Weekly Q&A - 12th June 2019

After a fantastic workshop at Bishop Wordsworth's and a break from this series this week we were back answering questions on Instagram. If you are new to the School of Kicking we host this every Tuesday offering our world-class kicking knowledge out whether it be technique, equipment or fitness related. If you ever want a question answered throughout the week feel free to message us across any social media channel and we will get back to you ASAP. Q1. Any Tips you can offer to help improve the distance in my kicks? A1. To generate more power the key is to use the bigger muscles & concentrate on good posture. Kicking with a J shape swing in your kicks will help to support this. A good J shape also encourages you to help get your bodyweight through the ball and towards the target. Q2. How do you position the ball on the tee for a sweeter strike? A2. We personally prefer to have the ball quite upright to allow you to strike a little higher up the ball. This also helps to create a bigger, more forgiving sweet spot with your kicks. Q3. When kicking should I aim for something very small in the distance or on the ground? A3. Aiming high for something in the distance when it comes to kicking is crucial as fundamentally that is where you want the ball to go. It may be a specific tree leaf or branch, part of a stadium or even a cloud, however, with this make the target as small as possible and take dead aim. Q4. When and where will your next workshops be? A4. We will be hosting our next workshops in Llanishen, Wales, we have 4 workshops available; 2x11-15 Workshops, 1x 16+ Workshop and 1x Girls Workshop. Click HERE to book a place. Q5. Tips for kicking to touch? Do you recommend a banana kick when appropriate? A5. If you are comfortable executing it, the banana kick is a great kick that will allow you to bend the ball into touch when tight to the touch line. Otherwise we would suggest taking dead aim at the target off the pitch at a distance, this will help you to clear the touchline with a kick. Q6. Are your drills useful for football/soccer players also? A6. We do also work with footballers, the key principles are the same when it comes to kicking a rugby ball or a football #C2J. Q7. Any advice regarding warm-ups/stretching techniques? A7. The key principles for our warm ups/stretching is to keep your warm up dynamic, this helps activate key muscles you'll use while kicking, it will help improve body awareness, dynamic stretching will help improve your overall range of motion and warming up in motion enhances muscular performance and power. Q8. What is a good tee for long distance kicks? A8. Kicking the ball a long way is more down to your technique than what tee/equipment you use. We would recommend working on creating good technique such as travelling towards the target. Working on this will give you a better chance of getting the distance you're after. Our FREE eBook has a lot of useful techniques that will help with this. Q9. How can you improve your follow through? A9. We would recommend putting down some cones or markers as this is a good way of encouraging you to follow along after the kick. Q10. Top tips for both attacking and defending as a fly half? A10. In attack work hard on staying straight and avoid getting lateral. In defence stay in the line and make sure your tackles stick.