Heading
The skill of directing the ball with the head to pass, clear or attempt to score.
Overview
Heading is playing the ball with the head, used in football to win aerial balls, clear danger, pass to a teammate or attempt to score. Timing the jump and meeting the ball cleanly are what make it effective.
It is a distinctive skill because contact is made with the head rather than the feet, so judging the flight of the ball and being balanced in the air matter a great deal.
Key points
- Judging the ball’s flight and timing the jump is the key to meeting it cleanly.
- Making contact with the forehead gives the most control and direction.
- Attacking headers are often aimed downward toward goal.
- Defensive headers usually aim for height and distance to clear danger.
- Set-pieces such as corners and free kicks are common heading situations.
Where it’s used
Sports that use heading:
Related skills
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Heading in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
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Skills Academy
- Ball-sport skillsThe skills that recur across ball games — control, passing, dribbling, shooting and defending.
- Coordination & timing skillsSkills that depend on doing the right thing at the right instant — jumping, spiking, heading and rebounding.
- Object-control skillsHandling a ball or implement — controlling, receiving, passing and moving it with intent.
- Endurance-sport skillsThe skills of going the distance — pacing, breathing and efficient technique in running, cycling and swimming.
- Team-play skillsThe skills that make a team work — combining, covering and communicating through the ball.
Player roles
- Target playerA target player is a focal attacker who receives, holds up and links play for others, often physically strong and good in the air or with the hands.
- PlaymakerThe playmaker is a team's creative hub — the player who orchestrates attacks, controls the tempo and distributes the ball so teammates can score.
Movement patterns
- StrikeA ballistic, whole-body hitting action that channels ground-generated force through a proximal-to-distal kinetic chain to deliver momentum to a target via the hand, an implement or a body part at the moment of contact.
- JumpThe plyometric pattern of projecting the body off the ground through explosive triple extension and controlling the landing — the core expression of lower-body power.
Techniques
- HeaderA technique for controlling or striking the ball with the forehead in football, used to pass, shoot or clear the ball in the air.
- Inside-of-the-Foot PassThe most reliable short pass in football, played with the inside surface of the foot for accuracy over a short to medium distance.
- Volleyball SetAn overhead pass using the fingertips of both hands to place the ball accurately for a teammate to attack.
- Topspin ForehandA forehand groundstroke hit with a low-to-high swing that puts forward spin on the ball so it dips and kicks up on landing.
- Badminton ClearAn overhead stroke that sends the shuttlecock high and deep to the opponent's back court, resetting the rally or buying time.
Positions
- Centre-backA centre-back is a central defender in football whose main job is to stop opposing attackers and clear the ball from dangerous areas.
- StrikerA striker is the main attacking player in football, positioned furthest forward with the primary job of scoring goals.
- Point guardThe point guard is basketball’s primary ball-handler and playmaker, running the offence and setting up teammates to score.
- GoalkeeperThe goalkeeper is the last line of defence in football and the only player allowed to handle the ball inside their own penalty area.
How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Skill
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-07-09
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