Agreed, watch Viney's time and finish position for the 3k, he is in the leading groups at Goschs

GRRM, gee you must really enjoy the footy, you remind me of David Cross who, when he left King Crimson, stopped listening to music coz he kept analysing it, I don't care if they catch the mark between their head and arm as long as they mark it, same as kicking, if it hits the target that will do me, wobble, grubber, helicopter etc. Yes I would like to see 100% perfection in the skills but it ain't gonna happen, as long as we kick more goals than the opposition going forward, I really don't care how we do it

I am not too soft on the players, I am not on an AFL list, so I feel I can't carp about anybody that is, get frustrated yes, but carp no

Ps I hope u have the number of kids you want, you may be listing to one side come June

I enjoy it when we win or at least display the skills and effort required to be competitive with better teams. I don't enjoy regular hidings like we've had for the last however many years.

If only those on AFL lists could criticise then this message board would be empty and we'd have to reject Brendan McCartney as our soon to be development coaching maestro.

I'm not an educator, teacher or coach by any means. But from everything I've tried to learn there seems to be 2 main steps to acquiring a skill. The first is practice. The more you do it the better you are is true of most things. It's probably why what we call 'training' is called practice by other sports around the world, particularly in the US. But the second is method. And when you have a player who has struggled at a skill at AFL level, as Fitzpatrick has with marking, then I want to see him practising the correct method. I'm all for individual techniques where they are proven successful, I'm not suggesting the club spend hours reworking Watts' kicking or trying to teach Jamar a new way to ruck.

It's funny how the Irish boys who come to AFL clubs with almost no experience kicking a footy can be modelled in to very good kicks when taught from scratch. Yet you have guys like Fitzpatrick and McKenzie who have poor actions and I don't think the clubs treat them like Irish recruits and give them the education from scratch.

I understand we see the open full ground trainings and not the specialist trainings they do on Tuesday/Thursday, but I'm going to continue to harp on because I think we still aren't up to standard in skill development and standards.

It's funny how the Irish boys who come to AFL clubs with almost no experience kicking a footy can be modelled in to very good kicks when taught from scratch. Yet you have guys like Fitzpatrick and McKenzie who have poor actions and I don't think the clubs treat them like Irish recruits and give them the education from scratch.

The biggest thing with this is that Fitzpatrick and McKenzie have been kicking the ball/marking the ball for the best part of their life this way. It is unlikely/near impossible that significant coaching would be able to change this to be used in games as in pressure situations or match situations it is likely they will resort to the imprinted method.

Set shots is a different idea because they have the time and the ability to make a step by step process and think through it, but you will see that it isnt often that players go through whole scale technique changes as they come into an AFL system and it emphasises the importance of junior coaching on these players.

The biggest thing with this is that Fitzpatrick and McKenzie have been kicking the ball/marking the ball for the best part of their life this way. It is unlikely/near impossible that significant coaching would be able to change this to be used in games as in pressure situations or match situations it is likely they will resort to the imprinted method.

Set shots is a different idea because they have the time and the ability to make a step by step process and think through it, but you will see that it isnt often that players go through whole scale technique changes as they come into an AFL system and it emphasises the importance of junior coaching on these players.

Yep, 100% agree especially with bolded part. I see it in junior basketball. Young players with a flawed shooting technique. Unless you are an athletic center who can block and rebound you need to have a reliable shooting technique.

If it is not sorted by say age 13 (assuming they have not just started playing bball and have been playing for some years previously - with thousands of shots with incorrect technique forging their muscle memory) they're stuffed and will have a ceiling imposed on how far they can go. Quality coaching is crucial

Edited January 7, 201510 yr by binman

On that photo, and I'm not saying that he isn't solid in the legs, but it's also worth while taking a look at the other leg, I think that image is a bit deceiving, and if you have ever seen a super slow mo video of how much movement occurs in a muscle when people/animals etc run, it could be a result of the photo playing tricks. I'd like to see a stationary image of him before judging

✋

He was very good last year from about the Carlton game on (that snap from the boundary and ovation coming off the ground may have been the confidence shot he needed). Let's hope he can back it up again this year.

The Carl game was his first for the year.

Yep, 100% agree especially with bolded part. I see it in junior basketball. Young players with a flawed shooting technique. Unless you are an athletic center who can block and rebound you need to have a reliable shooting technique.

If it is not sorted by say age 13 (assuming they have not just started playing bball and have been playing for some years previously - with thousands of shots with incorrect technique forging their muscle memory) they're stuffed and will have a ceiling imposed on how far they can go. Quality coaching is crucial

Not so sure. At about 14 or 15 my shooting action was so broke it was ugly, different but as extreme as Shawn Marion ugly.

It wasn't working, and I started copying Andrew Gaze's technique and kept working with it.

Now I'm a semi-reliable shot from the 3pt line and anywhere inside.