Technical Skills

There are various individual skills and team tactics that are required to play Australian football.

General Athleticism: There is a strong emphasis on individual athleticism for players. Physical fitness is necessary because play sees few breaks, takes place across a field 150-180 metres long, and has few restrictions on player position on the ground.

Ball Handling: The most generic skill for a player is ball handling - being familiar with the shape and weight of the football, how to securely grip and hold it, and how to predict its movement on the ground and through the air.

Marking: where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it.

Running Bounce: when a playe, while running, bounces the ball on the ground and back in their hands.

Picking Up: either standing or running, and successfully picking up the ball for travel.

Kicking Skills: To progress the football across the field of play in order to gain advantage or score the football must be disposed of legally by the controlling player. There are a number of specialised kicks used in AFL: drop punt, torpedo punt, snap, banana kick)

Tackling Skills: To dispossess an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gainin ground towards the goal, or to stop them from carrying out what they intend.

Shepherding: act of legally pushing or blocking an opposing player from gaining possession of the ball or reaching the contest.

Bumping: act of using the side of the body and running into an oponent with force, under some circumstances, such as the ball must be within 5 metres.

Technical Skills Matrix

This table illustrates the many sport specific skills required to be successful in Australian football, as well as the progressive acquisition of these skills.

	INTRODUCTORY	DEVELOPMENTAL	ADVANCED		INTRODUCTORY	DEVELOPMENTAL	ADVANCED
	Awareness through FUNdamentals stages	Learn to Train and Train to Train stages	Train to Compete through Train to Win stages		Awareness through FUNdamentals stages	Learn to Train and Train to Train stages	Train to Compete through Train to Win stages
KICKING				BOUNCING		X
Punt Kick	X			EVASION
Drop Punt		X		Side Stepping		X
Torpedo Punt		X		Spinning		X
Banana Kick		X		Weaving		X
Drop Kick			X	Baulk and Spin			X
Stab Kick			X	Blind Turn			X
HANDBALL				Dummy Baulk			X
Basic	X			CHECKING
Overspin		X		Intercepting	X
Rocket			X	Bumping		X
RUCK WORK		X		Stealing			X
MARKING				Spoiling		X
Chest	X			Shepherding		X
Overhead	X			Tackling		X
Hands		X		Knock Away			X
RUNNING	X			Fending			X
PICKING UP				Smothering			X
Stationary Ball	X			Pushing			X
Ball Coming on		X
Ball Moving Away			X