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Grant Fox, Michael Lynagh and now Jonny Wilkinson – all great kickers who were vital to their country scooping World Cup victory. So what can the not so greats learn from these all time greats, to help us kick winning goals?
The Jonny Wilkinson kicking style has been analysed ad nauseam in the papers. And although it isn’t easy trying to copy his style completely, the basics remain the same, whether for Wilkinson or the extra Bs fullback.

1. Placing the ball – the angle of the ball should be slightly tilted towards the target, though some kickers will prefer the ball to be more upright.

2. The landing area – the non-kicking foot must land on a firm piece of the turf (remember Beckham’s penalty). Try to make sure the surface is even and dry. This needs careful placement of the kicking tee. Stamping down the ground next to the tee can also help.

3. The targets – don’t aim for “between the posts”, try to pick a specific target in the background.

4. The run-up – there is no exact science here because the shape, size and abilities of kickers are all so different. The run creates the momentum to kick.

5. The non-kicking foot – this should land next to the ball with the toe facing the target (or just outside).

6. The kicking foot – aim to hit the ball just below the middle, on one of the seams. Coaches talk about a hard foot – point the big toe to help create this feeling.

7. The hips – should be facing the target at the point of contact.

8. The eyes – from the start of the run up they have never left a specific point on the ball.

9. The follow-through – kick through the ball towards the target and let the leg follow-through on this line.
At least nine points to remember – but try to let your kickers focus on only one of them – probably the point of the ball is the most helpful. It keeps the head in.


Effective practices

1. Kicking down the line – practice kicking down a line rather than at the posts. Rather than aiming at the posts that are not always convenient for the catcher, use the 15m line to see how straight your kicks are.

2. Random run up – forget the run up and get the kicker to just kick – relieves tension and goes back to their natural talent.

3. Kick the ball into a tackle bag – place the tackle bag two metres away from the ball. This promotes a short-range target and a chance to make lots of kicks.

4. Kicking competitions – any game can create tension and the players who are the best kickers are not necessarily the best technical kickers, they are the ones who can hold their nerve.