Purpose: To train central defenders to head clearances out of their box.

Procedure: Three defenders line up along the top of the box. Crossers 1 and 2 play wide at the flanks and are served balls to cross into the box for defenders to clear. Servers 1 and 2 are midfield players about 30 yards from goal. This is a continuous exercise that begins with a midfield server playing a ball to the opposite crosser. The crosser dribbles and crosses the ball from various positions along the flank. Defenders head the ball out toward the midfield servers. As soon as a server receives the header, he or she serves the opposite crosser, and the exercise continues. The coach may begin without attacking opposition and add one or both as the exercise develops.

Coaching Points: If a ball is mishandled or the header heads a ball the midfielder can't get, the goalkeeper immediately throws a ball to one of the midfielders, and the exercise procceds continuously. This ensures many repetitions at defensive heading by the central defenders.

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