Question

Although the injuries tend to be less severe, heading a soccer ball carries many of the same dangers as getting hit by a blocker or tackler in a football game. Indeed, heading is now forbidden in many youth leagues. In a very simple model, calculate the impulse given to the skull and its average acceleration when struck by a soccer ball. Assume that a headed soccer ball undergoes an elastic collision lasting 0.7 ms in which it reverses direction. Consider two different heading techniques: (i) where the head effectively recoils on its own, independent of the body (ii) the head and body recoil together. Do calculations for both youth players and for adults.

                                                Youth              Adult

Soccer ball mass (kg)             0.375               0.425

Speed of kicked ball (m/s)      20                    35

Mass of skull (kg)                   3                      5

Mass of entire body (kg)        30                    60

Answer 1