Left or right ‘headed’ - Is it a thing?

JohnnyJoeyDeeDee

It’s a quiet day and I got to thinking about when I head a football. I am right footed and when I head a ball I get far more power  behind it (not quite Tees or Leaburn senior) when I move my head from right to left to make contact than when I have to move my head from left to right. Do left footed players have the reverse? Is there any science or physiology behind this? Is anyone other than me bothered?

MuttleyCAFC

That is a good question. I think I favoured heading on my right side when I played. I never really thought of it in the same way as kicking a ball.

Talal

Thinking about it I favoured heading to the left and I'm left footed. Though I'm also right handed which puts me in the odd camp, I think!

Edit, put it the wrong way round 🤦

superclive98

If you are heading from left to right or right to left then you are doing it wrong.

Chizz

I think this is one for Zaphod Beeblebrox

paulsturgess

I’m right footed and would say right headed (L t R movement) 🤷🏼‍♂️😂

JohnnyJoeyDeeDee

superclive98 said:

If you are heading from left to right or right to left then you are doing it wrong.

Not sure Exeter’s scorer on Saturday would agree with you……

Hal1x

apparantly my dog is left brained.

Talal

superclive98 said:

If you are heading from left to right or right to left then you are doing it wrong.

Heading to the left I should've put. 

MrOneLung

If i was directly facing a ball coming towards me, and had to head it left or right, I deffo feel more comfortable heading to me left

For reference I am left handed but right footed

Talal

MrOneLung said:

If i was directly facing a ball coming towards me, and had to head it left or right, I deffo feel more comfortable heading to me left

For reference I am left handed but right footed

Odd but not quite as much apparently.. 

guinnessaddick

Talal said:

MrOneLung said:

If i was directly facing a ball coming towards me, and had to head it left or right, I deffo feel more comfortable heading to me left

For reference I am left handed but right footed

Odd but not quite as much apparently.. 

I’m right handed & left footed, my brother is left handed & right footed.

Doesn’t your brain control the opposite side of your body?

Bedsaddick

It’s completely random if you Macualy Gillesphey as his head is 50 pence piece shaped. 

Stig

Right handed, right footed, right all the time (if only other people would recognise that 😉).

guinnessaddick

Stig said:

Right handed, right footed, right all the time (if only other people would recognise that 😉).

I take Mrs Stig isn’t about.

letthegoodtimesroll

Just talking about left and right seems to be summing up why the heading these days is so crap. You should meet the oncoming ball centrally with your forehead and with direction, not the left or right side of your head and definitely not, as seems to be the method of choice during our games, the top of your head and never, ever, letting it bounce off your head.

JohnnyJoeyDeeDee

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Just talking about left and right seems to be summing up why the heading these days is so crap. You should meet the oncoming ball centrally with your forehead and with direction, not the left or right side of your head and definitely not, as seems to be the method of choice during our games, the top of your head and never, ever, letting it bounce off your head.

My question relates to the the power in the header that comes from the direction you move your head, not the part of the head that makes contact. Sometime you can meet the ball ‘head on’, but not always. See the  Exeter goal last Saturday a powerful flick with the head moving from right to left.

clive

Hal1x said:

apparantly my dog is left brained.

I asked my neighbours dog, he thought i was 'barking'.

CatAddick

Interesting question.  Thinking back to my short, but illustrious, career as a striker in Sunday League Div 12+; I scored far more headed goals from corners on the right than the left ie heading towards the left,  Whether that is because we took more from that side or those were more memorable strikes I don't know but for me it does feel a more natural head movement (right footed and handed)

letthegoodtimesroll

CatAddick said:

Interesting question.  Thinking back to my short, but illustrious, career as a striker in Sunday League Div 12+; I scored far more headed goals from corners on the right than the left ie heading towards the left,  Whether that is because we took more from that side or those were more memorable strikes I don't know but for me it does feel a more natural head movement (right footed and handed)

Or perhaps your team was limited with players that could take a corner with their right foot but did have someone that could, once in a blue moon, take one with their left foot ?

Ben18

I used to get rinsed by my teammates for suggesting I was 'left headed', but could definitely time it better off that side.

Glad there's someone else out there.

Off_it

guinnessaddick said:

Stig said:

Right handed, right footed, right all the time (if only other people would recognise that 😉).

I take Mrs Stig isn’t about.

No .... she's left! 

LenGlover

Write right handed but play sports left handed (apart from batting at cricket and holding a golf club) and kick left footed.

Being the age I am I strongly think I was forced to write right handed as there used to be a stigma towards writing left handed back then.

Heading was never my footballing forte so no idea regarding preferred heading method now.