ABSTRACT
Kicking is the most important skill in Australian Rules football (ARF). A major technical factor and coaching cue in coaching kicking is the nature of contact with the ball (Ball, 2006). While the nature of impact has been a focus of research in soccer (e.g. Tsaousidis and Zatsiorsky, 1996; Bull Andersen et al., 1999; Nunome et al., 2006), there are no reports in the scientific literature for ARF. Importantly, Tsaousidis and Zatsiorsky (1996) reported that work could be done on a soccer ball during impact due to the relatively long contact times and distance the ball moved while in contact with the foot. This information has important implications for conditioning and coaching cues. On a more general level, no ARF data exist in the scientific literature for impact characteristics during kicking of an ARF ball.
