Priority skills for drop punting

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Drop punting is a straight, end-over-end type of kick that is used to increase the consistency of the strike and outcome.

When kicking, the leg will naturally move to ’find’ the ball in the down-swing. Therefore, to execute a straight kick, it is vital that the ball is dropped straight in line with the kicking leg.

If the ball is dropped towards the middle of the body, the leg will swing out-to-in, and hook or pull the kick. If the ball is dropped outside the body, the leg will swing in-to-out, pushing or slicing the ball.

During contact and follow-through, the kicker must finish with their chest and body facing the target to complete a consistent straight kick.

Below are a couple of activities to work on drop punting technique, both at low level and under pressure.
Use the key factors as coaching points for the individual working under pressure.

KEY FACTORS FOR side-on tackles

Position the hands with your dominant hand towards the bottom of the ball, and the non-dominant hand towards the middle. Angle the ball slightly forward.
Stretch out the arms with a slight bend in front of the body, in line with the kicking leg.
Move forward with the ball in the dropping slot.
The non-dominant hand should come off the ball, with the dominant hand in control of the ball, in line with the kicking leg.
Take a longer last ’power step’ into the kick, planting the non-kicking foot firmly into the floor.
Flex the kicking leg behind the body, loading up a powerful snapping motion through the ball.
Drop the ball directly in line with the kicking leg, being careful not to adjust the hands to ensure the ball drop remains consistent.
Aggressive kick through the ball, with the kicking foot locked into a pointed, hard position.
Aim for the chest to be in line with the target at the strike.
Follow through the kick with a straight leg, while allowing the non-kicking leg to skip forward, before running through the kick.

LOW LEVEL

One player works in the middle of a kicking drill. The kicker receives a pass. They need to catch the ball cleanly, get it into the kicking slot as quickly as possible and execute a straight kick to the catcher in line with them.
The kicker must aim for the catcher to receive the ball within the black cones (5m apart) for 2 points, or within the yellow cones (2m apart) for 5 points.
To increase the pressure on the kicker, add in a charge-down player to pressurise the kick after the pass.

HIGH LEVEL

Related Files

rcw-173-priority-skills-drop-punting.pdfPDF, 358 KB

The kicker works on their long-range drop punting to space. This game works on the kicker’s vision and execution.
Set up three target zones across the field and use two defenders to fill up two of the three kick-target zones.
The kicker receives a pass and tries to kick accurately into the open target zone. It is important the kicker rotates their body when catching the ball to face the target. That leads to them executing a straight drop punt.
Charge-down defenders can be added for more kick and skill-execution pressure.

Richard Whiffin

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