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In Australian rules football, a ruckman is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages (such as boundary throw-ins and ball-ups). The ruckman is one of the most important players on the field. They are often key to coaching strategy and winning centre clearances which result in the most goal kicking opportunities (inside 50s). The role of the ruckman in Australian rules is similar to a lock in rugby union contesting a line-out. The key differences are that with the exception of boundary throw-ins, the ball is almost always thrown straight up high into the air rather than horizontally, so in this respect, the ruckman is similar to a basketball centre. The ruckman needs to be able to control the ball by palm tap or fist with outstretched arms. Unlike rugby, the ruckman must rely on his vertical leap and is not assisted by teammates and Australian football rucking often involves vigorous mid-air collisions with the opposing ruckman. With no offside or knock on rules, the ruckman can tap the ball in any direction. Before a bounce down or ball up, ruckmen confer with the onballers (rovers and ruck-rovers) to pre-determine the direction of the tap so that they can position themselves to best receive it to the team's advantage. The ruckman is typically the tallest player on either team. A typical professional Australian Football League ruckman is over 200 cm or 6'7. When a ruckman beats his opponent by contacting the ball, it is called a ''hit out'' and measured as a statistic and performance indicator of effective ruckwork. Although the ruckman is the primary player to score hit-outs, sometimes tall key position players fill in for the ruckman around the ground if the ruckman cannot run to make the contest in time. Rucking is one of the most physically demanding positions on the ground, both in terms of fitness and body contact. As a result of the high level of physical contact of clashing with opponents in the air, many ruckmen have large physiques or bulk up to prevent injury. As well, due to the use of knees when jumping, many ruckmen wear protective thigh and shin padding, whereas players in other positions rarely do. Coaches often field more than one ruckman and rotate them due to the physical pressure of the position and the endurance of having to run to ruck contests around the ground. ==Ruck Styles== Ruckmen are sometimes classified by their style of play, although many players alternate styles during a game based on strategy, the style of an opponent, their physical attributes and versatility. A tap ruckman (or palm ruckman) is the most skillful and high jumping of styles. Players using this style will deftly palm the ball directly down to the advantage of a smaller teammate or rover, often making their hitouts the most effective. WAFL and VFL great Polly Farmer is considered to be one of the best all-time ruckmen of this style.〔Bartley, Patrick (Polly Farmer, trailblazer ) The Age September 8, 2010〕 The AFL's Aaron Sandilands is a good current example.〔Gleeson, Michael (Sandilands too big, too strong, too good ) The Age May 15, 2009〕 A mobile ruckman (or mobile bigman) often describes a ruckman that covers a lot of ground. Sometime this type of ruckman is not as tall, as big, or effective at hit outs, but may possess a high leap and a greater athletic endurance. Against less mobile ruckman, this type of player can compensate with an ability to take more marks around the ground playing effectively as a tall ruck rover and sometimes with the additional ability to kick goals while playing from the midfield or drop back into defence when required. Jim Stynes was one of the first modern ruckmen in this mould,〔http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/jim-stynes-changed-the-game-of-afl-as-a-player-and-saved-melbourne-demons-as-president-eddie-mcguire/story-e6frf33l-1226305053433〕 while John Barnes with a shorter stature combined endurance with athleticism and high leap successfully in the late 1980s. The AFL's Drew Petrie , Adam Goodes. Dean Cox is considered one of a new breed of tall ruckmen with exceptional endurance and field coverage. A thump ruckman practices a more physical style of rucking. Typically, the player is of a larger and/or taller build and uses brute force (and a style often referred to as ''crash and bash'') to take their opponent out of the contest and punch the ball forward, typically going for distance and penetration into their attacking zone. These players are typically slower around the ground, as such are sometimes referred to as ''dinosaurs'' and sometimes criticised for a lack of skill around the ground. This type of ruckwork is rarer in the modern game, more so at its highest level. At the beginning of 2003, the AFL rules were changed so that ruckman must stand at opposite sides and run towards each other. This change affected thump ruckmen especially. The physical style can often wear down or even injure their opponents during a game, creating a greater advantage, though the style can also make them more susceptible to long term injuries themselves. A well timed thump can sometimes gain as much distance as a kick, so their hitouts can be highly effective, although more often results in a contest at ground level than always to the advantage of a teammate. Also their hitouts also tend to get negated by mobile rucking opponents who are more dominant around the ground. However some players still use this style well. In the AFL, Dean Brogan , Ivan Maric and Jamie Charman are such ruckmen. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ruckman (Australian rules football)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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