Skills of the Game: The free kick with Martin Penrose

The free kick is one of the most basic and yet one of the most important skills in Gaelic football.

Striking a free kick properly requires a combination of technique, natural ball-striking ability, repeated practice and a routine that can be relied on even in the most pressurised situations.

Tyrone forward Martin Penrose continues to buck the recent trend of free takers reverting to kicking balls from the ground.

The Aghyaran clubman employs a very individual and distinctive technique for taking frees from his hands.

Here, Martin outlines some of the elements involved in executing the skill.

Keep your options open

“I have always kicked frees from my hand, but in the last year or two I have been practicing off the ground. It’s no harm to practice both ways, but at the minute I prefer kicking them out of my hands. You would never know I may switch back at some point in the future. I definitely think the free from the ground is coming back into fashion again.

“The connection is all important when kicking the ball off the ground. If you catch it right, then they have a good chance of going over, but it is all down to practice. The more practice you give the skill, the more you are going get out of it. Every time you go out you should always put your head down and work towards a goal of putting as many balls over the bar as possible.”

Practice makes perfect

“I would advise that you start in close and then work your way out the field. Keep practicing. By starting close in, you will build up your confidence and your accuracy will follow. Whatever your stronger foot is, you must make sure to go over to your weaker foot and try the same. Try and be equally as good on both feet. The more you put in, the more you get out of it, as with many skills in Gaelic football.”

Develop your own routine

“I approach the ball from an angle, in a sort of an arc. My father and I would have gone to my local pitch down through the years to practice. I decided at one point that I needed to develop a technique, to hit the ball the same way all the time. I just kept at it. I take six steps back, concentrate, look at the posts, keep my eye at all times on the ball as soon as it leaves my foot. It is very important to develop a technique like that.”

Beating nerves

“For the last year or two I have been taking the frees for Tyrone. Stephen O’Neill got injured and I got the chance to take over free-taking duties. Thankfully I got a chance, but when you do take on the free-taking there is a far greater responsibility on your shoulders. People expect you to score every time.

“Maybe the first year or two it was nerve-wracking taking frees in Croke Park. But it is all down to experience. You get used to it. You get nervous at times before games, but it is all about going out there and knocking over the first free as soon as possible. The nerves tend to fade away then.”