CoacHclass Top Tips 30

This edition of our Top Tips series focuses on place kicking

Developing individual skills is an essential activity on our CoacHclass Programme. This starts with techniques such as passing, receiving, running agility, kicking, tackling and continuity. Our coaches work hard with the CoacHclass players to develop the required techniques in both attack and defence.

Rugby players needs to develop several types of skill to cope with the demands of the modern game; namely technical, tactical, physical, mental and lifestyle. We are trying to produce players with Vision, Decision-Making, Communication and Precise Execution...EVERYTIME.

Our featured technique is the "Place Kick"; with the objective being to kick the ball accurately from a placed position on the ground in order to convert a try or penalty goal. Click here to download our CoacHclass Top Tips Series. In our last Aviva Premiership game against London Irish, all our 18 points came from the boot of fly-half Nicky Robinson; proof that the skill of place kicking can win, or lose, games.

LEAN THE BALL FORWARD--STANDARD RUN UP--RELAX--FOCUS--EYES ON THE BALL--STRAIGHT FOLLOW THROUGH--BALANCE

KEY FACTORS

• Lean the ball slightly forward to expose the "sweet spot"
• Before moving back, stand over the ball in the kicking position
• Move back to a comfortable position
• Concentrate on the "sweet spot"
• Relax
• Focus – use key words
• Use imagery to picture the complete kick
• Approach by running in an arc
• Turn the non-kicking shoulder side on to the target
• Place the non-kicking foot in line with the target
• Swing through the strike zone
• Head over the ball
• Make contact with the top of the instep
• Rise onto the toes of the non-kicking foot
• Straight follow through
• Return to a balanced stance

COACHING POINTS

• The "sweet spot" of the ball is about a quarter of the way up the back seam. This can be seen if the ball is placed leaning slightly forward. This enables the kicker to sight the spot while moving back
• By placing the feet in the kicking position before walking back, the kicker is able to judge the footing and cues the player into the actions that follow
• There is no particular pattern to moving back so long as the player is comfortable. It is important to move back and to the non-kicking side so that the line of approach can be in an arc
• Before the approach, the player can relax and focus. Taking a few deep breaths can cue relaxation. Focusing can be achieved in two ways, both of which can be used:
  - (1) Cue to a key phrase or such as "head down – follow through"
  - (2) Imagine the complete action through the goal posts if it is a goal kick
• The arc that must be created in the approach allows the kicker to arrive side on to the ball. The non-kicking arm is ahead of the body drawing the non-kicking shoulder so that the player is side-on to the ball
• The key to a successful kick is the placement of the non-kicking foot. It must be hip width from the ball and aligned to the target. Any changes in these two factors are the main causes of inaccurate kicking
• By having the head over the ball, the kicker can be sure that body weight is moving forward through the strike zone. Power is generated by having the hips open as the supporting foot is placed and quickly closing them as the kick is made. The kicking foot moves down and through the line of the ball
  
  

  Straight follow through

• The non-kicking arm (the arm on the non-kicking side of the body) must be ahead of the body. If it is not, the player’s head will move back and the player’s weight will not be pushed through the ball
• Contact is made with the bone at the top of the instep
• By following through, the player’s weight moves through the ball. The player will end up on the toes and may even make a small skip jump
• A follow through straight to the target is essential
• The ability to end up in a balanced stance after the kick is an indicator of the straightness of the follow through

COMMON ERRORS

• Lifting the head and the leading shoulder open
• Non-kicking foot too far from the ball
• Poor follow through and an unbalanced finishing position

TOP TEN KICKING TIPS
Information courtesy of Jonny Wilkinson's "How to play rugby may way"

• 1. Concentrate on what you are kicking, not where you are kicking
• 2. The angle of your run-up should be about 45 degrees
• 3. Make sure your foot is hard so it controls the ball; the ball doesn't control your foot
• 4. Learn what good contact feels like. Get the feeling of good contact and enjoy it.
  
  

  www.rugbycamps.com/londonwasps

• 5. Make sure your weight shifts from behind the ball, through the ball and then towards the target. This takes out the opportunity for the ball to travel anywhere else but where you are aiming
• 6. Be consistent in the way you kick – find what works, then develop it and repeat it
• 7. Once you have established good contact and kicking with your head down, you need to look at where the ball is going
• 8. Organise practice so it’s relevant to a game situation. Put yourself under pressure. Make yourself accountable for each kick, don't think it's only practice'
• 9. Play a game within a game. Aim at targets that are narrower and smaller than those you would have in a match. You’re aiming for the barn door but specifically the keyhole of the door. If you miss the keyhole, you still hit the door. See your target in your mind’s eye – then hit it
• 10. Add structure to your training. Decide beforehand that you’re going to take five from here, five from here and five from here. Look at how many you get and where you kick them from; make a note then try to improve it

Easter CoacHclass 2012
Our CoacHclass Premiership Rugby Camps are designed for players of all abilities between the ages of 6 and 16 and offers an exciting opportunity for all young rugby players to develop their core skills, decision-making and game understanding in a fun and rewarding environment.

With 2-Day and 3-Day CoacHclasses available at Bicester RFC (Oxon), Henley Hawks (Oxon), London Wasps Training Ground (Middlesex) and South Woodham Ferrers RFC (Essex), please click here for details and to make your on-line booking, or contact Ryan Hunt on 01494 531122 for details.

www.wasps.co.uk

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