Fixing our ****ing awful goal kicking

[The Adelaide Connection]

I have had some suspicions about our goal kicking and watching the players kick at goal in the warm up solidified them somewhat- I think our issues are actually more mental than physical.

In the warm up on Friday our players were nailing them from everywhere. I would hazard a guess that they went at at least 80% from varying distances, angles, etc.; as well as a combination of snaps, set shots, and on the run. Technically it all looked fluent and natural (and highly skilled). I almost had to rub my eyes to make sure I was watching the right team.

I really think the talk could be centred around the wrong aspect of goalkicking (the mechanics and needing more practice etc.) when it might be sports psychology that we need to turn to. Lindsay Thomas, Travis Cloke, and (more recently) Tim Membrey have shown us what can happen when good kicks of the ball lose confidence.

My sample is obviously very small though, it would be interesting to hear from someone that watches us warm up every week (and the shots at training).

[Twodogs]

I have had some suspicions about our goal kicking and watching the players kick at goal in the warm up solidified them somewhat- I think our issues are actually more mental than physical.

In the warm up on Friday our players were nailing them from everywhere. I would hazard a guess that they went at at least 80% from varying distances, angles, etc.; as well as a combination of snaps, set shots, and on the run. Technically it all looked fluent and natural (and highly skilled). I almost had to rub my eyes to make sure I was watching the right team.

I really think the talk could be centred around the wrong aspect of goalkicking (the mechanics and needing more practice etc.) when it might be sports psychology that we need to turn to. Lindsay Thomas, Travis Cloke, and (more recently) Tim Membrey have shown us what can happen when good kicks of the ball lose confidence.

My sample is obviously very small though, it would be interesting to hear from someone that watches us warm up every week (and the shots at training).

Was there anyone standing on the mark while they were practising having shots?

[Mofra]

Didn't Chris Grant fix his yips by completely abandoning the concept of goal kicking?
Started just looking at a point in the crowd and treated a shot for goal as a pass to that point in the crowd. Helped markedly.

[Twodogs]

Didn't Chris Grant fix his yips by completely abandoning the concept of goal kicking?
Started just looking at a point in the crowd and treated a shot for goal as a pass to that point in the crowd. Helped markedly.

That's a good way of overcoming the yips. Just overlook the fact you are shooting for goal and aim for something pat it.

[The bulldog tragician]

It's a skill component mostly which GVG, BAD and Twodogs have provided the most simple and effective resolution. It is so frustrating that our footy dept appear to be stead fast, stubborn, in their approach.

There's a philosophical, psychological component at play here too. One thought I had is simply understanding the value of a goal. It is six points. But it is also potentially 5-10 extra entries the opposition need to square the ledger, which is extra kms running, jumping, tackling etc. We are spending all our tickets on getting the ball in their for no reward. Then the opposition jags one and we have to muster up that extra effort, again for no reward. Scoreboard pressure. We aren't applying it. In an era where pressure is central to analysis we've forgotten about scoreboard pressure.

Operant conditioning suggests that when you don't get reward for behaviours eventually there is a decay or extinction to those behaviours. I think we see that in game, against the Crows early we were defensively sound and winning enough footy. It all dropped off and we effectively got blown away because the good work didn't reinforce the good behaviours. Impact two fold : No scoreboard pressure, reduced effort. It's been the case now in R1,2 & Friday night which have been terrible performances.

I think this is a really good point. A few commentators did observe that our game style was so taxing it explained the 2017 drop off. In the finals series I wonder what % of our goals were from multiple repeat acts of desperation - yes, Shane Biggs, you really put in one of the most awesome 30 seconds or so that I’ve ever seen in a Bulldogs player. There certainly weren’t a lot of the ‘kick to a leading forward, mark calmly taken, go back and nail a straightforward shot’ scenarios.

[GVGjr]

I think this is a really good point. A few commentators did observe that our game style was so taxing it explained the 2017 drop off. In the finals series I wonder what % of our goals were from multiple repeat acts of desperation - yes, Shane Biggs, you really put in one of the most awesome 30 seconds or so that I’ve ever seen in a Bulldogs player. There certainly weren’t a lot of the ‘kick to a leading forward, mark calmly taken, go back and nail a straightforward shot’ scenarios.

I've listened to the arguments that our poor conversion rate is due to fatigue but it doesn't explain why we miss goals early in quarters particularly in the first half.

I was also listening to something on the TV tonight on how frustrated midfielders and defenders might be to see all their good work undone by forwards missing their set shots. Goals can lift teams, to miss them miserably throughout games must knock a teams momentum.

[Twodogs]

I've listened to the arguments that our poor conversion rate is due to fatigue but it doesn't explain why we miss goals early in quarters particularly in the first half.

I was also listening to something on the TV tonight on how frustrated midfielders and defenders might be to see all their good work undone by forwards missing their set shots. Goals can lift teams, to miss them miserably throughout games must knock a teams momentum.

Constantly missing goals means we are lessening the chance to apply more pressure on the opposition, it's like a fielding dropping 7 out of every 10 catches tgat come to them and ebpventually the bowlers are going to give up. Given our game is based on applying pressure I can't see why the coaches keep trying to explain away our poor conversion rate.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

I've listened to the arguments that our poor conversion rate is due to fatigue but it doesn't explain why we miss goals early in quarters particularly in the first half.

I was also listening to something on the TV tonight on how frustrated midfielders and defenders might be to see all their good work undone by forwards missing their set shots. Goals can lift teams, to miss them miserably throughout games must knock a teams momentum.

Ultimately it comes down to recruiting players with poor kicking techniques. The exception in recent years has been Dickson who has been our most reliable. Having Picken and Liberatore out of the team hasn’t helped as they also have good kicking techniques. Schache also looks good and will make a difference.

[Twodogs]

Ultimately it comes down to recruiting players with poor kicking techniques. The exception in recent years has been Dickson who has been our most reliable. Having Picken and Liberatore out of the team hasn’t helped as they also have good kicking techniques. Schache also looks good and will make a difference.

Correct. The whole reason you have a technique is to give you something to fall back on when you are fatigued. If the rest of your game is struggling because you are so physically exhausted then you should be able to depend on your body reverting to the way it always kicks a footy. Your tired, it's one less thing to think about/cope with as you are weighing up taking one of the most important kicks you are going to have for the game.

Some people (including our coaching staff.*) seem to think learning a technique is an unnecessary complication and players can just free range goals. In fact a technique should be the opposite.






*if we think our players are doing pretty well, getting and surviving on an AFL list without understanding how important kicking technique is how on earth have the coaches made it into coaching without understanding it?

[Mofra]

Ultimately it comes down to recruiting players with poor kicking techniques. The exception in recent years has been Dickson who has been our most reliable. Having Picken and Liberatore out of the team hasn’t helped as they also have good kicking techniques. Schache also looks good and will make a difference.

Lippi also seems to be able to convert when given opportunities. Averaging over a goal per game as a pup in a struggling side

[LostDoggy]

I wonder if we video a player kicking goal after goal at training and then compare that video to how they kick under fatigue and under match conditions. I reckon that'd be a good pointer in developing a reliable process.

[Twodogs]

I wonder if we video a player kicking goal after goal at training and then compare that video to how they kick under fatigue and under match conditions. I reckon that'd be a good pointer in developing a reliable process.

It's because none stands the mark at training, they tell you they are fatigued but they don't replicate match conditions in any other way. I've watched them practice their goalkicking for years and everytime I've seen the players practice they have been wasting their time buecause they aren't improving their goalkicking.

They continue to practice mistakes because none of the coaches watch or get involved.

[Greystache]

It's because none stands the mark at training, they tell you they are fatigued but they don't replicate match conditions in any other way. I've watched them practice their goalkicking for years and everytime I've seen the players practice they have been wasting their time buecause they aren't improving their goalkicking.

They continue to practice mistakes because none of the coaches watch or get involved.

Plus no one tracks or even pays attention to the conversion rate during goal kicking practice. A player could miss 10 in a row and no one but them would know. They also make no effort to gamify practice, there's never a group looking over their shoulder, no one on the mark as you say, and no consequences for missing (whether it be punitive like extra push ups/sprints, or social recognition for losing). Nothing about the limited practice they do replicates match conditions and it shows on game day.

[hujsh]

Good news is we kicked pretty straight.

[G-Mo77]

Good news is we kicked pretty straight.

The solution is not to have shots at goal.