Should Children Head the Ball in Soccer - Essay Example

Should children head the ball in soccer? Introduction Soccer is the one of the well-known games around the world withan enormous following in terms of both players and fanaticism with approximately one million professional players and over a billion fanatics. 74,738 people in attendance watched the last world soccer competitions in Rio de Janeiro at the Mariana stadium pitting Germany versus Argentina. Billions other followed globally through the television sets and online. It was only in the 2014 world cup that the FIFA became concerned about the potential risks posed as a result of head injuries (Stone, 2014). Why children should not head a ball Its crystal that shock to the head from sports like boxing, rugby, American football and ice hockey have caused long term brain injuries to the associated players. The latest game coming into the light about brain injuries sustained from head collisions is soccer. According to the Legendary Pele, Ball heading resulting from play is supposed to be done using the forehead with clenched fists. It can also be done using the tensed neck muscle and failure to that resulted in misdirected play and a greater impact on the brain. This is because a header caused one’s mind to shake in the skull. When it came to children they either failed to follow the necessary steps while heading or are not strong enough. Considering that they are still growing, their neck muscles even though tensed are not adequately strong to protect their skulls from absorption of the elevated G-force. Since their heads are big and wobble in proportion to the whole body than adults, the brain is likely to shake inside the skull on impact. In comparison to a 6-year-old non-developmentally ready to pass the ball, 12-year-old should not be allowed to head. Studies have also established that children take longer to heal mental children as compared to adults. They are also more susceptible to injuries because their skull is not well developed to sustain external forces (Cantu and Hayman, 2014). Since children aren’t able to decide and prepare how appropriately to head the ball, they are more susceptible to head injuries. Such injuries may be attributed to the inadequacy in strength to head, awareness in the best heading way or not well-coordinated to head. Furthermore, the neck muscles are not well developed to hold the head steadily and deal with the impact from heading. While watching a children’s game, it won’t take long notice that heading is useless. It’s always a result of guesswork and done randomly with closed eyes and the ball non-directional. The ball in most cases makes contact on the top or back of the back and bounces to an unknown place which is against to the fundamental law of the game (Fatsis, 2014). Early in 2012 the New York Times revealed the death of a footballer as a result of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Patrick Grang, a former college player, was the unfortunate victim. His parents confirmed he had started head balling as early as 3years old. Ways of reducing brain Injury risks in children Mary Abigail Wambach a professional soccer player and two-time Olympic medallist from the U.S.A with a very illustrious career has been at the forefront in raising the awareness of head related injuries. Her fight has been to attract more attention to the significance of understanding head stress and concussions in the game of soccer. She has partnered with Triax technologies to promote its head impact monitor system. Smart impact Monitor as its known is a Bluetooth gadget with a back head sensor which determines the impact of the crash by analyzing the G-force. The device records the result counts and level of severity that can then be used to getting proper examination and treatment (Isanti, 2014) Proper heading techniques and to specific age limit have been identified as means of reducing head injuries. The best age at which to implement teachings on purposeful footballing and leading skills and appropriate soccer ball characteristics have been identified as means of reducing head injury. Use of a smaller and user-friendly ball for children would also be a pro-active measure. Children below six years shouldn’t be involved in competitive football while a youth team should be matched by skills and age (Sneed, 2014). Expertise and level of education should also be in which each child should be disciplined by knowing and applying rules related to prevention of injuries and proper application of basic footballing skills without involving the head. Appropriate conditioning schedule with a proper diet also goes along in promoting children muscle power and strength. The use of protective gear including helmets will go along in promoting child safety and reducing head injury levels. The masks used should meet the safety standards as well as inspected by a physician (Koutures and Gregory, 2010). All children willing to play football should obtain a pre-participation physical evaluation (P.P.E) as a means of establishing children who have a higher potential of sustaining head injuries. The P.P.E should be by a qualified medical physician and a clearance document obtained. The P.P.E serves as a way of determining other pre-disposing factors that might make football a dangerous game to a child (Mdch.state.mi.us, 2014). Conclusion In conclusion, we could say that it’s harmful to children to head the ball in soccer. This is because researchers have found the ball heading in children leads to neurodegenerative problems such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy which leads to mental problems later on in life. Its further recommended that children below the age of 10 should head or play tackle football. Children naturally have bigger heads with poorly developed neck muscles that are weak. This makes the head unable to handle the resulting impact as a result of heading the ball. Since there is no relevant evidence linking ball heading to any catastrophic brain injury, we can only use preventive means. The essence of this study report aims at increasing protection for children rather than banning active participation in the sport. This can be achieved by setting up rules, regulations and procedures to protect them. Reference List Cantu, R. C., and Hyman, M. (2012).Concussions and our kids: Americas leading expert on how to protect young athletes and keep sports safe. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Fatsis, S. (2014). Kids dont use your heads. Slate, [online] p.1. Available at: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/02/soccer_headers_and_children_why_kids_shouldn_t_be_allowed_to_hit_the_ball.html [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014]. Koutures, C. and Gregory, A. (2010).Injuries in Youth Soccer. PEDIATRICS, 125(2), pp.410-414.Mdch.state.mi.us, (2014). Football Injury Prevention. [Online] Available at: http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/vipf2/football.htm [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014]. Stone, P. (2014). Brain Injured Soccer Players Are At Higher Risk for Other Injuries. [Online] Traumaticbraininjury.net. Available at: [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014]. Read More