Aerial Battles Curriculum

Obj: Heading duels within the guidelines — timing, technique, and courage in the air, dosed by age and counted per player (7.2's heading strand, 4.x's rep caps honored in structure). Field: 20×20yd stations. Equip: Soft balls (U13 intro), match balls (U14+), cones, bibs, rep-count cards. Org: Progressive stations with COUNTED reps (each player's aerial card marks totals — the cap is administrative, visible, non-negotiable, 14.7's welfare culture): (1) technique solo (jump timing, neck-set, contact at the forehead's plate, land balanced); (2) uncontested serves (attack the ball's highest reachable point — "highest point" as the mantra); (3) shadow-contested (partner jumps beside, no contact — spatial timing); (4) live duels (U14+ only, capped): position-first bodywork, arms legal, eyes open through contact. Defensive headers (high, wide, long — E-15's law) and attacking headers (down, across — G-17's) taught as different skills. CP: (1) Timing beats height: the early jumper owns the air; (2) contact at the FOREHEAD with the neck firm — the ball is struck, not endured; (3) win position before the flight arrives (E-21's early-decision law, airborne). Prog: Serves vary (driven, floated, in-swinging); position-specific contexts (CB clearances vs. 9's flick-ons vs. box attacks). Reg: Soft balls at any age when technique rebuilds; volume halved on request, always. Mist: P: closing eyes at contact (the technique-collapse tell — return to station 2); C: EVER exceeding the age-band caps for a "big game" (the card is the law; no match justifies it). Time: 12 min, frequency per age-band guidelines. Out: Aerial technique with counted, compliant volume; duel-timing improving within safe dosage. Var: GK-claim integration (I-07's crowd-claiming vs. our own aerial attackers). Diag: Four stations left to right with rep-count cards, jump-timing arc arrows, forehead-contact icon, live-duel positioning battle at station 4 marked "U14+, capped."