Australian Rules Football An Introduction to the Game HPEC Conference May 6, 2011 Presented by: Ash Diek –

 PART A. Basic Rules/Skills (30 mins)  PART B. Practical Drills and Modified Games Session (45 mins)

 Elite competition and the most popular sporting league in Australia.  Season starts – late March Season ends – in September with the finals.  Season culminates in the Grand Final at the MCG, when the top two teams compete for the premiership.

Fast, exciting and athletic sport – If you are a newcomer, it can be hard to follow exactly what is happening. With a little basic information, it’s easy to pick up. Here’s a quick guide to the rules, skills and positions on a typical Australian Football field.

 The Basics  The playing field  The ball  Positions  Skills ◦ The kick ◦ The mark ◦ The handball ◦ The bounce ◦ The tackle  Goal scoring  Rules Overview

 Game Length: ◦ 4 quarters of 20 minutes (plus stop time)  Game begins: ◦ Bounce at centre.  Players try to move ball towards their goals by: ◦ hand passing ◦ or kicking it  Objective of the game: ◦ kick the most goals. ◦ team with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

The Playing Field  Oval in shape  Varies in width and length ◦ Between 135 and 180 meters in length, and a width of 110 to 155 meters.  Centre circle  Goal square  50m line  Goal Posts (4 on each side)

The Ball  Made of leather  Oval shaped  Shape allows for different types of kicks

 There are 22 players on each team  18 players are permitted on the playing field at any time.  The four other players are on the interchange bench.  The 18 players on the field are divided into three groups: ◦ forwards, ◦ Midfielders ◦ defenders.

 Forwards  The main forwards are the full-forward and centre half- forward.  Midfielders  The key players in the midfield are the ruckman, centreman and rover.  Defenders  There are typically six defenders in each team. The key defenders are the full- back and centre half-back. Positions

Skills, Rules and Tactics  The kick  The mark  The handball  The tackle  Goal scoring

 Kicking is the most important skill in Australian Football. Only goals can be scored from the kick.  Types of kicks include: ◦ The drop punt  (most preferred kick) ◦ Torpedo ◦ Banana kick ◦ Snap shot Kicking is the most important part of Australian Football

 Marking is the Australian Football term for catching the ball on the full when kicked.  One of the most spectacular features of Australian Football.  Types of Marks: ◦ Overhead ◦ Chest (hugging it to your body) ◦ Hand mark

 The Handball is an important part of Australian Football, and is a great way of getting out of a tight situation or launching an attack.  To handball: ◦ the ball is held in the palm of one hand and hit with a clenched fist by the other on the crossroads of the ball. Types of Handballs include: Rocket Bounce Floater

 Bouncing the ball has become an important skill in recent years to break open the game and create space.  Players must bounce the ball every 15 meters while running with it.  Difficult skill – why?

 Tackling is an essential skill.  Players tackle when an opponent has the ball.  The best tacklers focus on the hips of their opponent and stay low to ensure that the tackle is made at the correct height (around the waist).

◦ There are two ways of scoring points: ◦ by either a goal ◦ or a behind. Kicking for goal: demonstrating perfect kicking technique

◦ Worth six points and is scored when the ball is kicked between the two goal posts (the taller ones!). ◦ The ball has to go over the line on the full and can’t be touched by any other player. Goals (2 middle posts)

 A behind is worth one point and is scored in several ways. ◦ It can be scored if the ball touches the goal post; ◦ the ball passes over the line between the goal post and the smaller behind posts ◦ it is touched by a player before it crosses over the line, ◦ or is carried over the line by a defending player. Behind posts (outside 2 posts)

 The game is controlled by field umpires, who run the game and award free kicks.  The most common free kicks umpires pay during a match include:  Holding the ball  Push in the back  High contact  Out of bounds on the full The umpire signals a free kick against the player

BigGrab Sports: North America's Official Supplier of AFL Footy Gear

 Aussie Rules UK – allows you to download pdf lessons. - An Excellent resource for all ages… Aussie Rules UK  United States Australian Football League – allows you to download pdf files (scroll to the bottom of this page) United States Australian Football League

 "AFL." AFL - the official site of the Australian Football League. Bigpond, 3 May Web. 2 May  "AFL Canada." Official Website of AFL Canada. SportingPulse, n.d. Web. 2 May  BigGrab Sports: North America. BigGrab Sports Inc., Web. 2 May

 "Introduction: Quick guide to Australian Football." ARI. Aussie Rules International, Web. 2 May  "Learn AFL." AFL - the official site of the Australian Football League. Bigpond, n.d. Web. 2 May

 "Lesson Plans." Aussie Rules UK. Aussie Rules UK, Web. 2 May  "Lesson Plans." United States Australian Football League. United States Australian Football League, Inc., Web. 2 May