Handball Kicking Marking

MASTER CLASS
Rules of the game
>> THE AIM OF THE GAME
Aussie Rules is all about kicking goals. That means
kicking the football through the tall inner goalposts
to score six points for your team. If the ball goes
between the goalposts and either of the smaller
outer posts then it’s a behind, worth one point, is
awarded. The team with the highest total of points
after four quarters is the winner
>> TO START THE GAME
The captains toss a coin
and the winner decides
which end of the ground
his team will kick towards. The teams
swap ends after each quarter. The
game starts when the siren is sounded
and the umpire bounces the ball in the centre
square. A centre bounce is also held to start each
quarter and to restart play after a goal has been
scored. There are four quarters lasting 20 minutes
each, plus extra time. There are only 18 players
from each team on the field at any time.
Each team also has three interchange players and
one substitute.
>> KEEPING SCORE
When keeping score goals are written first, then
behinds, then the total score. For example a score
of 12 goals and four behinds is a total of 76 and is
written 12.4 (76).
>> OUT OF BOUNDS
Play stops when the ball bounces over the boundary line. The boundary umpire then throws the
ball over their head and back into play. If the ball is
kicked over the boundary line on the full the opposing team is awarded a free kick.
>> MARK
A mark is taken if a player catches or takes control
of the football after it has been kicked by another
player a distance of at least 15m and has not
touched the ground or been touched by another
player during the period when the football is in the
air. If a player is pushed in the back or hit above
the shoulders in a marking contest then they are
awarded a free kick.
>> HANDBALL
A handball involves holding the football in one hand
and disposing of the football by hitting it with the
clenched fist of the other hand. You cannot throw
the ball. If contact isn’t made between fist and ball
then a free kick is awarded to the opposition.
>> 50M PENALTY
After a mark or free kick has been awarded, a 50m
penalty will be awarded against the opposing team
which unduly delays the play or abuses an umpire.
Kicking
To ensure a proper drop punt you must swing your
leg in a straight line so the ball moves end over end
in the air.
Your foot is pointed towards your target at all times.
If the ball drop isn’t straight the ball can skew sideways, or roll forwards and it doesn’t end up being a
perfect drop punt kick.
It is important to follow through with your leg to
ensure a good connection between your foot and the
ball. Once you develop a good technique you can work
on varying the power and length of your kicks.
>> KIEREN JACK
WITH KIEREN JACK
STEP 1
>> ISRAEL FOLAU
The three main areas to focus on when kicking a drop
punt are hand placement on the ball, the ball drop
onto your foot and then contact with the ball.
STEP 1
The ball has to sit comfortably and feel relaxed in
your hands. I like holding the ball in the middle with
my middle or ring finger going down the seams on
either side. You have the laces pointing towards
your target and the ball facing straight up and
down from the ground to the sky.
STEP 2
PRACTICE
You need to practise kicking all the
time. A lot of it is just repeating good
habits over again and to hone
accuracy by trying to hit targets.
If you can kick a good drop punt then
you will be a much better player.
When you walk in be sure to relax and really guide the
ball down with your preferred hand down to your foot.
That took me a long time to master, actually guiding
the ball down. As a kid from rugby league I’d just
throw the ball down, but you can’t do that. You can’t
drop the ball too far because there will be too much
movement of the ball down to your foot. You want the
ball to hit your foot exactly as you were holding it.
Handball
With your non-dominant hand flat place the ball on
top with the laces towards the sky. One point of the
ball should face your body, the other end should face
your target.
STEP 2
Make a clenched fist with your dominant hand with
your thumb on the outside, not tucked in under your
fingers before striking the ball.
The motion of a handball is to swing your fist
through and hit the ball off your hand.
You should aim to hit the ball where the seams
cross at the back like an X. You should connect
with the soft part of your hand between the
knuckle of your thumb and index finger.
STEP 3
A player must bounce the ball or touch the football
on the ground at least once every 15m while in
possession.
People who handball for the first time say
that it hurts but if you hit it the ball properly
at the right spot it really shouldn’t hurt.
If you handball and it hurts your hand then the
chances are you are doing it the wrong way
and you need to fix your technique.
You need to adjust what part of your fist
connects with the ball and practise doing it
so that it doesn’t hurt.
Even after you’ve hit the ball make sure
you maintain a strong fist with your
follow through.
A player who is tackled illegally while in possession
of the ball will be awarded a free kick. A legal tackle
is grabbing an opponent who has the ball below the
shoulders or above the knee. You are not allowed
to push an opponent in the back. If you do not
dispose of the ball when tackled then you will be
penalised and the tackler will receive a free kick.
Tips from the stars
STEP 3
My best advice is to enjoy the
game. AFL is a great game and
once you know the skills it becomes really enjoyable to play.
You can have fun kicking and
handballing with your mates or you can practise
skills by yourself like I used to.
Once you’ve done your homework after school
you can go out and have a kick in the park by yourself. I used to aim at lightpoles or the soccer posts
in my local park. I would make it competitive and
out of 10 kicks see how many times I could hit the
post. The next day I would try to beat the target
and then try from a further distance.
Skills are really important in AFL and kicking has
become even more important now.
My advice for kids is to practise your kicking as
much as you can and make sure you have a good
kick. Work on different types of kicks, running at
speed and set shots for goal.
It is an asset if you can kick the football on either
side of your body, but I don’t think it is everything.
I don’t kick on my right foot too often.
Kids should really try to master the art of their
preferred foot
and then use your
opposite leg as
a back up and
escape if you’re
in trouble against
the boundary line.
But if you can
really master your
preferred foot
and hit your targets consistently,
then you’ll have
a good future in
the AFL.
WITH KIEREN JACK
>> RUNNING WITH THE BALL
>> TACKLE
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PRACTICE
You can aim at lightpoles or against
a brick wall at home and try to
catch the rebound.
Once you’ve got the hang of it you can
increase the speed and get really confident
at handling the ball.
Marking
WITH ISRAEL FOLAU
There are two types of marks in AFL. The first and
easiest mark is a chest mark. The second type of
mark is an overhead mark.
CHEST MARK
You take a chest mark when the ball is below head
height or if the conditions are slippery.
The most important thing with marking is you must
always keep your eyes on the ball. Another important
thing is to have your hands out and ready to wrap
around the ball as it comes to your chest. You run
hard at the ball and if you’re in a contest with an opponent you need to use your body to get into the best
position to win the ball.
OVERHEAD MARK
This is harder than a chest mark, but once again you
must always keep your eyes on the ball.
With an overhead mark you need to know where the
ball is going to land and judge where you think is the
best point to catch the ball. You want to catch the
ball at the highest point you possibly can so that your
opponent can’t spoil you.
When you jump for the ball make sure your head
and eyes don’t drop down, they must stay fixed on
the ball. You need to use both hands and keep them
strong.
Kids, just get out there, give it a
crack and have lots of fun. See
where it takes you. That is what
I’m doing right now.
I’m just giving it a real good crack
and am enjoying every minute of it so far.
All kids can do the same and if you enjoy the
game then you may want to continue in the hope
of becoming an AFL player one day.
If you want to get really good at AFL there’s
so many little things you can do to help you get
better. I know because it is what I’m doing now.
Whenever I’m at home I carry the ball around all
the time and just muck around with it in my hands.
I try to grip the ball with one hand and do different
skills that my coaches have taught me. Things like
putting the ball around my body and through my
legs, working on having a good grip of the football
and handling it comfortably.
If you feel confident holding the ball and using the
ball it will help you with your skills when you get
out on the field and help improve your game in the
long term.
It definitely is not
going to become
easy straight away.
You need to be
patient with yourself and just keep
working at it. The
skills will come to
you over time and
with persistence.
But the most
important thing is
to enjoy yourself
and have fun with
football.
PRACTICE
VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Part 1
To practice marking you can simply throw a ball to
yourself or focus on catching the ball cleanly every
time you do your other skills at training. It takes time
and effort but the more you handle a ball the easier it
will become.
Swans hero Leo Barry on the basics
of kicking.
thetelegraph.com.au/sport