Damien Hill has plenty of time to think about the Wests Tigers kicking game in his weekly travels.
The 40-year-old travels down from his Newcastle residence each week of the NRL season in his role as the Clubs part-time kicking coach. 'Hilly' works with the likes of Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah, Braith Anasta to young guns Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses.
Hill says the Club is fortunate to have many quality kickers.
There is always room for improvement with every kicker but there is plenty of talent here, Hill said.
What I try to do is not mould one particular kicker. You work on their strengths and weaknesses. I have a few little principles that we work on. Some are non-negotiable, some are negotiable. At the end of the day, you want to work on the principles of the kick.
We work on all aspects from general play kicking, yardage, goal-kicking, short kicks, to working on their technical kicks.
For a goal-kicker, they have an approach, a contact and a follow through. We work on each of those principles with some training drills and then finish with one off kicks to get them ready for game preparation.
Hill said he was very happy with the current technique of Marshall.
In a game, I look at Benjis set up and hope it has stayed the same as to what we worked on during the week, he added.
You look at how well he is approaching the ball, the contact and the follow through. You hope he kicks it through the posts, especially the attempts from the sidelines.
I dont get any gut instincts before he kicks the ball. Each kick is different and you treat it on its own merits.
Im quite happy with how Benji is kicking. He knows every set up of his kick and he is a joy to work with. The year before I started, Benji kicked that one step 51 metre field goal at Campbelltown on half-time. I thought wow, what an athlete.
"I knew then that he had a great leg on him so it has been a case of refining a few things without changing his style.
Hill said he has been very impressed with what he has seen from Brooks and Moses in their first season at Wests Tigers.
Luke is a phenomenal kicker. He is only going to get stronger and stronger once he knows the principles of his kick. He has got a massive left leg on him, Hill said.
Mitchell Moses can also strike the ball well. He has got a great temperament with his kick.
Both are only going to get better once they understand the fundamentals of kicking more.
FOOTNOTE: This story is one of many articles published in the latest addition of the Club's 'Tiger Talk' magazine. If you like a copy, email reception@weststigers.com.au with your postal address details.
Copies are also available at Gearzone Macarthur Square and at Concord Oval.
The 40-year-old travels down from his Newcastle residence each week of the NRL season in his role as the Clubs part-time kicking coach. 'Hilly' works with the likes of Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah, Braith Anasta to young guns Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses.
Hill says the Club is fortunate to have many quality kickers.
There is always room for improvement with every kicker but there is plenty of talent here, Hill said.
What I try to do is not mould one particular kicker. You work on their strengths and weaknesses. I have a few little principles that we work on. Some are non-negotiable, some are negotiable. At the end of the day, you want to work on the principles of the kick.
We work on all aspects from general play kicking, yardage, goal-kicking, short kicks, to working on their technical kicks.
For a goal-kicker, they have an approach, a contact and a follow through. We work on each of those principles with some training drills and then finish with one off kicks to get them ready for game preparation.
Hill said he was very happy with the current technique of Marshall.
In a game, I look at Benjis set up and hope it has stayed the same as to what we worked on during the week, he added.
You look at how well he is approaching the ball, the contact and the follow through. You hope he kicks it through the posts, especially the attempts from the sidelines.
I dont get any gut instincts before he kicks the ball. Each kick is different and you treat it on its own merits.
Im quite happy with how Benji is kicking. He knows every set up of his kick and he is a joy to work with. The year before I started, Benji kicked that one step 51 metre field goal at Campbelltown on half-time. I thought wow, what an athlete.
"I knew then that he had a great leg on him so it has been a case of refining a few things without changing his style.
Hill said he has been very impressed with what he has seen from Brooks and Moses in their first season at Wests Tigers.
Luke is a phenomenal kicker. He is only going to get stronger and stronger once he knows the principles of his kick. He has got a massive left leg on him, Hill said.
Mitchell Moses can also strike the ball well. He has got a great temperament with his kick.
Both are only going to get better once they understand the fundamentals of kicking more.
FOOTNOTE: This story is one of many articles published in the latest addition of the Club's 'Tiger Talk' magazine. If you like a copy, email reception@weststigers.com.au with your postal address details.
Copies are also available at Gearzone Macarthur Square and at Concord Oval.
