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Techniques needed to box kick

Elite coach and player go through the skills required to box kick. There are three main steps and some recommended practises with some added competition to help improve

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So obviously with box kicking, we're either kicking for touch, we're kicking for distance or we're trying to hang it for a winger. With the box kick, your first step is back away from the ruck going to give yourself space and time. Second step is across to give you a shield and a strong base to kick from and the third one is head down and striking up through the ball. If our winger's trying to chase it, there's no point in banging it a hundred metres. Okay, and there's little point of putting it up so high that it only goes 10 meters and it's a 50/50 position. We want to be aiming for about 30 meters distance. Okay, getting a hang time between three and four seconds. Three key points that we can focus on okay. Here's the ball. Here's the ruck, nice wide base. So the first one is the wide base, we're stepping back and we're bringing the ball away from the ruck. So similar position to our passing wide stance. I'm bringing the ball away from the ruck that gives me distance and time obviously away from the defenders for anyone charging it down. So I step back and across is my second movement. That gives you a strong base and protect you and the third one is obviously a placement of the ball nice and upright. Some people like a very slight bit of back tilt on it and we're trying to hit the sweet spot under the ball. Good. Right That's much better. Now. When do you know if you've hit the ball nicely? What's the rotation like in the air? Yes, it's coming back on itself. Nice and evenly so I think of it as 1 2 3 so it one two back and across and three we strike the ball head down our legs coming up pretty much straight through don't be in a rush to see where it's going, you know straight away by the feel of your foot whether it's a nice kick or not. I want to take a little bit of tilt off the ball and you have a tendency to hit the top end of the ball. So it's spinning forward when really want to hit that Underside there. So it's spinning backwards. Just give you a little bit more Hang Time. Lovely great strike. Good. So you want to be aiming on the sort of 5 meter line area? Okay, then you've got a little bit of leeway when you start practicing I'd come in 10 meters from the sideline. Okay, so you've got I would say you work from the 15 in words as you get more specific make yourself a 10 meter line working with and then when you really start hanging it sweetly your land that run at 5 meters on. Okay, right right angle didn't quite hit the ball, right That was the better strike. Okay, so they're the two that came off the inside of your foot and stay low was simply because when you step back and across the ball was in line with this front leg. So the inside of your foot was hitting the ball. Okay, let's bring it right back and across so it's in line with that outside leg here are kicking leg and then we can obviously kick straight up through the ball pretty helpful having all the eyes watching you and just helping you along and giving you some tips. That's a lovely strike best one of the day there. Okay, third one. Lovely strike. Perfect. So if you look there you're getting the right hang time and the right distance the wing of Chase that section. So if we say if you land the ball, you see the two red cones at the far end and then these two white cones if you land the ball on the 5-meter channel, so we're narrowing it down even more now five-minute Channel between those four cones you get 10 points. If it's between these two red cones in the touch sign the still in that square there you only get five points just repetition repetition. And obviously, there's only so much you can do on your own. I know but try and bring in a competitive environment makes such a difference. So doing that Under Pressure digging it out from underneath the pad while someone's coming through on you anything just to speed up that process but repetitions key. Okay, that is 10 points trying get a little bit more Hang Time there that just came off the inside of your foot against it was in line with the wrong leg. Bring it right back and across. nice strike ten points and we also looked at people from so you're not digging out from the ground. You're lifting it from hip height and clearing it from there. If I know you can just hold out and one hands if it's a driving more. Okay. Well forget the point system off you go. That's a lovely strike. excellent Okay, you knew straight away. That's fine. Okay, and both of those kicks are drifted in fields, like this aim down this 5-meter channel. Gray, stripe variety is clear as well. Okay, it's not always going to be that distance. Sometimes you want to kick to touch. Sometimes you want to just do a little dink over the fence for the winner so mix up the distance the height and it's just repetition those three points. So talk me through the points again. Okay, good stunts. So one is taking it back from the rock Step 2 as well. Bring it to the outside leg and step across and then we kicking straight through the ball head down. Okay what I'm good work and maybe a club situation where you know, you can turn up a little bit earlier and get your kicking in. I would say before and after sessions and it also makes a lot easier if you're doing it with someone from a similar position to catch the balls and saves you chasing around the picture all day, but before and after sessions at home getting up to a local picture tool weekends anytime you can get it in as crucial.