Solution to Trav's kicking inaccuracy

princem007 · Joined: 16 Oct 2003

I have given this some thought and think this is how Trav can fix his shots at goal.

a) if in the unlikely scenario he gets paid a free within 30 metres of goal he acts injured and gets Pendles to take the shot.

b) takes a mark inside 30 metres with 3 defenders hanging off him- see (A)

c) request to umpire if he can set the mark on the 50 metre line.

d) aim for the left side point post which will result in either a goal or out on full. At least this gives him a 50% chance.

Is Lloydy still available?

Tannin · Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:26 pm

No, the club approached Lloyd, who was receptive, but decided that loyalty to his old club came first when he was asked to coach Joe Danihir and other Essendon forwards instead.

Cloke doesn't need yet another stupid new psychologist - the club have just appointed a new one, mad buggers that they are - Cloke needs to be friggin well taught how to kick it properly in the first place.

Hell, Blind Freddie knows I was always a born backman when it came to kicking, but even I can see two huge problems that he never, ever does anything tro correct:

(1) he waves the ball around vaguely any old how a mile above his foot and it is no wonder that he struggles to get a good consistent contact with it

(2) he kicks on an arc, not in a straight line with where he wants the ball to go. This is the equivalent of a golfer trying to correct a slice by lining up on a spot somewhere 50 yards off to the right of the green and hoping the two errors cancel out - which they practically never do.

If I was coaching Cloke - and trust me, I know more about how not to kick a ball than most people - I'd tell him to do just what he does now from anywhere outside 40, but from any closer I'd instruct him to kick it on his right foot. He hasn't got those terrible habits to un-learn on his right foot; he could learn instead to kick it with a technique designed from scratch for accuracy (and distance be buggered).

(PS: as I said, I make no claims for being a good kick myself, but I did learn to bowl a cricket ball consistently onto the spot with excellent line and length, which is not bad for a natural born Bruce Unco. The secret (and it's no secret) is to bowl it exactly the same way every single time: same run up, same point of release, same action, and always, always, keep your arm in line with the stumps as you bring it through. It's the same theory as kicking a ball or driving off the 7th tee. It's not just doing it the same way every time, it's also doing it straight, in line with the objective. Some people (e.g., Jeff Thomson, Buddy Franklin) can ignore the rules and still go OK); most people need to do it the right way. Cloke is an example. But he never will, 'cause the stupid club keeps buggerising about with dumb psychologists instead of actually teaching him how to kick a football.)

watt price tully · Joined: 15 May 2007

Tannin · Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 12:02 am

Interesting, WPT. I was going on this: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/travis-cloke-turns-to-sports-psychologist-for-goalkicking-help-20150421-1mpwke.html Your source sounds more authoritive.

watt price tully · Joined: 15 May 2007

RudeBoy · Joined: 28 Nov 2005

Get Dids back at the club to work with Cloke. His kicking action was the purest I've seen from anyone, including McKenna.

melliot · Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Location: Bendigo

He could start by keeping his body over the ball instead of leaning back. im not sure who is coaching but looks poor to me ( both results and technique).

Rev · Joined: 23 Jun 2012

Bucks was on SEN today (not sure if it was live or a repeat of an earlier interview) and he said they had began a new playing-list-wide program for goal kicking in the last two weeks. The guy running it is the guy who worked with and mentored Matthew Lloyd.

BEAMER09 · Joined: 10 Apr 2009

June 11, 2013 is when I wrote about Cloke's kicking under 'Can Cloke's kicking be fixed?' (the one with correction to point 4.)

It's nearly 2 years since I wrote that piece and despite a few tweaks by Cloke , I still see the same issues AND as I said, you have to understand "what your are doing" to apply "what you need to do" to give yourself a better goal return.

I welcome the challenge...

Tannin · Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:12 am

For the convenience of readers, here it is: http://nick.magpies.net/bb/viewtopic.php?t=71232&start=18

Tannin · Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:17 am

Beamer09, what do you reckon about my notion of (a) admitting that he will never learn to kick properly on his left foot because he won't be able to unlearn all those bad habits, and (b) starting afresh with the "wrong" foot? (We are not worried about distance here, he can still roost it left-footed from outside the 50 if he wants to, I'm just looking to get a basic, no-frills servicable kick for goal going for those 25 metre shots he regularly butchers on his left.)

stui magpie · Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 7:53 am

The metaphor with a golf swing is often used, but a difference is that you don't use the same swing for a drive as for a putt. Set shot goal kicking is like putting. It's a totally different thing to a drive, yet people try to adapt the field kicking routine to set shot kicking.

For a set shot you only need a handful of steps and do all the things beamer said. it can be mechanical and rigid as long as it's repeatable.

Tannin · Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 9:49 am

You do use the same swing Stui. For everything except putting. That is why you have different clubs in your bag: to hit the ball further or closer. That is the whole point of having a 3 iron and a 7 and a pitching wedge: you use the same swing. That's how you get good at it.

(And set shot kicking is nothing remotely like putting. Daft notion.)

Medieval · Joined: 09 Sep 2008

I think most of Cloke's issues would be solved simply by him kicking through the ball. He tends to stab at it when he's in close, which causes him to miss. He's a lot more accurate from outside 50 because he's reverting to his natural action of kicking through it. Trav's two options are to either revert to his natural action and kicking through the ball - regardless of distance - or to revamp his kicking action. In the second instance, the player I'd love to see help him with his action is Jonathan Brown. The bloke had one of the best set shot actions and follow throughs that I've ever seen and in the words of Lethal, Browny was "a textbook example of how to kick for goal".

simon tonna · Joined: 24 Oct 2013 Location: carindale

(And set shot kicking is nothing remotely like putting. Daft notion.)[/quote]

I beg to differ tannin.

Putting puts you in the same mental space as set shot goal kicking. On the course you will have blokes who will never understand that the sane techniques time and again if correct will average out to be better for your score card than not knowing good technique. These are putts of 3m or less, the one you must make for par or worse. Trav doesn't do the same thing twice, he's not relaxed which would be hard with that much adrenaline pumping throughout but a routine and good technique would fix the bugs in him. A head coach well that is in realm of madness.