Ask anyone who has ever picked up a Sherrin and they will tell you the same thing: footy ain’t easy. It’s a game that combines determination, skill, strength, guts, intelligence and everything needed to be a leader in what is one of the world’s most exhilarating-yet-challenging contents.

So, when it comes to learning the fundamentals of the great Aussie game, there is some fantastic AFL official merchandise that you can take to your local park or pick up for your local club.

If you’ve been looking to become a comprehensive footy player, one that has all the vital skills like kicking, handballing, marking and tackling down pat, here are some of the essential pieces of training equipment you need for the park and the club:

1. Kicking; handballing & marking: a footy, obviously

Because what’s the point of picking up all the other equipment if you don’t have the match ball to use them with? The Sherrin is the centrepiece of the game, the reason why the players grace the muck and mud week-in, week-out, and what you need to get started on your journey toward being a footy superstar (or at least a local legend, at that!).

You can always start by taking your new footy down to the local oval for a bit of kick-to-kick with some mates before moving on to picking up some of the more advanced pieces of equipment…

2. Ball control; reflexes; handballing & aerial play: the rebounder

The faithful rebounder has long been an essential piece of Aussie Rules training equipment, as it is absolutely no one-trick piece. It has the potential to improve a player’s ball control through quick rebounds, improve their reflexes through the same motion, work on their handballing through putting it through to the rebounder and mark the ball off it, too.

For this, the rebounder has always been an imperative piece of training equipment, and one that can truly help with so many aspects of your game.

3. Blocking; tacking: blocking pad

Another mainstayer of the great Aussie Rules footy training session is the legendary blocking pad, designed to help you work on both your blocking and tackling.

Blocking and tackling are both imperative aspects of a solid Aussie Rules defence, and are vital for winning the ball back in those tough contents as well as defending your teammates who are on the hunt for the ball.

Therefore, it is vital that you work on your strength in these two most important defensive/offensive aspects of the game. You don’t want to find yourself being laid when you’re the one who is supposed to be doing the tackling - it’s a good way to find yourself being pulled from the field!

4. Handballing; kicking: handball target

One of the more enjoyable pieces of training equipment, the afl legendary handball target is a fun and exciting way to train your handballing (and to a lesser degree, kicking) skills.

You get a few mates together or have a little handballing competition towards the end of practice to see who has the ultimate skills in this most important aspect of the game. As the game speeds up and the players rely more on precision rather than bombing it down the field, handballing has become even more vital, so something like the handball target is what you want to ensure your game is at another level!

Pick these awesome pieces of equipment up if you really want to improve your skills in what is truly the legendary Aussie sport.