Heading - Which balls to purchase for youth league ?

[Kevin Morooney]

I have been asked by a friend to pose the following questions. He
has been asked to purchase new soccer balls for a
local youth league. At the end of last season, a parent raised
the concern/issue of heading and ball weight, etc. and asked if
any studies had been done. He would like to take into consideration
any studies about heading and injury and also use that information
to help guide his purchase. Can someone point me to sources of
information about such things ?

Thanks.

Kevin Morooney
k...@cac.psu.edu
(814) 865-0830

[Mike Gauder]

In article <94081.1...@psuvm.psu.edu>, Kevin Morooney
<K...@psuvm.psu.edu> wrote:

Kevin,

There were postings several months ago on this newsgroup regarding
brain damage resulting from heading. If I'm not mistaken, the study was
conducted on a small sample of professional players. I'm not certain the
results of the study were conclusive, but they were interesting. The
merits and validity of the study was argued for a couple of weeks on the
newsgroup. My recommendation is to purchase stitched balls of the
appropriate size rather than molded balls. It has been my experience that
molded balls are harder than the stitched balls, particularly when the
weather is cold. Furthermore, the panels on the molded balls tend to
separate from the bladder after moderate use and could cause slight
abrasions from the edges contacting the skin. Stitched balls tend not to
be as hard as molded balls, assuming that the balls are inflated to the
pressure indicated on the ball (usually 7-9 psi), so the kids tend to
prefer using the stitched ball. The weights of the two types of balls are
comparable; however, stitched balls (particularly real leather) _may_
become water-soaked and therefore somewhat heavier if used under extremely
wet conditions. Price-wise, the cost of the two types are comparable, but
stitched balls may cost a few dollars more depending on quality. The key
to minimizing injury is proper training. It is important that every coach
understand and teach proper heading techniques. These techniques can be
found in any _good_ soccer coaching book. By the way, our USYSA state
association (Ohio South) recommends the use of stitched balls. I hope this
helps.

Regards,

Mike Gauder
--
mga...@mbvlab.wpafb.af.mil
(513)255-1115 voice
(513)476-4414 fax