Win the aerial duel and use it. Time the jump, use the body to protect the space, attack the ball at its highest point, and head it with purpose, down to a teammate or clear to safety.
A server launches long balls into a contested midfield zone; two players duel for each one. The winner either heads it down to a supporting player or heads it clear, depending on which team wins it. Time the jump, use the body to hold position, and attack the ball at the top of the jump. Add a supporting player for the knockdown and rotate. Heading loads: no deliberate heading at U11 and under, and at U12-U13 keep it to roughly 15-20 headers in a session and under 30 minutes of heading a week, using a correctly sized and properly inflated ball (US Soccer and FA guidance).
A target man winning a header is not trying to score with it. His job is to convert an aerial ball into possession for somebody else, which means the quality of the knockdown matters more than the height of the jump. That distinction changes how the whole exercise should be judged: a duel won with a header that goes nowhere useful is a duel wasted.
The knockdown has three destinations and they are not equal. Headed down into the path of a supporting runner, it turns a long ball into controlled possession in the opposition half. Flicked on beyond the defence, it becomes a chance if a runner has anticipated it. Headed straight up, it becomes a second contest against defenders who are already set, which is the outcome to coach out.
Support is what makes the whole pattern work and it is usually the missing piece. A target man with nobody within fifteen yards is heading the ball into space, and the team has traded a long ball for a fifty-fifty. Two runners, one short and one beyond, mean any decent contact finds somebody.
Protecting the space is the physical half. Backing into the defender, arm out for balance, taking off from one foot, keeps the opponent from climbing and gets the contact clean. A target man who is nudged in the back at the moment of contact will head it anywhere.
A useful coaching cue is to call the destination before the ball arrives, so the header becomes a pass rather than a reflex.
Save it to your private drills, then change the animation, adjust positions, swap equipment, or drop it into a session block. Or start from a blank pitch and build your own.