From: mattb@ctron.com (Matt Brown)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer
Subject: Re: Heading: Dain Bramage?? (in youth soccer)
Date: 31 Aug 92 19:30:07 GMT
Reply-To: mattb@olympus.ctron.com (Matt Brown)
Distribution: rec.sport.soccer
Organization: Cabletron Systems INc.

In article <BtLp4u.3D6@hsi.com> mallon@hsi.com (Dan Mallon-Kraft) writes:
>cbar26@vaxa.strath.ac.uk writes:
>(Michael Patrick Monan) writes:
><> 	Meanwhile, heading is taught throughout youth soccer, from team 
><> practices to the cover story in this month's Sports Illustrated for Kids.
><> 	I have a radical suggestion: Until more studies are done, let's
><> eliminate heading in youth soccer.
><
><You cannot have proper football without heading, it is an integral
><and valuable part of the game.
>
>Yup.  If heading was removed from the game (hypothetically of course), the
>keepers would have even more of an advantage on high balls into the penalty
>area.

Let's just have the players wear helmets.

Now that you've wiped the remnants of your morning beverage off the screen,
I'll be more serious. It seems pretty unlikely to me that heading would
cause significant damage, although perhaps a measurable difference could
be factual. I really wonder how scientifically controlled these observations
are.

While the helmet thing was a joke, some one could design a moderately padded
headband for youth players if there is any truth to this.  This small pad
would cushion the blow enough to prevent damage.

In our Youth Soccer League, we do not teach heading in U8 or U10. If a player
attempts to head the ball, the coach will demonstrate the proper technique,
primarily to prevent injury.  There is no penalty if a player does head the
ball in a game.

Other modifications are: no slide tackles, no direct kicks, retrys on improper
throwins, keeper steps not called (ref may stop game for instructional
purposes), no offsides, and liberal substitions.  These are 6v6 games on
a reduced field with 10w x 6h goals. These are primarily recreational/in-
structional teams rather than highly competitive teams.  We aim to teach
skills and love of soccer, not "winning is the only thing"

These modifications are made for the safety of young players, and to keep
the game simple(r) for volunteer, unlicensed referees. (licensed refs cost
$35 US per game, and we have 32 teams, or $1120 a week, which would double
the player fee at least).

I am mentioning this because I would like to hear from other folks involved
in youth soccer programs in the US and around the world about how leagues
are run and what mods to the rules are used.

One that I have seen a problem with is the use of indirect kicks in U8. Now, we
don't allow direct kicks with the younger players for 2 reasons:
1) prevent injuries to inexperienced keepers (best kicker vs goalie of the
   moment; we sub goalies so that all players get at least one chance to 
   play in a season).
2) Lessen pressure on kids playing goal.  Even in a non-competitive league,
   kids feel pressure in goal. Directs would make that worse.

However, when a foul is called <10 yards from a defending goal, we still
get kids booming the ball at the goal (trying for a lucky bounce off a
defender or keeper), and thereafter other kids on the defending team 
(uncoached at it) forming a wall. I have had several of my kids take shots
off the face in these situations, and I think it is at least as unsafe
as directs.  What to do?

I don't think telling the kids and keeper to stand clear works, because a 
pass will beat them.  Having the keeper alone face the shot puts the 
pressure back on, and with the U8 skill level, it is likely he/she will
get a piece of the ball, resulting in a goal. The rule clearly states that
the ball has to touch _any_ additional player before going in, so coaching
your player to pass off (which I do) is an artificial limitation (done at
higher levels because the chance of an accidental deflect is less; at this
level of play, a deflect-in looms as a major possibility, much more so than 
scoring off a corner, for example).

What we ended up doing was ruling that no indirect kick can be taken closer 
than 10 yards to the goal.  Remember, we are playing on fields with no marked
Penalty area, reduced size (30y x 40y), so players usually only back off
indirects and goal kicks by about 5-6 yards. This change at least helps
protect the keeper. So on a close in foul, we place the ball back 10 yards
from the goal for the indirect.

Any suggestions about a better way?

Flame our rules if you must.  Most of them are the suggested mods to FIFA
rules from the US youth soccer organizations. Our older divisions add
Full FIFA rules (except tackling), and the travel teams play full FIFA.

Matt
Registrar & coach of the Seahawks (U10 Boys) 
Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer