What Is Headbanging, Anyway? (It’s Never Too Late to Ask!)
Do you all know about headbanging?
Headbanging is when you shake your head to the music.
It’s a sight you often see with intense songs.
This time, I’d like to explain headbanging, which is surprisingly varied and interesting.
What is headbanging?
There are many people in this video nodding their heads up and down.
This is what headbanging is!
Headbanging is often abbreviated as “hedoban.”
Banging refers to “continuously pounding out an intense beat,” and headbanging is like a form of resonance between the performers and the audience.
Crystal clear at a glance! There are differences in headbanging, too.
It’s most commonly seen in bands from rock, metal, hardcore, and visual kei.
And we sometimes call fans of bands that often play at rock festivals 'live kids.'
We also sometimes refer to fans of visual kei bands as “bangya.”
There’s a slight difference between the headbanging of people known as live kids and those known as bangya.
Headbanging by live-music kids
I think this is the kind of headbanging you often see at festivals and shows for rock, metal, and hardcore bands.
I go to festivals a lot too, so I often see this kind of headbanging here.
Everyone is bouncing up and down to the music.
Headbanging by a V-kei fangirl
I think this is the kind of headbanging you see at lives that people who often go to visual kei band shows are familiar with.
While livehouse kids headbang by nodding their heads up and down, bangya’s headbanging is characterized by moving their heads in a figure-eight motion.
Since hair swings around wildly, after visual kei band concerts you often find a lot of hair scattered on the floor (lol).
As you can see at a glance, headbanging differs depending on the band’s genre!
Rolling headbang
Among the types of headbanging done by both live-concert kids and bangya (hardcore band fans), there is one where you spin while headbanging.
This is called a rolling headbang.
It seems to be done during intense songs.
Foldable headbanging
https://youtu.be/FaZ7h6XxTf4?t=2m14s
Starting around 2 minutes and 15 seconds, they're doing a headbanging move known as the 'fold' (or 'folding').
A distinctive feature is that it bends at the waist through the act of folding, like a flip phone.
This is headbanging that’s done by both live-show kids and bangyas.
You often see it at live shows by rock, metal, and hardcore bands.
Pretty scary! The health risks of headbanging
たぶんヘドバンしてると思うけど、へドバンは健康に良くないってヨシキさんが言ってたぞ（՞ټ՞☝ pic.twitter.com/KTSrQf8tY7
— Jiko (@ziconono)July 1, 2017
One month after a heavy metal fan engaged in intense headbanging at a Motörhead concert, it was discovered that they had suffered a brain hemorrhage.
TranslationHeavy metal music fan suffers brain hemorrhage from headbanging at a live concert – Livedoor News
If you overdo headbanging, it can lead to brain disorders and injuries, and it may also cause conditions other than brain-related ones, such as cervical disc herniation and neurocirculatory asthenia.
To prevent that from happening, the first and most important thing is to absolutely not push yourself.
Additionally, it seems that doing neck stretches or warming up your neck before the show, and relaxing as much as possible when headbanging, can help reduce the strain on your body a bit.
By the way, long hair is better suited for headbanging.
Compared to short hair, longer hair moves more, so even a slight shake of the head makes it easier to express intensity.
Lastly
Headbanging isdiveand/or; such as; or (used to list examples)moshUnlike that, although the likelihood of injuring others or damaging property is not that high, the risk of harm to your own health increases.
At festivals and live shows—those extraordinary spaces—you get excited and feel more open, but it’s best to be careful not to overdo it so you can enjoy the music to the fullest!