Kicking

1. Kicking • Projecting an object by striking it with the foot • Must have the perceptual abilities and coordination to make contact • Children gain these abilities at a fairly young age

2. Early Kicking • Use a single action • Kicking leg just pushes ball forward • No step for preparatory position • Knee bent at contact • No trunk rotation • Arms stationary at side • No follow through • Step forward with non kicking foot • Minimal leg swing

3. Proficient Kicking • Preparatory windup • Use sequential movements • Full range of motion • Arms in opposition to legs • Developmental Changes • Only 10% of 9yr olds have advanced kicking form • Support foot placement

4. Punting • Similar to kicking, drop ball and time kick • Early Punting • Toss ball up • No step forward • Kick with straight leg • Arms at sides • Use toes to contact

5. Proficient Punting • Arms extended with ball • Arms to side • Leap onto supporting leg and swing punting leg up to contact • Follow through • Kicking leg straight, toes pointed • Developmental changes • Arm action: ball release, ball contact • Leg action: short sep, long step, and leap • Ankle: flexed to extended

6. Sidearm Striking • Various parts: hand or implement • Most difficult perceptual judgment • Early striking • Looks like unskilled throwing at first • Chop or just extending elbow facing ball

7. Proficient Sidearm Striking • Much like an overarm throw • Step into hit • Facing sideways • Differentiated trunk rotation • Swing horizontal plane • Extension of arms • Kinetic chain: linking movements together

8. Developmental Changes • Standing sideways • Trunk rotation • Change plane of movement • Power grip vs. shake hands grip

9. Overarm Striking • With or without implement • Early Overarm striking • Little pelvic or spinal movement • Swing with collapsed elbow • Swing with arm and racket forward in unison

10. Proficient Overarm Striking • Rotate spine and pelvis • Elbow at angle • Racket lag behind arm during forward swing • Developmental changes • Trunk, humerus, forearm, leg • Pelvic range of motion, spinal range of motion, elbow angle, racket action

11. Reception Skills • Gaining possession or control of an object • Catching • Retain possession of an object you catch • Early catching • No force absorption • Trap against chest

12. Proficient Catching • Catch with hands • “give” with ball • Be able to move body • Point fingers appropriately

13. Developmental Changes • At 8yrs old: most boys and ½ girls proficient • Arm action: rigid, hugging, scooping, receiving • Hands: palms up, palms in, adjusted • Movement: none, awkward, proper • Other factors • Ball velocity, size, shape, trajectory, direction, arrival point • Must make accurate perceptual judgment of ball • Coincidence-anticipation timing tasks

14. Weight Transfer Skills • Forward rolling • Begin and end on feet with hands, back of head, upper back, lower back, and hips successively supporting body’s weight in between • Early rolling • Not symmetrical movements • Need sufficient arm and shoulder strength to support body weight and abdominal strength for tuck

15. Proficient Rolling • Support weight on hands not head • Tucking chin • Swing arms forward to continue momentum • Maintain tuck • Push with both legs equally • Hips and knees flexed throughout roll so will end up standing