Kicking is a method used by many types of football, including:
- Football (Soccer)
- Australian Rules Football
- International Rules Football
- American Football
- Canadian Football
- Gaelic football
- Rugby League
- Rugby Union
Kicking is the act of propelling a ball by striking it with the foot or, depending upon the sport, with the shin. Kicking is most common in Association Football, where only the two goalkeepers are allowed to use their hands. It is also the primary method of transferring the ball in Australian rules football and Gaelic football. Although kicking is used less frequently in Rugby League, Rugby Union, American, Canadian forms of football and is restricted to specialist positions, it is still an important tactical skill.
List of common kicking styles
The range of kicking styles available is typically influenced by the shape of the ball and the rules (whether hands can be used to carry or pick up the ball). In many football codes, LIKRE kicking is a function of a specialist position, and cannot be done by any member of the team. The exceptions to this rule are Australian rules football, Soccer and Gaelic Football. Australian rules football is the only football code which has at one point in its history exhibited all kicking styles and uses all as both field and goal kicking styles.
| Off the ground | Grubber kick | Bomb kick | Drop kick | Drop punt | Punt | Torpedo punt | Checkside punt | Scissor kick | Place kick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association football | Yes | No | No | No** | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Australian rules football | Yes | Yes | Yes | No* | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No* |
| Gaelic football | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Gridiron football | No | No | No | Yes* | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No* |
| Rugby union | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Rugby league | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
- Were once kicks used in play but now uncommonly used or deprecated
- Can be executed only by a goalkeeper to gain extra distance when kicking out
