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  1. #1
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    Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Are AFL players wearing flippers? The art of goal kicking failing the modern game


    Your team has possession of the football most of the game. They are leading in tackles, in centre clearances, in 50-metre entries, and yet on the scoreboard they are barely in front.

    They risk being overrun by the opposition at any minute and the crowd is losing their minds. Why?
    Because key forwards have been kicking like they're wearing flippers and missing the goals.

    The Adelaide Crows did it in round 22 against the Sydney Swans. Port Adelaide Power did it against the West Coast Eagles on Saturday.

    But nearly every football fan has watched their team kick themselves out of a game they should otherwise win.

    So how does a professional footballer, who earns hundreds of thousands a year to kick goals, line up directly in front from 20 metres out, hit the post, score a point, or put the ball out of bounds on the full?

    Ex-Swans player Tim Schmidt runs a specialised kicking school and said the game was quicker and faster than ever.

    He said players were often fatigued by the time they got their chance at a set shot.

    "The game is obviously a lot different to what it was years ago, when you'd have your Tony Locketts, Jason Dunstalls, Gary Abletts [senior] kicking 10 goals a game," Schmidt said.

    "Nowadays it's more of a spread. You've got a lot of midfielders pushing down and kicking goals."

    At the same time, however, he said it was frustrating to watch modern players miss what should be simple set shots.

    "They're professional footballers and they should be kicking them. They should be practising their goal kicking enough to be able to kick those goals," Schmidt said.

    "There's so much riding on it."

    Players psyching themselves out of kicking truly

    Psychological pressure on players is intensifying as the AFL becomes increasingly high profile through television coverage.

    The impact on footballers is so obvious that supporters often have running jokes on some of the game's biggest names.

    They can fight for the ball and clear it with acts of brilliance, yet when it comes to kicking the ball they can send it just about anywhere other than its intended target.

    For players in the grips of a kicking disorder and plummeting confidence, Schmidt advised them to go back to basics, go through their routine, block everything out and focus on the goal umpire or somebody behind the goal umpire.

    "You need to concentrate on what you need to do to kick the ball and not on the actual result," he said.
    "If you worry about what you can control, your technique, then the result takes care of itself.

    "If you worry about the result, there's more chance for error in the actual technique."

    But modern goal-kicking techniques were an area that had largely changed for the worse, Schmidt said.

    He said the greats kept everything in line with the target, moved forward in a straight line while kicking and followed through in the same straight motion.

    "Nowadays you look at a lot of players and they'll either lean back or they'll twist, and they don't have heaps of momentum going towards the target," he said.

    "That just makes it harder to get all the timing right and therefore there's going to be more chances for error, and that's why the kicking percentages have been decreasing over the years."

    Schmidt said one of the simplest and most effective practice routines was lane kicking — groups leading and kicking to each other in straight lines.

    "Generally when you keep everything straight towards the target, and you keep the momentum going towards it, the kicks go straight."

    He said he altered his own routine to focus on forward momentum while playing in the AFL and said it improved his consistency.

    Follow the same routine no matter what

    Another problem with AFL kicking, Schmidt said, was players often relaxed their routine if, for example, they were kicking from just 20 metres directly in front and believed it to be a simple shot.

    "When I teach kids and adults about their kicking technique, I tell them they should be kicking through the footy every time," he said.

    "The more you do that, you're going to be consistent in your techniques.

    "Whereas if you're doing something different for 20 metres than you would for 40 metres, there is more chance of error happening."

    Just ask West Coast Eagles player Luke Shuey, who, after kicking the winning goal after the siren in extra time at Adelaide Oval, explained how he put his focus into going through his usual routine to kick the ball regardless of the pressure.

    Schmidt said the greatest stars reached the top through hours of practice doing the same thing over and over again until it became muscle memory.

    "Have a look at [basketballer] Michael Jordan. How many hours did he practise doing the same thing?"
    But asked if football players today were a worse kick than those last century, Schmidt said it was hard to compare because the sport was constantly evolving.

    "I'd almost say they were more skilful now because it's a full-time job so they're touching the footy more. But it is frustrating to see the goal-kicking percentage not increasing with that skill level as well."
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  2. #2
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    I lost interest about a quarter of the way through and the will to live was almost completely gone by halfway through so I didn't actually finish. Is it just a long way of saying "stand upright, walk in a straight line, keep your head over the ball when it hits your foot and follow through." Because that's all it needs to say. That's all there is to kicking a footy.

    It's not complicated.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

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  4. #3
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by Twodogs View Post
    I lost interest about a quarter of the way through and the will to live was almost completely gone by halfway through so I didn't actually finish. Is it just a long way of saying "stand upright, walk in a straight line, keep your head over the ball when it hits your foot and follow through." Because that's all it needs to say. That's all there is to kicking a footy.

    It's not complicated.
    Same as putting eh?
    Golfers practise putting a lot even though the mechanics are simple. I am not convinced our footballers practise goalkicking enough. Which is ridiculous. Drill, drill and drill, then you will drill it consistently.
    Footscray Football Republic.

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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by BornInDroopSt'54 View Post
    Same as putting eh?
    Golfers practise putting a lot even though the mechanics are simple. I am not convinced our footballers practise goalkicking enough. Which is ridiculous. Drill, drill and drill, then you will drill it consistently.
    It's exactly he same routine as and much the same technique as driving a golf ball. You shouldn't be looking at the goal as you run in and keep your head down until well after your foot hits the ball. I've been taught that keeping your head down as the club hits the ball is the correct way to drive a golf ball but I don't much get past the driving range so my putting technique is a bit rusty.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

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  7. #5
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by Twodogs View Post
    It's exactly he same routine as and much the same technique as driving a golf ball. You shouldn't be looking at the goal as you run in and keep your head down until well after your foot hits the ball. I've been taught that keeping your head down as the club hits the ball is the correct way to drive a golf ball but I don't much get past the driving range so my putting technique is a bit rusty.
    Putting is harder than kicking goals sometimes. With putting you also have the added factor of the slope of the land, the roughness of the ground, the length of the putt. With goal kicking, there is the wind, or rain factor which is usually something we will forgive if a player misses.
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    Putting is harder than kicking goals sometimes. With putting you also have the added factor of the slope of the land, the roughness of the ground, the length of the putt. With goal kicking, there is the wind, or rain factor which is usually something we will forgive if a player misses.
    It's more the technique. Driving is a better analogy because you follow through in kind of the same way and it's important to keep your head down despite the temptation to look up straight away to see where the ball is going.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

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  11. #7
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Sorry TD, I love you, but I'm not with you on any of this other than suggesting the protagonist in the article is full of shite.
    Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by jeemak View Post
    Sorry TD, I love you, but I'm not with you on any of this other than suggesting the protagonist in the article is full of shite.
    You have a better way to kick a footy? I'm all ears.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

  13. #9
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by Twodogs View Post
    You have a better way to kick a footy? I'm all ears.
    Sorry, I meant to say I think set shot kicking (excluding kicking around the corner) is more akin to putting. You need the same stroke each and every time. That's not the case with using a driver, where you might try and shape it......if you're good enough.

    Perhaps the only time you wouldn't with set shot kicking is when you're going into a head wind and need to keep the ball lower.

    I'm not a fan of how upright players are in their approach a lot of the time, I think it makes them prone to leaning back. Whilst I'm not a stickler for running in arrow straight, approaches with a bias towards the opposite foot really irk me - a small bias towards the kicking side isn't so much of an issue for me.

    Lastly I think a lot of players take too big a run up, but it seems to work for Ben Brown. Momentum at the time of kicking is more important than distance covered. Don't get me started on waving the ball around during the approach!
    Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

  14. #10
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Here is how to do it:

    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  15. #11
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    Here is how to do it:

    Taught that way at age 12 , nothing's changed , pretty simple.
    You have to wonder why and how AFL footballers are trained nowadays . At my age kicking goals was the best and most satisfying thing , nowadays it's more following the set ups and how to lead to right areas etc, forgotten the most exciting part of football kicking goals !
    Bring back the biff

  16. #12
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by ledge View Post
    Taught that way at age 12 , nothing's changed , pretty simple.
    You have to wonder why and how AFL footballers are trained nowadays . At my age kicking goals was the best and most satisfying thing , nowadays it's more following the set ups and how to lead to right areas etc, forgotten the most exciting part of football kicking goals !
    I wonder about almost every player on our list and why they will do almost anything to avoid having a shot at goal. Why? If the ball bounced to me while I was sitting on the interchange the first thing I'd think when I picked it up was "can I kick one from here?" Kicking a goal is the best thing that can happen when you are playing footy, it's the whole point of the game! I don't know why our players have developed a pathology for it. And it's not a recent thing. Chris Grant would have rather have dished the ball off instead of take a shot from 15 metres out sometimes.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by jeemak View Post
    Sorry, I meant to say I think set shot kicking (excluding kicking around the corner) is more akin to putting. You need the same stroke each and every time. That's not the case with using a driver, where you might try and shape it......if you're good enough.

    Perhaps the only time you wouldn't with set shot kicking is when you're going into a head wind and need to keep the ball lower.

    I'm not a fan of how upright players are in their approach a lot of the time, I think it makes them prone to leaning back. Whilst I'm not a stickler for running in arrow straight, approaches with a bias towards the opposite foot really irk me - a small bias towards the kicking side isn't so much of an issue for me.

    Lastly I think a lot of players take too big a run up, but it seems to work for Ben Brown. Momentum at the time of kicking is more important than distance covered. Don't get me started on waving the ball around during the approach!

    Oh waving the ball around is my most frustrating trait in a player. HOLD THE *!*!*!*!ING THING STILL YOU DILL.

    Actually you could develop a whole string of little sayings, "only a dill doesn't hold the ball still"

    Do you shape the ball more when you are pitching (virtually the only thing I'm good at, I'd use a pitcher of the tee every time if the others didn't look strangely at me whenever I did) or driving?
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

  18. #14
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by Twodogs View Post
    Oh waving the ball around is my most frustrating trait in a player. HOLD THE *!*!*!*!ING THING STILL YOU DILL.

    Actually you could develop a whole string of little sayings, "only a dill doesn't hold the ball still"

    Do you shape the ball more when you are pitching (virtually the only thing I'm good at, I'd use a pitcher of the tee every time if the others didn't look strangely at me whenever I did) or driving?
    I notice Clay Smith do this but he is not a bad shot for goal.

  19. #15
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    Re: Goal Kicking - One for Twodogs

    Quote Originally Posted by Bulldog4life View Post
    I notice Clay Smith do this but he is not a bad shot for goal.

    Clay is an interesting example. He has the strangest kick for goal. The ball arcs of his foot in a kind of circular fashion and continues that way. Most kicks travel slightly diagonally then straight then the momentum fails and the ball falls to the ground but Clay's don't. Clay's kicks travel in a semi circle. It's like his shots don't fade or draw like every other player but go straight up instead.

    But I wouldn't want to fix Clay. He's fine.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

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