How To Kick A Ball

Key Points: Ground Kicks (Some also apply for Punt Kicks)

1. Place the ball to expose the “sweet spot” e.g. The ‘O’ of O’Neills

2. Before moving back stand over the ball in the kicking position – kicking foot over the ball and support off to side

3. Move back to a comfortable position and the sideways to a position that suits you

4. Relax – Deep breath i.e. in through the nose, fill the belly and let out gently through slightly closed lips

5. Concentrate on the “sweet spot”.

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.

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

Kicking For Beginners

Kick with a ‘Hard Foot’

Keep the ‘Hard Foot’ for as long as possible

Keep your head down after kicking by counting ‘1 2’

5

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

PUNT KICK - HeadPUNT KICK - Head

Count ‘1-2’ with your head down after the ball leaves your foot

HANDS:HANDS:Stationary while facing target: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

PUNT KICK - HandsPUNT KICK - Hands

Notice hand on non kicking side moving to the side for better balance

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

PUNT KICK - FeetPUNT KICK - Feet

Hard Foot

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.

PUNT KICK - PracticePUNT KICK - Practice

: 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

Technical …SENDING SKILLS – PUNT KICK SENDING SKILLS – PUNT KICK

Hard Foot Hangs after Kicking

Common FaultsNon 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.

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

Goal & Point Drill4 Players – Wait behind to retrieve ball

D1/A1D/3A3D4/A4 D2/A2

A1----------

1A

Station 1

S2

4 Pairs Nos. 1 & 2 line up at Station 1. No. 1 the Attacker has a ball each4 Players with a ball each line up at Station 2A goal keeper4 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 dispossessOn shooting A1 moves over to prevent a player from Station2 soloing to Station to shoot for a point behind the conesD1 remains at Station 1A1 remains at Station 3 while defender from S2 and retriever move to S1

45m

S.3

G

X1 X2 X3 X4X1

Game: 5 To 2

G xo o x

x o xo

ox

2 teams of equal numbers play against each otherTeam 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 7A 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.

G

X 5 PassesX 2 Passes

5 To 5 To 5

5 v 5

5 v 5

5 v 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

3 Man Kick Pass1 -------------------1 -------------------------------1

2----------------------------------------------------------------2

3 - - --------------------------------3

Groups of 3 line up at one end of pitch with player in middle with ballAim: No. 2 passes to No. 1 who runs straight ahead for passHe passes diagonally for No. 3No. 3 returns pass for No. 1 who passes to 2 to shootChange places on way backChallenge players on wings to shoot

Diagonal Kick Pass & Score xxx 1

xx2

xx3

xx4

4

3 or 4 players line up at positions as shownAim: To pass ball diagonal and follow the full length of the pitchX1 passes to x 2 and followsX2 passes to x3 etcX4 attempts shot for a point4 other groups of 3 can play down the pitch starting on opposite side

4 Man Move

14

13

7

13

8

No. 7 Plays the ball to 14 who moves onto itNo. 14 lays off to 13 crossing overNo. 13 ‘feeds’ to inrushing No. 8 for shot on targetPlan for enough players to keep drill going i.e. 3 or 4 players from each of these positionsWhen working add defenders one at a time i.e. No. 3 to pressurise No. 14 etc.

14

Gates Punt Game

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 gatesChallenge further by playing teams e.g. 4 v 4 etc.

X

O

Point Shooting Drill

1

23

4

5

3 Sets of 5 players each line up at 3 different stationsNo. 1 passes to No. 2 and followsNo. 2 passes to No. 3 who solo and shoots. No. 2 moves behind No. 5No. 3 moves behind the goals after shootingNo. 4 retrieves ball and starts next sequenceUp to 3 groups of 5 may shoot into any one set of goalsPlayers at Station1 could use the Swerve PuntStation2 players could use front of foot punts running straight at goalsStation 3 players could run across the front of goals using the Hook Punt

Station 1

S2

S3

Goal Shooting Drill54321

1

G

5 Players line up to sides of post as shown each with a ball5 Other players F’s stand at one of the conesNo. 1 passes to each player at the cones in turnAfter 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

FF

FF F

1

1

1

1

NB Another group may work on other side of rectangle.

Hot Spot Kicks

Forwards X’s line up as shown. Start with 2 or 3 and gradually add moreFeeders play balls as shown to Hot Spots for certain players to run, collect and shootProgress 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 spotsAs skill level improves add defenders, one at a time, to pressurise kickers

Feeder

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.)

Triangle PuntingHow in Works 1.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.

Release Ball

A

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 arisesCondition defenders to play ball as soon as possible to A’sWhen working well place defender on A in mid field and then anotherChallenge further by evening up defenders & attackers i.e. 6 v 6

6D v 4A 6D v 4A

Circle ShootSet Up:

Set up portable posts in the

middle of a 20/40m radius

Circle depending on skill level.

How to Play:

1. 2 Teams X 5/6 or any number.

2. Aim: To shoot for points outside the circle

3. Play equal number of players on either side of goals initially then …

4. Players may move anywhere but must shoot outside the circle

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

Shoot On Sight