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Dublin: 10 °C Thursday 23 May, 2013

How to kick penalties in 6 easy steps… with Johnny Sexton

We togged out with Ireland out half for a lesson in how to knock over penalties. Here’s how.

TAKING A BREAK from his preparations from next month’s Rugby World Cup, Johnny Sexton tried to teach TheScore’s Paul Fennessy how to kick at Donnybrook.

Our man is not quite, as is the rugby parlance, yet putting his hand up for a seat on Deccie’s plane to New Zealand. But he certainly learned a lot.

So, thanks to the Leinster man, here’s how to take a penalty like a European champion.

How to kick penalties in 6 easy steps… with Johnny Sexton
1 / 6
  • 1. Set up

    Set up of the ball is the first step – making sure it’s lined up right. I'd only change one or two things about my routine during the off season usually.
  • 2. Steps

    Stand up and I take three steps back. I don't have any real superstitions really.
  • 3. Visualise

    I pick my target at the top of the posts. I choose an imaginary target rather than a real one, as it can be distracting if I'm looking at a guy standing up and waving two pints of Guinness at me.
  • 4. Make and angle and repeat key words

    Then take three steps to the side making sure I’m on the right angle. I need to keep in a positive frame of mind at this stage obviously. If you stand over a kick and say ‘don’t miss left, don’t miss left,’ you’re going to miss right, or you’re going to miss left. Whereas if I say stay tall, I know that by staying tall, that’s gonna make the kick go over. Then it’s just three steps in, I say a couple of key words to myself - which change all the time - and then strike down the line of the ball. It’s simple stuff.
  • 5. Kick

    If you focus on something positive, it’ll keep the negative thoughts out of your mind. If I’ve done something badly during the week, my positive thought might be to counteract what I’ve done wrong – keep my left shoulder in rather than whipping it around so I don’t miss left or keep my head still, don’t look too early and I’d change them a little bit.
  • 6. Boom

    Just put your foot through it and stay positive. If I carry through my routine, I don’t mind what happens to the ball. If I don’t do my routine and I miss I get a bit angry with myself.

  • Guinness Rugby ambassador Johnny Sexton may be travelling to the other side of the world in September, but rugby fans can get all the latest news updates from inside the Irish camp with Johnny and the six other members of the Guinness Rugby team including player updates, blogs and rugby analysis on the Guinness Rugby Supporters Facebook Page.

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