Coaches Put Heads Together to Form New Kind of Band

Two veteran coaches from different walks of life were having a couple of beers after work.

The soccer coach voiced worries about studies that claimed heading a ball could cause brain damage. The basketball coach asked why soccer players don’t wear protective headbands.

That conversation four years ago culminated last December with UC Irvine soccer Coach Marine Cano and former Long Beach State and UC Irvine men’s basketball assistant Maz Trakh obtaining a patent for the 4HED protective headband for soccer players.

They claim that the impact-cushioning device, made of lightweight spandex, nylon and neoprene, provides an added measure of safety and increases confidence because it lessens the chances of making painful mistakes when heading.

“Most kids learning to head don’t make contact with the ball in the right way on the forehead,” Cano said. “This device gives kids confidence because it takes the sting away. It also reminds them where they should make contact with the ball.”

The idea came on a lark as the two men sat in an Irvine bar. Cano drew the original design on a napkin and Trakh did the footwork. He bought a small piece of neoprene and cut it into pieces fastened by Velcro. The next time the two met on a rainy night in 1997, Cano couldn’t wait to test the prototype.

“We went out to his car in the parking lot and got a soccer ball and started bouncing it off our heads in the rain,” Trakh said.

It took $25,000, borrowed from three of Trakh’s college buddies, to fund the first lot. The first customer was UC Irvine, which bought several dozen for its women’s team.

Sacramento State recently purchased some of the items, as well, and will use then when fall practice begins next week. Trakh plans to spend the next year marketing the items full-time.

Do they work? Dr. Shelly Jordan, an associate professor of clinical neurology at UCLA and a member of the medical committee for USA Soccer, said that headbands like 4HED have the potential to reduce dangers associated with heading a ball.

“I think this headband is probably useful in reducing the pain associated with headers and it may cut down on headaches,” Jordan said. “There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be a thing that players use in a game or in practice.”

But Jordan, who is also a youth soccer coach, says that because headbands have never been accepted attire in soccer, the 4HED will have to overcome what he calls “the geek factor” to be successful. He says that most youth players will only wear them if told to do so.

“In this case, it’s not a bad-looking product, but [players] just won’t wear them unless they’re in a group setting [with other players who are wearing them]. It’s like mouthpieces. We’ve done studies that show they cut down on chipped teeth, but unless there is a rule that says you must use them, [kids] won’t use them.”

But some players say they do intend to use the 4HED band as part of their soccer uniforms.

UC Irvine forward Brittny Zimmerman suffered three concussions and was hospitalized after being knocked unconscious when she hit her head against an opponent’s during a game at Utah State last season.

“I plan to wear it in practice and games,” she said. “It will help me get rid of my timidness and protect me from another concussion.”

At a youth camp in Aliso Viejo a couple of weeks ago, about 50 boys and girls ages 6-11 gave the bands a try.

“They are really cool,” said Somer Sullivan, 10, of Laguna Hills. “They make it so it doesn’t hurt. I’m going to wear it in games, too.”

Trakh says he is surprised someone didn’t come up with the idea before.

“As long as this game has been around, as many people that have watched soccer games being played, it’s kind of funny that no one thought of it,” he said.

FORMER EAGLE SOARS

Derek Patterson, formerly of Concordia, is hitting .287 for the Sonoma County Crushers of the Western Baseball League. He debuted with the club on July 2 and got three hits in four at-bats.

“It’s fun. I’m having a good time,” Patterson said. “I was told by quite a few [major league] scouts that they were going to sign me during the draft, but when that didn’t happen, it was really disappointing. Some people told me to wait and not sign with an independent league because I might get picked up, but I didn’t want to wait.”

Patterson has six doubles, two home runs and seven stolen bases in 24 games with the Crushers.

Patterson was the 2000 Golden State Athletic Conference player of the year when he hit .392 and broke more than a dozen school records.