How to kick a ball further

DapperJong

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Im 13 and i can kick 50-55 meters and on the weekend i kicked 65 meters with the wind i can also kick 60 meters with a torp, does anyone reckon with age i will be able to kick the ball even further?

I hope you get drafted son!
 

freddy mercury

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Dont worry about kicking further, kick on your opposite foot before even worrying about it.

When I was 22-23 I could not use my right foot, every pre season I always go on the left one on the right. Now, 25 I am a decent kick, only 30 meters on my right left 40, if that.

Kick far literally means nothing.
 

i am the jester

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How old are you and how far can you kick?

Not everyone needs to be able to kick the ball 50m, coaches would much prefer you have high accuracy kicking 35-40m.

I'm not sure how to explain it but kicking the ball further is lot about here you hit the ball on your foot and the ball, often I find when I try to belt the ball it doesn't go as far compared to when I try and time it right.


I'm 16, and i can kick accurately to about 35 meters, i can kick up to 55 but its not always accurate
 
Ball contact needs to be lower to the ground.
Full follow through (always stretch first)
Ball drop needs to be the same every time
Hands need to cup the ball gently - not too tight
 

Liam Jahn

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I'm only 12 and can kick a football 45 - 50 metres with a drop punt and no wind at all :p:p

However am also 178 cm tall and about 70 kg so it all balances out.

The things that are most important from my perspective are Ball drop, Timing, Following through and Size of leg swing.
The ball drop and Timing go together because if you get a good ball drop the timing will be easier and it will go relativley straight.
Following through is good because it allows maximum leg swing increasing kicking distance.

SO generally with a good dropped ball, well timed point of impact and a good swing of the leg with a follow through you should add at least another 5 - 10 metres.
im like the exact same age height age and weight as u😂
 
Oct 20, 2004
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At your age, focus on timing. You'll notice that sometimes players drop the ball slightly to the side of their leg to get the extra swing when going for distance.

Distance comes with growth.
 

Ravrioli

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A lot of people slice at the ball to kick further, this creates an adverse effect. It's best to kick with a straight leg aimed at the target.
 

Aeglos

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A lot of people slice at the ball to kick further, this creates an adverse effect. It's best to kick with a straight leg aimed at the target.

Nah if we're talking about distance it's all about achieving maximal foot velocity.
Biomechanically you'll achieve this kicking across your body with a really bent knee then having your knee completely straighten at the exact time your foot hits the ball.
 

Derby103

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Nah if we're talking about distance it's all about achieving maximal foot velocity.
Biomechanically you'll achieve this kicking across your body with a really bent knee then having your knee completely straighten at the exact time your foot hits the ball.

There is another factor as well - the weight of the boot. Essendon's Albert Thurgood made a place kick of 98.48 m at practice in 1899 (with slight wind assistance). He was also recorded as place-kicking 95.71 m in a match against Carlton at East Melbourne in 1893. Dave McNamara of St Kilda managed a place kick measured at 94.49 m against South Melbourne at St Kilda in 1907. The longest punt kick recorded was 86.56 m by Harry Vallance of Carlton at Collingwood in 1933. Nobody gets anywhere near those figures today. It is thought that the heavier boots worn in those days may have allowed such long kicks. I think the footballs were also heavier then. Can anyone else come up with an explanation as to why blokes could kick so far in those days?
 

Aeglos

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Can anyone else come up with an explanation as to why blokes could kick so far in those days?

This reminds me of what I hear about strongman/powerlifting all the time
"why was everyone so much stronger back then?"
I've always had a very high dose of skepticism towards the veracity of a lot of the feats I'd heard performed.
For example Paul Anderson is said to have squatted 540kg on a daily basis in an era before nutrition and decent PED programs were a thing; this would put him 35kg over the current official WR which is ridiculous.

Definitely players of the 2010s probably aren't kicking quite as far (maybe 5m less on average) as there's more emphasis on endurance these days than power development (that and no one kicks torps anymore). I just doubt someone was kicking further, in 1899, than someone like Saverio Rocca who was probably 15cm taller, 30kg heavier and was athletically gifted enough he probably could have represented Australia in discus or shot put (I have a friend who claims he saw Sav deadlift 270kg as a 17 year old at the AIS).
 
Nah if we're talking about distance it's all about achieving maximal foot velocity.
Biomechanically you'll achieve this kicking across your body with a really bent knee then having your knee completely straighten at the exact time your foot hits the ball.
Agreed, but however a point is raised in saying that because obviously its like slicing a tennis shot, it doesn't go far but it spins crazy. This comes as a result of leg direction and contact. If the ball is dropped straight in front but the leg comes accross like a soccer shot then it is going to slice. If it is dropped straight in front but the leg starts outside and comes accross to finish in front this tends to be the best 'leg' for distance as well as twisting the hips and keeping the back straight to stop the ball from going too low or going too high.
 
Feb 23, 2009
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Dont worry about kicking further, kick on your opposite foot before even worrying about it.

When I was 22-23 I could not use my right foot, every pre season I always go on the left one on the right. Now, 25 I am a decent kick, only 30 meters on my right left 40, if that.

Kick far literally means nothing.
The bolded is a bit of an odd statement? At local footy kicking on your opposite side is arguably less important than being able to gain meterage. Local players don't force you onto your opposite foot, and there's often more time and space with less pressure, and often the quality of players is so variable that even with good delivery off your opposite foot the next guy down the line won't capitalize on good delivery.

Being able to boot the ball 55 metres out down the line to a contest from full back though is definitely valuable at all levels of the game, or being within scoring range from 50 as opposed to needing to chip it 25 to your forwards.
 
Sep 12, 2007
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Its pretty dependent on what type of footballer you are. If you can create your own space then being able to go left or right foot is actually hugely helpful as you change your angles. If youre a clearance player then left and right is less important but kicking with some distance is probably more important.

Being able to kick 55m is far less important in the modern game than being able to hit 20-30 passes and retain possesion (at all levels) and some people will just never be able to roost a footy 60m. Id teach my kids to be proficient on both sides and learn to kick to teammates they way they want to receive the ball (bullet passes are awful to mark).
 
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