Australian Rules Football

1. Australian Rules Football HPEC Conference May 6, 2011 Presented by: Ash Diek – diek.a@pcsmonarch.com An Introduction to the Game

2. Session Overview • PART A. Basic Rules/Skills (30 mins) • PART B. Practical Drills and Modified Games Session (45 mins)

3. The Australian Football League (AFL) • Elite competition and the most popular sporting league in Australia. • Season starts – late March Season ends – in September with the finals. • Season culminates in the Grand Final at the MCG, when the top two teams compete for the premiership.

4. What is Australian Rules Football or Aussie Rules (Footy) • Fast, exciting and athletic sport – • If you are a newcomer, it can be hard to follow exactly what is happening. • With a little basic information, it’s easy to pick up. • Here’s a quick guide to the rules, skills and positions on a typical Australian Football field.

5. Overview • The Basics • The playing field • The ball • Positions • Skills • The kick • The mark • The handball • The bounce • The tackle • Goal scoring • Rules

6. The Basics • Game Length: • 4 quarters of 20 minutes (plus stop time) • Game begins: • Bounce at centre. • Players try to move ball towards their goals by: • hand passing • or kicking it • Objective of the game: • kick the most goals. • team with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

7. The Playing Field • Oval in shape • Varies in width and length • Between 135 and 180 meters in length, and a width of 110 to 155  meters. • Centre circle • Goal square • 50m line • Goal Posts (4 on each side)

8. The Ball • Made of leather • Oval shaped • Shape allows for different types of kicks

9. There are 22 players on each team • 18 players are permitted on the playing field at any time. • The four other players are on the interchange bench. • The 18 players on the field are divided into three groups: • forwards, • Midfielders • defenders.

10. Positions • Forwards • The main forwards are the full-forward and centre half-forward. • Midfielders • The key players in the midfield are the ruckman, centreman and rover. • Defenders • There are typically six defenders in each team. The key defenders are the full-back and centre half-back.

11. Skills, Rules and Tactics • The kick • The mark • The handball • The tackle • Goal scoring

12. Kicking • Kicking is the most important skill in Australian Football. Only goals can be scored from the kick. • Types of kicks include: • The drop punt • (most preferred kick) • Torpedo • Banana kick • Snap shot Kicking is the most important part of Australian Football

13. Marking • Marking is the Australian Football term for catching the ball on the full when kicked. • One of the most spectacular features of Australian Football. • Types of Marks: • Overhead • Chest (hugging it to your body) • Hand mark

14. Handball • The Handball is an important part of Australian Football, and is a great way of getting out of a tight situation or launching an attack. • To handball: • the ball is held in the palm of one hand and hit with a clenched fist by the other on the crossroads of the ball. • Types of Handballs include: • Rocket • Bounce • Floater

15. Bouncing • Bouncing the ball has become an important skill in recent years to break open the game and create space. • Players must bounce the ball every 15 meters while running with it. • Difficult skill – why?

16. Tackling • Tackling is an essential skill. • Players tackle when an opponent has the ball. • The best tacklers focus on the hips of their opponent and stay low to ensure that the tackle is made at the correct height (around the waist).

17. How to Score points? • There are two ways of scoring points: • by either a goal • or a behind. Kicking for goal: demonstrating perfect kicking technique

18. Scoring a Goal (6 points) • Worth six points and is scored when the ball is kicked between the two goal posts (the taller ones!). • The ball has to go over the line on the full and can’t be touched by any other player. Goals (2 middle posts)

19. Scoring a Behind (1 point) • A behind is worth one point and is scored in several ways. • It can be scored if the ball touches the goal post; • the ball passes over the line between the goal post and the smaller behind posts • it is touched by a player before it crosses over the line, • or is carried over the line by a defending player. Behind posts (outside 2 posts)

20. The game is controlled by field umpires, who run the game and award free kicks. • The most common free kicks umpires pay during a match include: • Holding the ball • Push in the back • High contact • Out of bounds on the full The umpire signals a free kick against the player

21. Resources Available in Canada: BigGrab Sports: North America's Official Supplier of AFL Footy Gear

22. Lesson Plans Available Online… • Aussie Rules UK – allows you to download pdf lessons. - An Excellent resource for all ages… • United States Australian Football League – allows you to download pdf files (scroll to the bottom of this page)

23. Sources • "AFL." AFL - the official site of the Australian Football League. Bigpond, 3 May 2011. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.afl.com.au>. • "AFL Canada." Official Website of AFL Canada. SportingPulse, n.d. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-7259-0-0-0>. • BigGrab Sports: North America. BigGrab Sports Inc., 2011. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.biggrabsports.com/>.

24. Sources • "Introduction: Quick guide to Australian Football." ARI. Aussie Rules International, 2011. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.aussierulesinternational.com/home/game/guide/intro>. • "Learn AFL." AFL - the official site of the Australian Football League. Bigpond, n.d. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.afl.com.au/learn%20afl/tabid/13531/default.aspx>.

25. Sources • "Lesson Plans." Aussie Rules UK. Aussie Rules UK, 2010. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.aussierulesuk.com/schools/teachers/lessons>. • "Lesson Plans." United States Australian Football League. United States Australian Football League, Inc., 2010. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://new.usfooty.com/usfootykids-plans>.