Kicking Styles – Quade Cooper, Queensland, Australia

England’s Johnny Wilkinson brought in the standing prayer stance that was adopted by many goal kickers looking to emulate the great flyhalf.

Now Australia’s Quade Cooper is looking to introduce a new style that has elements of Austin Powers, Discobolis and a couple of cartoon characters.

The Queensland Red’s flyhalf starts the kick from a standing stance with his upper body in a twist as if he were ready to go up on one foot and take off running in a caracature-like fashion.

Influences?

While there are elements of several well-known characters, upon careful examination it is the slightly lesser known cartoon, Snagglepuss that is the real source.

Snagglepuss and his protege, Quade Cooper

Snagglepuss was the somewhat-less-than-fearless lion who would ‘exit stage left’.

‘Heavens to murgatroid’ was the other catch-cry of the effeminate feline and we have found one can gain a real empathy for Cooper’s kicking if you recite that line just before he takes a kick.

Cooper first tried out the ‘exit stage left’ in the pre-season of this year’s Super 14 when he was caught breaking into someone’s house. The move needed work however as Cooper was taken to task for the incident.

‘The Snagglepuss’

Hannah Barbera carton character, Snagglepuss is seen in this video, exiting stage left at the 36 second mark. We believe this is where Cooper got the idea for incorporating the pre-exit twist into his kicking style.

What will we see next? – the Fred Flinstone 10 pin run up?