Head It Out

Teach defenders to clear crosses with the head: attack the ball, contact with the forehead, and send it high, long, and wide. Keep headers limited in number and always from a proper serve.

A 30x30 yard box. Two servers on the sidelines with balls. Two 5-yard target gates on the far corners of the box. Defenders in pairs in the middle; an attacker joins for the final stage. Keep total headers to 15 per player.

1. Stage 1: server throws underhand from 8 yards; defender steps in and heads to the far target gate. Five each.
2. Stage 2: server chips a lofted ball from 15 yards on the sideline; defender times a jump and clears toward the far gate. Five each.
3. Stage 3: an attacker stands in front of the defender; the defender must get in front and clear first. Five each.
4. Score 2 points for a header that lands in a target gate, 1 for one that clears the box.
5. Finish with a 2-minute neck-and-shoulder stretch.

• Attack the ball; don't let it hit you.
• Forehead, eyes open, mouth closed.
• Arch the back and snap through the ball for distance.
• Head it to the side you came from: high and wide.

• Defenders wait under the ball and head it straight up; step into the flight and meet it in front of the body.
• Contact on the top of the head sends it backward; chin up, forehead through the ball.
• Coaches run the drill for 20 minutes with unlimited headers; cap the reps and finish the session early if needed.

• Add a keeper and a goal behind the defenders so a poor header is punished.
• Attacker becomes live and tries to score from the serve.
• Serve from a corner-kick position.

• Use a lighter ball for the first stages.
• Defender heads from a standing position, no jump.
• Increase the target gate size.

• Maximum 15 headers per player per session.
• No headers from full-power kicks.