Convict Shirts — AFL Slang & Culture
AFL Kicking Styles Explained: Drop Punt, Torpedo, Snap, Banana and More
The drop punt is the foundation. The torpedo is the distance weapon. The snap and banana are for tight angles. Every AFL kicking style — the technique, the use, and the players who defined each one.
Australian Rules Football is unique in world sport for the range of kicking techniques its players are required to master. Where most football codes use a single primary kick, AFL players deploy five or six distinct kicking styles depending on position, angle, distance, and game situation. Each kick has a name, a technique, and a specific tactical function.
Understanding the kicks is foundational to understanding the game — commentators name them constantly, and knowing what you’re hearing separates the informed viewer from the newcomer.
The Kicks
Drop Punt
Primary disposal — most common kick in AFL
The drop punt is the standard AFL kick and the one every player learns first. The ball is held with the seam vertical, dropped from the hands, and kicked so that the ball tumbles end-over-end in a backward rotation toward the target. The backward spin makes the ball easier to mark — it arrives at the chest or hands with predictable trajectory and minimal side-spin. The drop punt is accurate, consistent, and the preferred kick for direct disposal from most distances. It is the kick that modern coaching has standardised almost universally. If a commentator simply says a player “kicked,” they almost certainly kicked a drop punt.
Torpedo Punt
Distance kick — aka the spiral or torp
The torpedo is the long-distance weapon of AFL football. The ball is held at an angle across the body and released so that it spins on its long axis — producing a spiral that travels further than a drop punt but is harder to mark because it arrives at an angle. Torpedoes are used for long kicks from the defensive half, for boundary throw-ins by ruckmen trying to find a teammate in open space, and occasionally for shots at goal from extreme distance. The torpedo has become less common as analytics have emphasised disposals over distance. It remains one of the most visually spectacular kicks in the game when executed at full pace.
Snap
Set shot alternative — tight angles, around the body
The snap is a kick executed across the body from a tight angle, typically on the run and under pressure. The ball is held across the body and kicked with a flicking, snap motion that sends it curling at goal from an angle where a conventional drop punt would be impossible. Snaps are high-risk, high-reward kicks — they require significant skill to execute accurately and are often attempted in traffic or from extreme angles. A perfectly executed snap from the pocket is one of the most celebrated skills in the game.
Banana Kick
Set shot alternative — deliberate curve
The banana is a deliberately curved kick designed to arc around a defender or around the angle of the goal posts. It is kicked with the outside of the foot, producing a curve that starts wide and swings toward goal. The banana is most commonly used for set shots at goal from sharp angles where a direct kick would be blocked by a defender or would go wide of the post. It requires significant technique to execute reliably and is one of the more distinctive skills in the AFL repertoire.
Stab Pass
Short delivery — flat, fast, low trajectory
The stab pass is a short, flat kick delivered at low trajectory directly to a teammate, typically at close range and under pressure. The ball is stabbed downward with the foot rather than dropped and kicked, producing a flat delivery that arrives quickly. Stab passes are used in congestion, in close-quarter packs, and for quick short deliveries where a conventional kick would take too long or would be intercepted. They are harder to mark but arrive faster. The stab is a utility kick — not a set shot tool but a congestion escape option.
Checkside Punt
Angle kick — cuts away from body
The checkside punt is kicked with the outside of the foot to produce a kick that curves away from the kicker’s body — in the opposite direction to a banana. It is used for set shots from tight angles on the opposite side of the body to the dominant foot, or for directing a kick away from a defender who is expecting the ball to go in the natural direction. The checkside is a specialist skill that many players do not develop. Those who can execute it reliably have a significant advantage in tight-angle situations.
Kick Accuracy and the Mark
The primary reason the drop punt dominates modern AFL is the mark. The ability to take a mark — to catch a kick of fifteen metres or more before it hits the ground — stops play and allows a set shot. Kicks that are easier to mark therefore create better scoring opportunities. The drop punt’s backward rotation makes it the most markable kick, which is why it has become universal at elite level despite the greater distance of the torpedo and the angular flexibility of the snap.
Modern analytics have emphasised kicking efficiency — the percentage of kicks that reach a teammate or produce a scoring opportunity. This has further entrenched the drop punt as the dominant disposal, with the more spectacular kicks reserved for specific tactical situations.
Related Pages
AFL Slang & Culture — The Complete Guide
Read →
What Is a Stab Pass in AFL?
Read →