Shooting for goal

AnythingsPossibleSaints · Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:34pm

Our awesome performance on the weekend was only marred by quite a lot of poor set shots for goal. If we'd kicked well, a 100+ points win would have been almost a "given". We also would most likely have shaken them off much earlier.
When I said this to someone else on Monday, he brought up the fact that it must be hard for them to have a shot for goal when they're knackered and their "legs are like jelly" as he put it (especially Rooey, after one of his gut-busting runs) and they only have about 30 seconds to get their composure and breath.
So that got me thinking. When they're practicing their set shots for goal at training, do they run around a whole lot before taking their shots? Because if not and they take their shots when they're nice and relaxed and not out of breath, it's not really helping them to be able to do it on game day, when they're much more out of breath/fatigued.
It's much easier to kick goals if you're calm and feeling good, so they may need to practise them when they're feeling like they do during the game.

plugger66 · Post: # 779633Post **plugger66** » Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:36pm

They dont train hard enough to get knackered like they do in a game.

AnythingsPossibleSaints · Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:41pm

Maybe those who are having the most set shots need to. Or if they're having end to end work, when the ball leaves their area to go up the other end, get them another ball quickly, so that they can have a shot straight after they've just been in a contest (while the main ball's heading up the other end). It could help create some "pressure" and let them practise while they're more fatigued.

fingers · Post: # 779639Post **fingers** » Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:42pm

You can never create the same atmosphere, nerves or level of fatigue at training that you get in a game. So it comes down to routine. I still think that players do not spend enough time practising set shots.

Compare it to the time that pro golfers spend practicing putts.

saintlee · Post: # 779645Post **saintlee** » Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:47pm

fingers wrote:You can never create the same atmosphere, nerves or level of fatigue at training that you get in a game. So it comes down to routine. I still think that players do not spend enough time practising set shots.

Compare it to the time that pro golfers spend practicing putts.

Or pro tennis players spend practicing serves....it drives me crazy that AFL standard players miss straight forwards set shots.....

AnythingsPossibleSaints · Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:49pm

fingers wrote: I still think that players do not spend enough time practising set shots.

Compare it to the time that pro golfers spend practicing putts.

I agree with that, many/most of them apparently practise their putting and other shots for hours a day, when they're not playing a tournament round. On the day of their rounds they're also practising before and usually after, as well.

bigcarl · Post: # 779648Post **bigcarl** » Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:49pm

saintlee wrote:
fingers wrote:You can never create the same atmosphere, nerves or level of fatigue at training that you get in a game. So it comes down to routine. I still think that players do not spend enough time practising set shots.

Compare it to the time that pro golfers spend practicing putts.
Or pro tennis players spend practicing serves....it drives me crazy that AFL standard players miss straight forwards set shots.....

even bj, one of our best kicks, missed two sitters last week. he needs to spot up a guy in the crowd behind the goals and hit him on the left tit.

yipper · Post: # 779651Post **yipper** » Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:50pm

So you have been strongly advocating that Ross Lyon should rest players before the finals - BUT he should absolutely flog them at training so they kick at goal when they are knackered??? Right... I see.

plugger66 · Post: # 779653Post **plugger66** » Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:52pm

Players arent allowed to practice to much because of the risk of OP. Not sure Golfers can get to many injuries from putting. The medical staff give them a certain amount of time to practice and they cannot go over that time. Miss a shot or be like bally. That could be the choice.

AnythingsPossibleSaints · Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:53pm

bigcarl wrote:
even bj, one of our best kicks, missed two sitters last week. he needs to spot up a guy in the crowd behind the goals and hit him on the left tit.

Indeed. I remember Greg Norman (I think it was) saying that when he's hitting a drive, or a long shot, he's aiming at like a tree trunk, or a post, or something like that, way off in the distance, on the line he wants to hit it. Often that target would be way past where he wanted his ball to actually go, but it helped him narrow his focus.

AnythingsPossibleSaints · Tue 21 Jul 2009 4:56pm

yipper wrote:So you have been strongly advocating that Ross Lyon should rest players before the finals - BUT he should absolutely flog them at training so they kick at goal when they are knackered??? Right... I see.

I'm glad about that!

bigcarl · Post: # 779681Post **bigcarl** » Tue 21 Jul 2009 5:15pm

AnythingsPossibleSaints wrote:
bigcarl wrote:
even bj, one of our best kicks, missed two sitters last week. he needs to spot up a guy in the crowd behind the goals and hit him on the left tit.
Indeed. I remember Greg Norman (I think it was) saying that when he's hitting a drive, or a long shot, he's aiming at like a tree trunk, or a post, or something like that, way off in the distance, on the line he wants to hit it. Often that target would be way past where he wanted his ball to actually go, but it helped him narrow his focus.

interestingly, bj is a very good golfer (and one of those guys who is a natural at most things he tries).

i've read quite a bit of golf instruction (which didn't always help me that much) and, as you say, many of them recommend narrowing the focus as much as possible for both putting and driving.

in other words, if you know exactly what you're trying to hit you have a much better chance.

lockett was the best kick for goal i've seen (by a long way) and his tactic was to try to lob it straight over the goal umpire's head.

makes sense because if the goal umpire is correctly positioned and it goes straight over his head it will be a goal.

perfectionist · Tue 21 Jul 2009 5:26pm

Something we have in common with the Cats but not the Dogs.

AnythingsPossibleSaints · Tue 21 Jul 2009 5:39pm

bigcarl wrote:
AnythingsPossibleSaints wrote:
Indeed. I remember Greg Norman (I think it was) saying that when he's hitting a drive, or a long shot, he's aiming at like a tree trunk, or a post, or something like that, way off in the distance, on the line he wants to hit it. Often that target would be way past where he wanted his ball to actually go, but it helped him narrow his focus.
interestingly, bj is a very good golfer (and one of those guys who is a natural at most things he tries).

i've read quite a bit of golf instruction (which didn't always help me that much) and, as you say, many of them recommend narrowing the focus as much as possible for both putting and driving.

in other words, if you know exactly what you're trying to hit you have a much better chance.

lockett was the best kick for goal i've seen (by a long way) and his tactic was to try to lob it straight over the goal umpire's head.

makes sense because if the goal umpire is correctly positioned and it goes straight over his head it will be a goal.

The other thing about that is that if you miss your more narrow target by a little you still can achieve your ultimate goal. The only problem with aiming at the goal umpire is that when it's windy, it might throw you right off. You probably need to then pick a new target and completely forget about where the goals actually are.
Just like putting, it's not much good aiming at the hole, if there's a big break. You need to pick a new target and fully focus on hitting it at that. The slope will then take it from there to the hole. (If you've picked the right line and hit it the appropriate speed and distance, etc.)
Like Lockett, Gehrig was also pretty deadly accurate with his set shots and he didn't kick it very high at all, especially from 40 and closer. He was usually kicking it half post height and not terribly hard.
The other thing about our kicking the other day was that it was inside, with virtually no wind.

AnythingsPossibleSaints · Tue 21 Jul 2009 8:28pm

Whichever way they train, it's fair to say that there's not much point in our guys busting-a-gut all over the ground in a match, only for it to go forward frequently and have someone kick a point, from a relatively easy shot. Not when there are 6 points on offer.
Having 478 possesions, 145 marks and having the ball for 51% of the game (compared to their 35%), yet only kicking 105 points (when we were massively dominant) is pretty inefficient.
They frequently say they're looking to improve and our conversion hasn't been good a fair bit lately, so that's an area they can definitely improve. I'd much rather they generated 5 less shots for goal, yet kicked 3 more goals, than have 5 more shots and kick 3 less goals. If that means re-jigging the way they train, to put more emphasis on kicking for goal (especially at times where they're a bit more fatigued and out of breath) then it could be very well worth it.