Torpedo punt
Encyclopedia
The torpedo punt, similar to a punt in American Football
, is a kicking technique implemented in Rugby League
, Rugby Union
and Australian rules football
to enhance the distance the ball is kicked.
In rugby, the skill was once frequently applied as clearing kicks by players in the backline. Its use in the rugby codes in similarly related almost entirely to clearing and distance kicks from a team's own territory. From the 1980s, more prevalent use of the drop punt for accurate field kicking led to Australian Football League
coaches discouraging the use of the torpedo in general field play as a comparatively low percentage kick. It is now seldom used, with the exception of occasional shots for goal after the siren and to avert the tactic of flooding
, and sometimes set kicks from full-back.
Gordon Rattray
of Fitzroy was the first to use the torpedo punt.
The ball spins about its long axis instead of end over end (as the drop punt
does), making the flight of the ball more aerodynamic, but more difficult to catch (or mark
in some football codes). The pointier ends make the ball easier to catch in American Football. With extra distance, this type of kick is also more difficult to accurately judge depth.
If kicked correctly, an Australian Football can travel up to 80 metres, while a normal punt will travel slightly less far.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, is a kicking technique implemented in Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
to enhance the distance the ball is kicked.
In rugby, the skill was once frequently applied as clearing kicks by players in the backline. Its use in the rugby codes in similarly related almost entirely to clearing and distance kicks from a team's own territory. From the 1980s, more prevalent use of the drop punt for accurate field kicking led to Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
coaches discouraging the use of the torpedo in general field play as a comparatively low percentage kick. It is now seldom used, with the exception of occasional shots for goal after the siren and to avert the tactic of flooding
Flooding (Australian football)
Flooding is a tactic used in the sport of Australian rules football. It involves the coach releasing players in the forward line from their set positions and directing them to the opposition forward area, congesting the area and making it more difficult for the opposition to score. It is commonly...
, and sometimes set kicks from full-back.
Gordon Rattray
Gordon Rattray
Gordon Kitchener Rattray was an Australian rules footballer who played with and coached Fitzroy in the VFL.The son of Bruce Rattray , Gordon Kitchener Rattray was born on born 19 October 1898 at Shepparton...
of Fitzroy was the first to use the torpedo punt.
The ball spins about its long axis instead of end over end (as the drop punt
Drop punt
A drop punt is a type of kick in various codes of football.It is the primary method of disposing the ball by foot in Australian rules football and the name describes its technique. The ball is held vertically, and dropped and kicked before it hits the ground, resulting in the ball spinning...
does), making the flight of the ball more aerodynamic, but more difficult to catch (or mark
Mark (Australian football)
A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground....
in some football codes). The pointier ends make the ball easier to catch in American Football. With extra distance, this type of kick is also more difficult to accurately judge depth.
If kicked correctly, an Australian Football can travel up to 80 metres, while a normal punt will travel slightly less far.
Other Names
The Torpedo Punt has also been known as torpedo, torp, barrel, torey, screw punt, spiral punt and spiralpunt and most commonly used, the spiral. The phrase "to unload a torp" is perhaps the most common colloquialism in Australian football vernacular for executing a torpedo punt.Modern Exponents
Some of the best modern exponents of the torpedo punt in Australian Football include:Current Players
- Shannon HurnShannon HurnShannon William Hurn is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Hurn was selected in the 2005 AFL Draft and was listed by the West Coast Eagles...
- West Coast EaglesWest Coast EaglesThe West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval... - Dustin FletcherDustin FletcherDustin Fletcher is an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club. He is renowned as one of the finest defenders in the AFL, and has played at full-back for his team for many years. He is the son of former Bombers captain Ken Fletcher...
- Essendon Football ClubEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... - Tyson GoldsackTyson GoldsackTyson Goldsack is a professional Australian rules football player currently playing with the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.- Early life :...
- Collingwood Football ClubCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... - Dale ThomasDale Thomas (footballer)Dale Robert Jordan Thomas is a professional Australian rules football player currently with the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.-Early life:...
- Collingwood Football ClubCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... - Alan DidakAlan DidakAlan Didak is a professional Australian rules footballer of Croatian descent playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.- Early life :...
- Collingwood Football ClubCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... - Travis BoakTravis BoakTravis Boak is an Australian rules footballer currently contracted to the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League . He was Port Adelaide's first selection and fifth overall in the 2006 AFL Draft from the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup.-2007:Boak made his AFL debut in a 31...
- Port Adelaide Football ClubPort Adelaide Football ClubThe Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
Past Players
- Peter DaicosPeter DaicosPeter Daicos is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire 250 game career with the Collingwood Football Club in the VFL/AFL....
- Collingwood Football ClubCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... - Darren Bennett - Melbourne Football ClubMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
- Malcolm BlightMalcolm BlightMalcolm Jack Blight AM is a former champion Australian rules football player and coach, and current television commentator. During the 1970s and 1980s Blight played for the Woodville Football Club in the South Australian National Football League and the North Melbourne Football Club in the...
- North Melbourne Football ClubNorth Melbourne Football ClubThe North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world... - Derek KickettDerek KickettDerek Thomas Kickett is a former Australian rules footballer. A journeyman, Kickett played with seven different VFL/AFL, WAFL and SANFL clubs through his career....
- Essendon Football ClubEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... - Bernie QuinlanBernie QuinlanBernie Quinlan , was a former Australian rules footballer and coach, who enjoyed a lengthy career with Footscray and Fitzroy in the VFL. He played 366 league games in total.- Playing career :...
- Fitzroy Football ClubFitzroy Football ClubThe Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897... - Nicky WinmarNicky WinmarNeil Elvis "Nicky" Winmar is a former Australian Footballer of an indigenous background who played for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League.- AFL career :...
- St Kilda Football Club - Stuart DewStuart DewStuart Dew is a former Australian rules footballer and dual premiership-player for Port Adelaide and Hawthorn in the Australian Football League. Dew was a student at Enfield High School prior to his AFL career....
- Port Adelaide Football ClubPort Adelaide Football ClubThe Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
/ Hawthorn Football ClubHawthorn Football ClubThe Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys... - Jim JessJim JessJim Jess is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1976 and 1988 for the Richmond Football Club.- References :* Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old , Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996...
- Richmond Football ClubRichmond Football ClubThe Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,... - Matthew RobranMatthew RobranMatthew Robran is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League.-Player honours:* 1997 premiership player* 1998 premiership player*Adelaide Team of the Decade- References :...
- Adelaide Football Club - Saverio RoccaSaverio RoccaSaverio "Sav" Giovanni Rocca is a punter for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League and former Australian rules footballer for both and in the Australian Football League. He has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles.He is one of a few players who have converted from...
- Collingwood Football ClubCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
/ Kangaroos Football ClubKangaroos Football ClubThe North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world... - Anthony RoccaAnthony RoccaAnthony Rocca is a former Australian rules footballer who has played with the Sydney Swans and Collingwood in the Australian Football League...
- Collingwood Football ClubCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... - Ben Graham - Geelong Football ClubGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
- Byron PickettByron PickettByron Pickett is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with three clubs in the AFL. He was known as a big game player as well as for his strength, hard bumps and tough approach to the game. Pickett is one of 12 players with two premiership medallions, a Norm Smith Medal...
- Melbourne Football ClubMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria.... - Paul WheatleyPaul WheatleyPaul Wheatley is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League .A Preston Knights recruit, Wheatley made his debut for the Melbourne Football Club in 2000, after being selected at number 20 in the 1999 AFL Draft.Wheatley is known for his prodigious kicking, with his...
- Melbourne Football ClubMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria.... - Daniel BradshawDaniel BradshawDaniel Mark Bradshaw is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League....
- Sydney SwansSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
/ Brisbane LionsBrisbane LionsThe Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
See also
- Grubber kickGrubber kickThe Grubber kick is a type of kick in various codes of football with an oval ball which results in the ball moving erratically along the ground....
- Bomb kickBomb kickAn up and under is a type of kick in various codes of football. It is a high short punt onto or behind the defending team is a useful tactic both for attacking and defending...
- Drop kickDrop kickA drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....
- Drop puntDrop puntA drop punt is a type of kick in various codes of football.It is the primary method of disposing the ball by foot in Australian rules football and the name describes its technique. The ball is held vertically, and dropped and kicked before it hits the ground, resulting in the ball spinning...
(Australian Rules Football) - Punt (American football)Punt (football)In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
- Checkside puntCheckside puntIs like a banana kick but the opposite way, the checkside punt is a kicking style used in Australian Rules and rugby league football. When kicked, it bends away from the body and is usually used when a set shot for goal is lined up on a narrow angle....
- Snap kickSnap kickThe snap kick is a kicking technique used in many martial arts including karate as well as in Australian rules football.-Australian rules football:...