How To Kick A Ball

1. How To Kick A Ball Key Points: Ground Kicks (Some also apply for Punt Kicks) Place the ball to expose the “sweet spot” e.g. The ‘O’ of O’Neills Before moving back stand over the ball in the kicking position – kicking foot over the ball and support off to side Move back to a comfortable position and the sideways to a position that suits you Relax – Deep breath i.e. in through the nose, fill the belly and let out gently through slightly closed lips Concentrate on the “sweet spot”.

2. 6. Focus – use key words e.g. relax, ‘kick the line’, 12 o’clock, ‘the middle of the middle’, ‘Don’t break the glass’, ‘Kick the J and not the C (for left footed kickers, inverted C for right footed kickers) etc. 7. Focus on a Spot - Use imagery to picture the complete kick i.e. a rope from a central point behind the goals all the way down to the ball. Focus eyes on this line a few times and then your kick for this spot behind the goals. ‘Run’ your eyes from this spot to ball and back again. For Punt Kicks: 8. Approach by running in an arc to the ball while keeping eye on the ‘sweet spot’ 9. Turn non-kicking shoulder side-on to target i.e. move from shoulder to chest facing the target to help achieve more power 10. Place non-kicking foot in line with target.

3. 11. Swing through strike zone with a ‘fast leg’ and a ‘hard’ foot i.e. keep bottom of foot pushed against bottom of boot. 12. Bring your foot back as far as possible to help generate enough speed on swing. 13. Keep head over ball but keeping the imagine of the line you hope to kick ball along i.e. kick to the picture in your head 14. Don’t let same arm as kicking foot come across mid line of body and move other arm to side of body to help balance 15. Make contact with top of instep and keep contact with the ball as long as possible 16. Rise onto the toes of the non-kicking foot. 17. Follow straight through keeping ‘hard’ foot in line with target i.e. imaginary spot behind the goals

4. Kicking For Beginners Keep the ‘Hard Foot’ for as long as possible Keep your head down after kicking by counting ‘1 2’ Kick with a ‘Hard Foot’

5. PUNT KICK - Head HEAD: • Look at the target you hope to punt at • Watch the ball all the way down onto the boot • Keep your head down well after the ball has left the boot Tip:Count ‘1-2’ with your head down after the ball leaves your foot Count ‘1-2’ with your head down after the ball leaves your foot

6. PUNT KICK - Hands HANDS: Stationary while facing target: • Let beginners use 2 Hands to roll the ball down unto the foot (Off The Shelf) then … • Let the ball down onto the boot without spinning, as near as possible with the same hand as the kicking foot • Do not let this hand swing across your body after the kick • Move your other hand out to the side to help you balance as you kick • Stance – Initially face target i.e. chest faces towards target then … • Start with shoulder towards target and as you punt move your chest to face the target • Now attempt above with a few strides before attempting moving from shoulder to chest as you punt Let the ball roll off your hands Notice hand on non kicking side moving to the side for better balance

7. PUNT KICK - Feet • With beginners get them to stand one foot in front of the other with the ‘kicking foot’ behind • Use a fast leg i.e. bring your foot right up to your bottom for a bigger range of movement and then drive it down as fast as possible to meet the ball with a hard foot (Toe pointing downwards) and the Top Off the Laces (where foot bone meets ankle bone) to strike the ball • Plant your non kicking foot directly at the target • Follow through towards the target keeping the ‘Hard Foot’ in contact with the ball as long as possible i.e. ‘Let It Hang’ • Do not let your leg swing across the mid point of your body. Imagine there is a pane of glass between your legs i.e. ‘Don’t brake the glass’ • Kick the J & not the C i.e. aim as if you were following the letter J and not the C i.e. left footed kickers finish up by making the letter C instead of the J • Keep your balance through out the whole kicking action Hard Foot

8. PUNT KICK - Practice Wall Target • 1’s Using a wall is the best place to practice your kicking skills. • Mark targets to aim at and keep your record. • Or use poles, cones or markers to aim at or through with a partner. Stage One Of Passing Passer and receiver are both stationary- emphasise the key coaching points. HEAD: • 2’s, Standing 5/6m from each other practice the key points above focusing on key body parts e.g. the head, hands or the feet. • Start with the head and ask them to try and punt the ball with the head up and then with the head down. • They must count ‘One, Two’ before they are allowed to lift the head. This helps to reinforce the importance of keeping the head down. HANDS: • Move back 10m and emphasise the hand let down i.e. two hands, especially with beginners, same hand as the same foot and finally opposite hand to kicking foot. • Ask the players which they find the easiest and the one they have most accuracy with. FEET: • Move back 20m and work on the feet. • Let them experience using different parts of the foot to strike the ball i.e. outside to swerve, inside to hook and the front for straight line punting. • Show them how to impart top spin and back spin by kicking up and down the ‘sweet spot’ on the ball i.e. the ‘O’ of the O’Neill’s or some other mark on the ball.

9. Technical …SENDING SKILLS – PUNT KICK : Pass and Move • Here the passer travels with the ball before passing • 2’s: Player A solos 3/4 times before punting to Player B who remains stationary about 20m away. Emphasise – Head, Hands and Feet • Player A should move from shoulder to finish with the chest towards Player B. This allows for a greater leg movement through the ball on contact and therefore more power. • Try and let your foot ‘hang’ i.e. keep foot in mid air for a few seconds with the kicking foot pointing down after ball has left the foot Triangle Passing • In this drill both the passer and the receiver are moving in 3’s Triangle Passing: • Three players make a triangle about 20m apart • One player starts with a ball and passes on the run to a moving receiver • The punt should be aimed to bounce in front of the receiver who should be indicating where s s/he wants the pass by pointing with the finger • No player should be standing still at any time • All players are moving while passing and receiving • This is known as a ‘match running drill’ which actually represents what is happening in a match situation • Which trio can make 10 passes first? • Can you take the ball without it bouncing? • Less skilled players come closer together while more skilled players can move further apart or for complete beginners let them throw/hand/fist the ball while travelling Hard Foot Hangs after Kicking

10. Common Faults Non Guiding Arm Arc • Many players don’t use their non-guiding arm (also known as the balance arm) to balance during the kicking action. • It is important to keep the arm out at shoulder height, with it preferably moving in an arcing motion during the kick. • It may help when learning the skill to bring this arm to the halt position for balancing the body during the kicking phase • Effects of not utilising the balance arm on the kick include reduced distance and accuracy. • A simple remedial drill to address this is “Fence Kicking”, in which a player kicks off one step with their balance arm holding onto a fence rail, partner or post. • You can also use another drill called “Hang Kicking”, where a player stands on one leg (support leg) and tries to kick the ball as far as they can. Without the balance arm, it is very difficult for them to retain their balance.

11. Analyse from different positions…From the back, from the side, and from the front • The ball grip and let down for beginners • The run up – marked to meet ball on impact • The ball drop – letting it down as near the ball as possible • The balance arm (known as the non-guiding arm) • The run up cadence • Square hips • The placement of the planted foot • The ball strike – ‘hard foot’ i.e. main bone of foot running from shin bone to toe • The follow through • Pointed Toes – Press sole of foot against bottom of boot

12. Goal & Point Drill S2 45m 1A 4 Players – Wait behind to retrieve ball X1 X2 X3 X4 X1 G S.3 A1---------- D1/A1 D4/A4 D/3A3 D2/A2 Station 1 • 4 Pairs Nos. 1 & 2 line up at Station 1. No. 1 the Attacker has a ball each • 4 Players with a ball each line up at Station 2 • A goal keeper • 4 Players wait behind posts at station 3 • Aim: • Attacker 1 on signal attempts to solo in from the 45m line for a shot on goal • while his defender tries to dispossess • On shooting A1 moves over to prevent a player from Station2 soloing to Station • to shoot for a point behind the cones • D1 remains at Station 1 • A1 remains at Station 3 while defender from S2 and retriever move to S1

13. Game: 5 To 2 X 2 Passes X 5 Passes G • 2 teams of equal numbers play against each other • Team in possession in their own half have 5 passes to move ball out of their defence and 2 passes to score in own half • Variation: Use Your 7 • A team decides how many passes they use in each half i.e. if they use more passes in defending half they will have less in attacking half e.g. they use 4 in defending half will give them 3 in attacking half etc.

14. 5 To 5 To 5 • 2 Teams of 15 aside play against each other • Aim: To play ball from middle zone to forwards in attacking zone • Conditions: All players must remained in their own zones • This encourages long kick passes from mid field zone • Over load attacks for easier possession or over load defence to challenge attackers

15. 3 Man Kick Pass • Groups of 3 line up at one end of pitch with player in middle with ball • Aim: No. 2 passes to No. 1 who runs straight ahead for pass • He passes diagonally for No. 3 • No. 3 returns pass for No. 1 who passes to 2 to shoot • Change places on way back • Challenge players on wings to shoot

16. Diagonal Kick Pass & Score xx3 4 xx4 xx2 • 3 or 4 players line up at positions as shown • Aim: To pass ball diagonal and follow the full length of the pitch • X1 passes to x 2 and follows • X2 passes to x3 etc • X4 attempts shot for a point • 4 other groups of 3 can play down the pitch starting on opposite side

17. 4 Man Move 14 8 14 13 13 7 • No. 7 Plays the ball to 14 who moves onto it • No. 14 lays off to 13 crossing over • No. 13 ‘feeds’ to inrushing No. 8 for shot on target • Plan for enough players to keep drill going i.e. 3 or 4 players from each of these positions • When working add defenders one at a time i.e. No. 3 to pressurise No. 14 etc.

18. Gates Punt Game O X • Pairs aim to punt their ball between the gates from various distances marked with cones as shown i.e. 15/20/25/30m etc. • 2 Teams compete against each other to pass ball between gates • Challenge further by playing teams e.g. 4 v 4 etc.

19. Point Shooting Drill 2 Station 1 5 3 1 4 S2 S3 • 3 Sets of 5 players each line up at 3 different stations • No. 1 passes to No. 2 and follows • No. 2 passes to No. 3 who solo and shoots. No. 2 moves behind No. 5 • No. 3 moves behind the goals after shooting • No. 4 retrieves ball and starts next sequence • Up to 3 groups of 5 may shoot into any one set of goals • Players at Station1 could use the Swerve Punt • Station2 players could use front of foot punts running straight at goals • Station 3 players could run across the front of goals using the Hook Punt

20. 54321 Goal Shooting Drill G NB Another group may work on other side of rectangle. 1 1 F F 1 F F F 1 1 • 5 Players line up to sides of post as shown each with a ball • 5 Other players F’s stand at one of the cones • No. 1 passes to each player at the cones in turn • After the last pass he shoots for goal i.e. between the dome and the post. Place a dome 1m from either post as targets for shots. • Add defender to chase attacker and prevent score

21. Hot Spot Kicks Feeder • Forwards X’s line up as shown. Start with 2 or 3 and gradually add more • Feeders play balls as shown to Hot Spots for certain players to run, collect and shoot • Progress to Feeders playing ball to mid fielders with their backs to forwards, as soon as they receive they turn to kick to player in hot spots • As skill level improves add defenders, one at a time, to pressurise kickers

22. Piggy in the Middle 1. Players work in groups of 4, and set up as shown, with 2 players at one end, one player in the middle, and the last player at the opposite end. I recommend that they start at 20m intervals. 2. Player A starts with the ball and punts to Player B in the middle. Player A runs into the middle position, as Player B receives the ball, turns, and punts to Player C. Player B follows his ball and runs to the position of Player C, as he Punts back to Player A in the middle position. 3. Player A receives the ball, turns and punts to Player D and the drill continues. Each player moves to the next position after disposing of the ball. (Player A goes to B, B to C, etc.)

23. Triangle Punting • How in Works • Set up 6 cones, using 2 different colours, in 2 triangle • layouts and about 15/30 m apart. • 2. The ball is passed around the 3 groups of yellow cones, • while a second ball is passed around the red cones. • 3. The drill starts with short punts in a clockwise direction, • then swap to an anti clockwise direction. • 4. Players move anywhere outside triangle • Variation: 2 players at a time in each group, and over 30 m a player kicks long to the next group. • As the player sets to catch the ball, the next player in the group runs around the front and acts as a feeder. • The player catches the ball, hand passes to the feeder then receives it back and • kicks to the next group. • The feeder then prepares to catch the ball on the next rotation.

24. Release Ball A 6D v 4A 6D v 4A A • Play 6 D’s v 4 A’s in each defending zone as shown • Aim: Defenders must play ball to A’s as ‘release ball’ in mid field sector when opportunity arises • Condition defenders to play ball as soon as possible to A’s • When working well place defender on A in mid field and then another • Challenge further by evening up defenders & attackers i.e. 6 v 6

25. Set Up: • Set up portable posts in the • middle of a 20/40m radius • Circle depending on skill level. • How to Play: • 2 Teams X 5/6 or any number. • Aim: To shoot for points outside the circle • Play equal number of players on either side of goals initially then … • Players may move anywhere but must shoot outside the circle Circle Shoot

26. Shoot On Sight • 5 v 2/3: • 5 Players with coloured tops play against an unequal number for a set time i.e. 3 mins. This makes it easier for one team to get plenty of shooting action. • Use a small pitch with the small portable goals e.g. 45m x 40m. • The aim is to shoot as soon as you have possession or one hand pass only to get the scorer into a favourable position. • Less skilled players may be permitted one solo or bounce before shooting • Have extra balls at the side of the goals to keep the game in action. • All shoots must be with chest towards the target and using a ‘hard foot’ i.e. toe down – heel up action. • Allow the other team an even number after a set time i.e. 3 mins. Shoot on Sight - Players Resting Retrieve Balls