Key Teaching Points

Passing
- Ball is held with two hands on either side of the touch football
- Ball is carried in front of the body
- Step with outside foot
- Weight transferred onto foot closest to target
- Flexion of wrists
- Ball travels backwards and with spiral trajectory
- “step with outside foot, step in, then release”
Types
- Running pass
- Lateral pass
- Half pass (long ball) – single movement to swing ball from ground
- Half pass (pop) – ball flicked from the ground

Catching
- Arms slightly flexed with palms facing inwards at waits level
- Flight path of ball is followed into the hands
- Hands extend with fingers spread and pointing in the direction of the ball
- Elbows and fingers flex to absorb impact

Starts
Roll ball
- Ball is controlled to the ground just in front of or between the feet
- Player steps forward and square over the ball
- Player repositions and is available for a pass
- “slam, step”
- Used after a touch
Tap ball
- Used to start the game and the second half, as well as after a touchdown
- Ball is placed on ground in controlled manner
- The foot is used to slightly tap the ball forward
- Ball is retrieved cleanly from the ground

Evasion
- Slight step to side to establish wider base of support and force commitment to move from
defender
- Body weight is transferred towards stepping leg
- Push off from foot in opposite direction
- Acceleration away from the opponent at ne angle

Defensive
- Returning onside – all defenders must return to the onside position in line with the referee
following every touch effected by a defender
- Ruck defence – moving forward to meet the attack and getting in front to make the touch
- Wrap defence – changing responsibility when attacking player perform a wrap; identify and
prepare to change their positional marking responsibility
Offensive
- Effective running into space, away from defenders and in position to receive the ball
- Scoring a touchdown by placing ball on the ground on or over the score line
- Slide dive to score a touchdown – lowering body position, stretching body over score line
- Switch – pass to support player executing a change in direction
Initiating the touch
Attacking
- Low body position
- Hand nearest defender extends to initiate the touch on opponent at hip height

Defending
- Low body position
- In front of attacker
- Nearest hand to attacker initiates touch on attacker at shoulder height
- Balance is regained and retreats into onside position

(Touch football Australia, 2016: Government of Western Australia Schools Curriculum and Standards
Authority, n.d)