Youth Soccer, its member, Cal South adopts its interpretation of the rule and then its constituent leagues (CSL, SCDSL, Presidio, all the various Rec programs, etc.) adopt their own interpretation of the rule.  Tournaments are their own animals and can modify the rules to whatever they want.  So, do these rules sometimes differ ... absolutely.  Moreover, Referee Associations then get directives from USSF, Cal South, Leagues all with additional interpretations.  Last year we received the rule that said "intentional headers not allowed."  SCDSL directed the Referees to also stop play for "unintentional headers" in order to make sure the little tike is OK, then restart with a drop ball.

US Soccer's published rule states: "Deliberate heading is not allowed in 7v7, 9v9 - U11 games. Heading is currently allowed in U12 games without limitations but membership is empowered to limit or ban heading at this level of play If a player deliberately heads the ball in a game, an indirect free kick should be awarded to the opposing team from the spot of the offense If the deliberate header occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the nearest point to where the infringement occurred"

The US Youth Soccer (Cal South) rule is: Rule 305, Section 3. All Players age 10 and younger shall not head the ball directly from the air in any match or competition, nor shall these players practice heading the ball in any organized team setting. If a player age 10 or younger deliberately heads the ball in a match, the referee shall award an indirect free kick to the opposing team at the spot of the infraction. If the heading occurs within the penalty area, the referee shall move the ball outside the penalty area and award an indirect free kick to the opposing team.

The SCDSL rule on paper is: 1. There is no deliberate heading in 7 v 7 or 9 v 9 games (what constitutes "deliberate" will be determined by the referee during the game). 2. If a defensive player deliberately heads the ball inside of their own penalty area, an indirect free kick will be awarded to the attacking team perpendicular to the spot of the infringement OUTSIDE OF THE PENALTY AREA. 3. If an attacking player deliberately heads the ball inside of the opposing teams penalty area, an indirect free kick will be awarded to the defending team from the point of the infringement.

CSL doesn't have a rule, so we default to Cal South / US Youth Soccer.

I have sat in Referee meetings where the instructions was "All headers, deliberate or unintentional are disallowed."  I've also witnessed US Youth Soccer - Regional tournaments adopt the same rule (stop play for all headers and restart with IFK if deliberate and Drop Ball if unintentional."

Unless I'm told to call it another way, this is what I do ...

Deliberate Header - Stop play and award an Indirect Free Kick
Unintentional Header AND player reacts in a negative manner due to force of contact - Stop play to have coaches evaluate player to make sure not effected by contact ... drop ball.
Unintentional Header with no negative reaction or merely a glancing of ball to head - play on.


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## MWN (Aug 15, 2017)

Surfref said:


> The current instruction from USSF and Cal South is that any inadvertent contact between the ball and a player's (11 and younger) head is a drop ball.  The coach is also supposed to take that player out to evaluate for a head injury.


Other than being told in referee meetings, I have yet to see this in writing.  Do you know where I can find a copy?


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## watfly (Aug 15, 2017)

MWN said:


> Unless I'm told to call it another way, this is what I do ...
> [LIST]
> [*]Deliberate Header - Stop play and award an Indirect Free Kick
> [*]Unintentional Header AND player reacts in a negative manner due to force of contact - Stop play to have coaches evaluate player to make sure not effected by contact ... drop ball.
> ...




That makes the most sense to me, and how I have seen it implemented.  #2 should happen regardless of what the heading rules are.  Seems overkill to stop the game for a glancing header and take the kid out of the game, but its probably a CYA on the part of the organizations


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## baldref (Aug 15, 2017)

watfly said:


> That's interesting that the dropped ball for inadvertant headers has been adopted by some tournaments, that probably makes sense from a safety standpoint.  All of our tournaments this year and last (including league) utilized the original rules as posted by USSF, non-deliberate headers resulted in no foul and play on.   Either rule works, although punishing a non-deliberate header with an IFK  seems to contradict the USSF guidance, but fortunately I have yet to see that employed.
> 
> Refs do you get sent the rules for each tournament (as opposed to just a link to the rules on the tourney website)?  Do these rules sometimes differ from the rules as posted on the tourney website? Thanks.


Yes. we get tournament rules sent to us prior to the tournaments. And yes, sometimes they differ slightly from the rules posted on the website, but usually only in that they are more specific and in-depth. i would much rather let play go on an inadvertent header, but, once again, we don't get to do only what we want. we get to enforce the tournament or gaming league directives. although, at surf cup, we were directed that a "slight or glancing" touch by the ball to a u-little head might just as well be overlooked.


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## Socal United (Aug 15, 2017)

baldref said:


> i just looked up both sets of rules sent out to referees for both tournaments this weekend. both sets say inadvertent header is a drop ball. i doubt leanne said differently, but if she did she made a mistake.


She and I had this discussion during Pegasus Cup.  I gave her a couple scenarios and she was pretty clear that if it hit the head it was an IFK.  I know the rules this weekend said a drop ball but I would say 95% of my games had headers both ways and all were called at IFK.  I never argued because I assumed it was the rule but I guess I should look closer.  It was a weird weekend at 4S, i had one ref that wanted to use the top of the box as the play out line because it was easier to see.   
What I would love is for someone to just say here are the rules, they are the correct rules, please all abide by them.  This constant change puts refs in a no win situation and makes life so difficult for these little guys have to adjust to new rules every week.


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## baldref (Aug 15, 2017)

Socal United said:


> She and I had this discussion during Pegasus Cup.  I gave her a couple scenarios and she was pretty clear that if it hit the head it was an IFK.  I know the rules this weekend said a drop ball but I would say 95% of my games had headers both ways and all were called at IFK.  I never argued because I assumed it was the rule but I guess I should look closer.  It was a weird weekend at 4S, i had one ref that wanted to use the top of the box as the play out line because it was easier to see.
> What I would love is for someone to just say here are the rules, they are the correct rules, please all abide by them.  This constant change puts refs in a no win situation and makes life so difficult for these little guys have to adjust to new rules every week.


i would say just try to make sure you hit up whomever assigns you for the tournament or league rules and follow them. and no.... arguing with leanne is not a fruitful endeavor....... i think this new set of rules will work themselves out, once people  and tournaments and leagues stop modifying them. it's really not that complicated. but what do i know?


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## Socal United (Aug 15, 2017)

baldref said:


> i would say just try to make sure you hit up whomever assigns you for the tournament or league rules and follow them. and no.... arguing with leanne is not a fruitful endeavor....... i think this new set of rules will work themselves out, once people  and tournaments and leagues stop modifying them. it's really not that complicated. but what do i know?


Yes, being right has no impact on the decision.    I love her passion though and always have.  You used the key word, modifying.


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## MWN (Aug 15, 2017)

I decided to see if I was correct in my understanding, so I contacted Cal South (George).  With regard to Cal South tournaments, US Youth Soccer tournaments and US Soccer events, my understanding was confirmed as "correct" with the caveat that if there is any doubt as to the impact of the ball on the player, stop play and have the player examined by the coach or trainer.  If the inadvertent header was glancing and/or the Referee feels the impact was minor, the Referee retains the discretion to allow play to continue.  The restart on an inadvertent header is "drop ball" and not an IFK.  IFK only applies when the header was deliberate.  Moreover, the location of the IFK has changed this year to the goal box line and not the penalty box line.

The above is subject to modification by the Leagues and Tournament rules.


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## Socal United (Aug 15, 2017)

Not a fan of your last line, I see that as the problem.


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## Surfref (Aug 15, 2017)

MWN said:


> Other than being told in referee meetings, I have yet to see this in writing.  Do you know where I can find a copy?


Cal South did put it out.  I remember reading it.


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## wildcat66 (Aug 16, 2017)

Is a player obligated to move to avoid the header?  In other word does a player have to move towards the ball if order for it to be an intentional header or simply not move and let the ball hit their head?


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## coachrefparent (Aug 16, 2017)

wildcat66 said:


> Is a player obligated to move to avoid the header?  In other word does a player have to move towards the ball if order for it to be an intentional header or simply not move and let the ball hit their head?


The kids are 10 and under. The rule is intended (correctly or not) to protect them. Everything isn't black or white. Refs will use their discretion. This is minuatie.


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## GunninGopher (Aug 16, 2017)

wildcat66 said:


> Is a player obligated to move to avoid the header?  In other word does a player have to move towards the ball if order for it to be an intentional header or simply not move and let the ball hit their head?


Absolutely.

I apply the same logic as I would to handling.


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## Monkey (Aug 16, 2017)

coachrefparent said:


> The kids are 10 and under. The rule is intended (correctly or not) to protect them. Everything isn't black or white. Refs will use their discretion. This is minuatie.


I agree that it is minutiae except for when a coach is telling his players to intentionally hit the heads of their opponents on throw ins.  I am glad you refs have creative ways to deal with this.  Just wish those poor kids at 4S Ranch this weekend did not look like deers in headlights when the throw ins were aimed at their heads and surprised parents did not come to blows over this.  I saw some very upset parents upon hearing the coach.


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## coachrefparent (Aug 16, 2017)

Monkey said:


> I agree that it is minutiae except for when a coach is telling his players to intentionally hit the heads of their opponents on throw ins.  I am glad you refs have creative ways to deal with this.  Just wish those poor kids at 4S Ranch this weekend did not look like deers in headlights when the throw ins were aimed at their heads and surprised parents did not come to blows over this.  I saw some very upset parents upon hearing the coach.


In calling it minutiae,  was referring to and quoted this post about intentional headers, not the situation you describe:


wildcat66 said:


> Is a player obligated to move to avoid the header?  In other word does a player have to move towards the ball if order for it to be an intentional header or simply not move and let the ball hit their head?


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## baldref (Aug 17, 2017)

Monkey said:


> I agree that it is minutiae except for when a coach is telling his players to intentionally hit the heads of their opponents on throw ins.  I am glad you refs have creative ways to deal with this.  Just wish those poor kids at 4S Ranch this weekend did not look like deers in headlights when the throw ins were aimed at their heads and surprised parents did not come to blows over this.  I saw some very upset parents upon hearing the coach.


as i said, if i saw a coach telling his/her players to intentionally throw a ball at an opponents head, i would remove them from the game. if i saw a u-little player doing it on their own, it's an immediate stoppage, a stern lecture, and if it happens again, it would be yellow, possibly red. it's a shame this is happening with these games, because that's where there are some very young and inexperienced referees. hopefully the associations will speak about this through email, or at meetings. it can't be tolerated.


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## outside! (Aug 17, 2017)

Monkey said:


> I agree that it is minutiae except for when a coach is telling his players to intentionally hit the heads of their opponents on throw ins.  I am glad you refs have creative ways to deal with this.  Just wish those poor kids at 4S Ranch this weekend did not look like deers in headlights when the throw ins were aimed at their heads and surprised parents did not come to blows over this.  I saw some very upset parents upon hearing the coach.


Name the coach and team so that other parents can make an informed decision.


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## Monkey (Aug 17, 2017)

coachrefparent said:


> In calling it minutiae,  was referring to and quoted this post about intentional headers, not the situation you describe:


Sorry no sarcasm on my part. I was agreeing with you.


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## Monkey (Aug 17, 2017)

outside! said:


> Name the coach and team so that other parents can make an informed decision.


I am not familiar with a lot of the younger coaches so I do not know his name nor the age group but looking at the schedule I think it might have been a U11 instead of U10  game.  I only saw part of the game as mine are older and I was meeting friends there.


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## coachrefparent (Aug 17, 2017)

Monkey said:


> I am not familiar with a lot of the younger coaches so I do not know his name nor the age group but looking at the schedule I think it might have been a U11 instead of U10  game.  I only saw part of the game as mine are older and I was meeting friends there.


Tournament, field, date, time?


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## outside! (Aug 17, 2017)

Club, approximate age group, boys, girls?


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## El Clasico (Aug 17, 2017)

Monkey said:


> I agree that it is minutiae except for when a coach is telling his players to intentionally hit the heads of their opponents on throw ins.  I am glad you refs have creative ways to deal with this.  Just wish those poor kids at 4S Ranch this weekend did not look like deers in headlights when the throw ins were aimed at their heads and surprised parents did not come to blows over this.  I saw some very upset parents upon hearing the coach.


Why weren't the parents sitting on the opposite side of the field?


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## Monkey (Aug 17, 2017)

El Clasico said:


> Why weren't the parents sitting on the opposite side of the field?


They were on the opposite side and so the ref surely must have heard him as well.  What surprised me the most was that the ref did not say or do anything.  Maybe something happened after I left.


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## Monkey (Aug 17, 2017)

outside! said:


> Club, approximate age group, boys, girls?


4S Ranch San Diego Premier Cup.   Probably Boys U 10 or 11. Not sure the field number and do not know whether that was the coach or a fill in, and there were other teams playing from that club (I think I know the club but not sure since uniforms look a lot different than in years past) at the same time.  So without knowing for sure I am not going to wreck anyone's day.  Hopefully after this  thread and the great advice  by the refs on here, all refs will learn how to deal with this situation and it is quickly stamped out.


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## Just a Parent (Aug 17, 2017)

Monkey said:


> Not to put any ref on the spot, but how would you handle the situation if the ref association told you to call all headers, including intentionally hitting someone's face?


The ref association is not refereeing the game. I am.

On the other hand, if the instructions came from the state director of instruction, (as it did the first few weeks of the initial rule application before clarifications were issued), then my choices are to either follow the instructions or decline the game.


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## Just a Parent (Aug 17, 2017)

espola said:


> So is stopping the game for no reason.
> 
> The usual reason for an IFK  is that one team has committed an infraction that deserves them being disadvantaged, but the infraction is not so offensive as those that deserve a direct free kick or penalty kick.  Being struck in the head by the ball may not even give the stricken player's team an advantage.  A drop ball is just as pointless as an IFK in that situation, but at least it does not give the player's opponents any advantage.


Wrong. As usual.


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## espola (Aug 18, 2017)

Just a Parent said:


> Wrong. As usual.


Useless post.  As usual.


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## Just a Parent (Aug 20, 2017)

espola said:


> Useless post.  As usual.


To ignorami, sure.


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## Footyguy10 (Dec 31, 2022)

Sorry if there is a more relevant thread for this as  I know this one is more about the correct rule and the inappropriate parents, but I had a couple questions about teaching / allowing heading with Ulittles.

My 7yo DS loves to head the ball. I understand this isn’t allowed in games until an older age but when we are training together he is begging me to practice headers and will sometimes try to do at practices. I love that’s he’s fearless with it and I had previously taught him the correct technique but it leads me to 2 questions; 1) is it safe for him and 2) is heading in training but not being able to do in games going to hurt his development?

Is heading safe for him? That’s why they made the rule but the information I was able to find made it seem like most head injuries were due to collisions (person v person, person v ground, person v ground) not heading the ball. Is there something I’m missing in my assessment? It would be a small amount of time (less than 20 minutes / week) with the ball only coming from short distances without much force. IMO, him having practiced the correct way to do it for awhile can help him do safely once he’s allowed to in game situations instead of just being thrown into it then but I am not an expert on the science. I generally believe teaching the correct form and practicing that way is the best way to teach skills like these but obviously his safety comes first and will defer to that.

Assuming it is safe, is practicing these skills early good for development? The rules are the rules so he will not be able to do at games or club practices. He is only 7 years old so I am concerned that letting him do with me but not with the team might be difficult but I think he would be able to separate that. Is being comfortable with this skill at an early age worth it or it’s something he can easily pick up later and I should just wait?


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## Grace T. (Dec 31, 2022)

Footyguy10 said:


> Sorry if there is a more relevant thread for this as  I know this one is more about the correct rule and the inappropriate parents, but I had a couple questions about teaching / allowing heading with Ulittles.
> 
> My 7yo DS loves to head the ball. I understand this isn’t allowed in games until an older age but when we are training together he is begging me to practice headers and will sometimes try to do at practices. I love that’s he’s fearless with it and I had previously taught him the correct technique but it leads me to 2 questions; 1) is it safe for him and 2) is heading in training but not being able to do in games going to hurt his development?
> 
> ...


I’ll give you my two cents on the second part.
1. No it’s not an easy skill to pick up. So learning it before he can do it in a game will give him advantages. There are things you can do to minimize contact but I’ll let others with more expertise address
2. But he’s only 7. You’ve got a long way to go before he can do it in games. Given the long list of things he needs to master I don’t know why you would prioritize this. There’s no need at this age to spend 20 minutes a week on this skill. You are much better off spending the time on other critical skills like the first touch. Given the long list of skills, and given how there isn’t enough time for a player to cover them, at least right now that’s not an efficient use of resources unless he’s a savant that can outrun every kid on the field, knows all the skill moves, has a beautiful first touch, can crack the ball on the pass, can slide tackle perfectly without endangering others, has excellent defensive and crossing skills, can hit the high and low corners every time and can take a pk like Messi every time. 
3. you training him? Have you played and been coached properly or taken a course. There’s a bit of an art to safely and efficiently handling the header on various types of balls. If you don’t have the knowledge base it might be a waste of time and counterproductive. If you don’t have the skill (not saying if you do or don’t but most soccer parents at least at first don’t) have a private trainer that knows what they are doing do it (and assess what skills the kid needs to prioritize first)


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## Footyguy10 (Dec 31, 2022)

Appreciate the response!

I 100% agree that heading isn’t the priority but maybe I should explain the situation a little better. My DS just wants to play soccer all day and he wanted do training with me in addition to his club practices / games. He always has fun and is usually asking when we will do it next once we finish. We spend about 45 minutes to an hour doing skill drills in some of the areas you had mentioned, with me deciding and directing the drills. After that we have free time which is where we do whatever he wants. Examples of stuff he picks in this time is us doing PK’s against each other, little 1v1 games and shooting at targets. I still instruct him during the free time (you can’t take the coach out of me haha) but it’s really meant just to be about fun, what he wants, and time for us together. With his team and our other skill work, I believe he has more than enough focused work for a 7 year old so I want this time to be about him. This is the time when we would be practicing the headers (it’s been his 1st request last couple times).

As far as me training him; yes I have played, been coached by some great coaches and taken courses (licensed). Also I have a couple immediate family members who have played or coached high-level soccer that I constantly use for advice and feedback with it. Agreed heading is not simple but I do feel comfortable teaching it correctly.


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## toucan (Dec 31, 2022)

Heading the ball is relatively easy to learn, and should not be taught until your son is a little older, when you know it will be more safe.  A better plan for now would be to teach him how to control the ball out of the air with his chest, thighs and feet.  These skills are very important, but are often ignored by older players who default to heading balls out of the air because it is the only thing they know how to do.  Here is a drill my G2009 team frequently practices, though not at the same distances.


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## Grace T. (Dec 31, 2022)

Footyguy10 said:


> Appreciate the response!
> 
> I 100% agree that heading isn’t the priority but maybe I should explain the situation a little better. My DS just wants to play soccer all day and he wanted do training with me in addition to his club practices / games. He always has fun and is usually asking when we will do it next once we finish. We spend about 45 minutes to an hour doing skill drills in some of the areas you had mentioned, with me deciding and directing the drills. After that we have free time which is where we do whatever he wants. Examples of stuff he picks in this time is us doing PK’s against each other, little 1v1 games and shooting at targets. I still instruct him during the free time (you can’t take the coach out of me haha) but it’s really meant just to be about fun, what he wants, and time for us together. With his team and our other skill work, I believe he has more than enough focused work for a 7 year old so I want this time to be about him. This is the time when we would be practicing the headers (it’s been his 1st request last couple times).
> 
> As far as me training him; yes I have played, been coached by some great coaches and taken courses (licensed). Also I have a couple immediate family members who have played or coached high-level soccer that I constantly use for advice and feedback with it. Agreed heading is not simple but I do feel comfortable teaching it correctly.


Just go 1v1 with him or play striker and goalkeeper during the “free time” instead of direct instruction. Enjoy the time. You are only a few years away before he starts questioning you and even if he loves the game resenting you.  It works for a handful of parents but eventually most fathers and sons get to the point where they’ll begin to push back and you need to bring in a third party like a trainer if he’s going to go high level (even zlatan didn’t train his own kid once he got a certain age). The most important thing is to recognize when that moment comes or you’ll run the risk of turning him off from the game forever. Forget about the heading for now (give him something to look forward to and look to the old man later when he begins to think you’ve run out of tricks). Watch for the moment he begins to push back (I can’t tell you the number of kids I’ve seen who drop the sport because they can’t stand their parents involvement) and just enjoy the time together while it lasts.


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## Messi>CR7 (Dec 31, 2022)

Footyguy10 said:


> Sorry if there is a more relevant thread for this as  I know this one is more about the correct rule and the inappropriate parents, but I had a couple questions about teaching / allowing heading with Ulittles.
> 
> My 7yo DS loves to head the ball. I understand this isn’t allowed in games until an older age but when we are training together he is begging me to practice headers and will sometimes try to do at practices. I love that’s he’s fearless with it and I had previously taught him the correct technique but it leads me to 2 questions; 1) is it safe for him and 2) is heading in training but not being able to do in games going to hurt his development?
> 
> ...







IMHO there is nothing wrong with learning to head the ball from a short distance.


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## Footyguy10 (Jan 1, 2023)

toucan said:


> Heading the ball is relatively easy to learn, and should not be taught until your son is a little older, when you know it will be more safe.  A better plan for now would be to teach him how to control the ball out of the air with his chest, thighs and feet.  These skills are very important, but are often ignored by older players who default to heading balls out of the air because it is the only thing they know how to do.  Here is a drill my G2009 team frequently practices, though not at the same distances.


Good point about being able to control out of air with rest of body. I do notice my DS and his teammates sometimes being hesitant to do that. I will definitely add a modified version of this drill!


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## toucan (Jan 1, 2023)

Messi>CR7 said:


> IMHO there is nothing wrong with learning to head the ball from a short distance.


That video is great.  And nothing about those small headers looks unsafe to me.


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