Kick to win?
- James Kaminski
- Mar 9, 2020
- 3 min read
There is much debate about the balance of kicking within the game and I am going to add my thoughts. From someone that liked to kick, I feel that clever kicking can be the key to unpicking defenses. Defenses are so good these days that players, teams, and coaches need a Plan B - one option that can be employed is a clever Kicking game!
A few things automatically spring to mind:
1. HIT GRASS - I always try and get players to aim for grass - that is a good start and prevents the opposition from an easy return or time.
2. OVAL BALL - Never know what the bounce of the ball is going to be.
3. KICK CHASE - A kick is only as good as its chase and it is essential that kickers and chasers are in sync to execute a good kick and win the exchange.
The key thing to kicking however is to gain an advantage! Too many times within games you see a passage of play that has aimless kick tennis between players and teams who are waiting for a mistake. Sometimes this can be useful but I am focusing more on aggressive / attack-minded kicking which is aimed at getting the ball back or putting the opposition under big pressure.
I think it is crucial from a young age that all players, not just backs or worse still half-backs are exposed to the technical aspects of kicking. Players have 3 options when in possession:
RUN........ PASS....... KICK..... (make sure your players within reason can do all 3 and feel comfortable doing it). The game is evolving and more and more players are becoming all-round footballers. Players need to have an amount of time to practice this skill and that is something I can offer at:
www.jkcoachingandrugbymentoring.com
I feel that players should be able to have the following skillset up their sleeves (especially backs):
-Chip and Chase: I recently had good dialogue with a recent inquiry about a player that is incredibly fast but always gets isolated from his teammates who can't keep up. So the ability to kick and keep the ball alive would add a huge dimension to his game and cause opposition players big problems. The key to this kick is being able to smoothly adjust the ball and get in a kicking position / being aware of the space!
-Grubbers: Can be used for short or long kicks to hit space and get in behind defenses. The key aspect of this kick is to keep head over and not overthink it / more instinctively.
-Torpedo Kicks: I have been surprised by the lack of torpedo kicking from young players. It is a bit trickier than the straight punt but again it is another useful string to the bow to have. The Key is that you hold the ball correctly and get the right contact with the outside of your boot.
-Up and Under: On wet/rainy days this kick if used effectively alongside a good chase can get a team a lot of joy. Key to this kick is head over, follow through and judging the height/distance - requires practice.
I feel all of the above can be used to gain advantages in games, set up tries, win the territorial battle, put the opposition on the back foot and gain the momentum in matches. All of them require the execution and correct technique. I would offer private 1:1 sessions or group work where players can learn these skills correctly and then apply them within training and games.
My lasting thoughts on kicking are that a lot of coaches, supporters bemoan to see a kick as they feel it is giving the ball away..... for me, this is a negative mindset. We have to break out of that pragmatic way of thinking.
Players need to scan, look up and pick the best option which could well be a KICK!
More skills and discussions soon.......
Please add your opinions and comments below!
Are there any particular elements of the game that you would like me to address?
Get in touch,
James Kaminski
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