A box kick is a high over-the-shoulder kick used by scrum-halves in tight attacking or defensive situations usually at a scrum, line-out and breakdown on the blindside (Short side) of the field.
This kick can catch the defence unaware because they could be expecting the ball to be passed out, instead, the scrum-half aims to kick the ball behind the opposition forwards, aiming to isolate the receiver, usually a wing or fullback, making them vulnerable to the turn over should the chase be executed well enough.
The box kick can be a very risky attacking option if it is executed poorly as you can give away possession too easily, while at the same time you can also give the defence a large amount of space to attack into.
Technique
EYES & HANDS
- Keep eyes on the ball.
- Fingers spread facing the direction of the ball to ensure quick hand placement and ball drop onto foot.
BALANCE
- Ensure you legs are in a good strong position, ready to take the first step before the kick.
- During and after the kick, the legs and core must provide balance to ensure maximum power and accuracy.
BALL ANGLE
- Focus on dropping the ball at the correct angle and height according to the type of kick needed to execute.
- A poorly placed ball before the kick leads to huge inaccuracies
BALL STRIKE
- Make contact with the ball lower down, this is the area where the most power can be transferred into the ball for vertical height.
- If the foot makes contact higher up off the ground the power will decrease significantly as the leg is entering its deceleration phase.
- Ensure the foot is flexed, this gives a stronger platform from which to kick the ball
TRAJECTORY
- Foot must make contact with the nose of the ball, as this is the area where the foot transfers the most power through the ball
- By kicking the ball at this point the kicker can more accurately control the balls trajectory and create a backspin effect, which can assist with regaining possession if the ball hits the ground.