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Click here to see the video: Soccer Defense: Clearing with the Head

Jonathan Bornstein: During the run of play, you will find yourself clearing the ball with your head very often. Therefore it is an important skill to master. Some important factors of clearing the ball with your head are to make sure to use your forehead and not the top of your head, because you may give yourself a headache if you hit the ball with the top of your head. Another is to keep your stomach tight so when you cock back and hit the ball, you get enough power to get the ball out rather than keeping it in this area, where everyone is jumbled up. And, lastly, another big thing is timing. Obviously, you want to get the ball when it hits your forehead. You don't want miss it, otherwise you'll look a little goofy and other than that, you know, you want to get the ball out as far as possible.

You want to get under the ball and clear it out, like that. Make sure you get your stomach in it and you want to clear it high and away. There you go.

As you can see from the demonstration of defensive clearing the ball with your head, some key concepts are, I use my forehead, not the top of my head, because I want to avoid injury, and also I use my stomach to get the ball out. Most people don't think that clearing the ball with your head involves your stomach, but it does because that is where you generate all your power from and you know you get to cock back and come forward and get the ball out as far as possible.