Quantification of heading in adult football: a systematic review and evidence synthesis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

This study aims to evaluate the quantification of heading in adult football (soccer) across practice, game and laboratory settings. Additionally, it examines how variables such as technical categorisation, ball properties, gender, position, level and type of play influence acceleration, force, nature and frequency of heading.

Design

A systematic review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Protocols guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021249268).

Data sources

MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and ProQuest.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies

Studies published in English between 2000 and 2024 that quantified subjective and/or objective measu

SUBMITTER: Alexander J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12772600 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature