How to Get a Strong Header in Soccer

You may know how to head the ball, but without the pop and crackle that a soccer standout such as Wayne Rooney or Abby Wambach brings in front of the net. Going to the next level requires you to take command of this soccer skill. Drills can help you develop a strong header while you build on-field chemistry with your teammates.

Things You'll Need

  • Practice cones
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Instructions

    • 1

      Work to improve your technique by spreading your arms for balance when you jump for a header, but don’t raise them too high. You don’t want to risk touching the ball with your hand or arm accidentally. Jump to head the ball when possible to add momentum to your shot and allow you to reach a high ball before your opponents. If you must head the ball flat-footed, lean back, then move toward the ball as it approaches. Push forward off the turf to add power to your effort.

    • 2

      Set up a drill with two teams of two players each within a 10-yard square area, advises coach Alan Hargreaves in “Skills & Strategies for Coaching Soccer.” Place cones 5 yards apart on opposite ends of the square to serve as goalposts. Begin the drill with two players defending their goal and the other two trying to score. Have a player in a corner throw a ball to his teammate, who tries to head the ball between the opposition’s cones. When you head the ball, tighten your neck and shoulder muscles, move forward toward the ball and strike it with your forehead.

    • 3

      Perform a heading drill in which one player stands at the side of the net and throws the ball into the penalty area in front of the goal. Line up a group of attackers, each of whom advances in turn from the penalty mark and heads the ball into the net, past a goalkeeper. Attackers should time their approaches to put the maximum possible momentum into the strike, and should contact the ball at or just above its center line. As the drill progresses the passer can vary the speed, height and angle of the throw. You can also add a defender to make scoring more difficult.

    • 4

      Practice offensive and defensive headers by doing a “clear or score” drill. Have two outer players face each other, approximately 10 yards apart. Have a third player stand in the middle. Position two cones about 5 yards apart, so a line drawn between the cones is perpendicular to a line drawn between the outer players. Have one outer player toss the ball to the other. The receiver can either head the ball downward between the cones -- in which case the middle player acts as a goalkeeper -- or the receiver can practice a defensive header by heading the ball over the middle player, as if he were clearing a ball from in front of the net.