Analysis I know football

[matwt73]

The cliche's surrounding football are myriad, and they never get more of an airing than when a team is doing poorly.

It is often said that foortball is a simple game, it is. But it is also (in the AFL) a much mroe complex game than most people on this forum have played. Whether at Junior level, or at seniour level some time ago, it is likely in my view that the game as it is played today has probably evolved somewhat from the game that the older amongst us once played, or that the younger amongst us might be playing at junior level.

That is not to say that we don't and shouldn't question the performances or the coaching, but we must avoid viewing everything through the prism of our own football experience. A few examples:

When I was a playing we had a few core maxims, and msot of us probably got some version of these
- play in front.
- Keep your feet
- keep the ball in front of you
- no u turns
- don't kick across the face of goal

Solid rules, and I know that it is when the players seem to forget these, that i get most frustrated, it looks lazy to go to ground, to looks sloppy to overun the ball. They stand out as obvious errors and we look rubbish.

Those core maxims though, whilst perhaps still useful do not take account of the pace the games is played at, the way space is used, the way defences use a zone. If all we are dong is lamenting the lions because they aren't doing things we were taught to do in the Mungungo under 15's, we are actually just saying we want to watch the Mungs.

We become that fan, who just roars "kick the bloody thing" and then seems surprised that the roosted ball ends in the arms of the opposition.

So bearing that in mind, my question is, what influence has your own formative experience of football had on your viewing of it, and how might that lead you into critical error?

 

[Fatcat08]

I actually have no experience playing AFL and only took up watching the game about 10-11 years ago so I have no idea what they teach you when you play or the inherent basics of football that many here would know. Therefore my knowledge of how the game is played and the tactics and skills involved is purely from watching AFL. I'm not sure whether that makes it easier to analyse AFL to a certain degree as I don't have that bias or whether I'm missing out on first hand knowledge of how difficult some things actually are.

 

[Tairy Greene]

Last one on the bus buys the first round.

 

[SizeMatters]

- If you get knocked down or tackled ALWAYS get up as fast as possible don't stay down and have a sook.
- Sheppard your team mates
- Use your voice
- If you're a defender and weaker or smaller than your opponent play off them so you can get a good launch at the ball when it comes in. Don't get into a wrestle.
- Learn to use your opposite side... can't believe how many AFL players can't even kick 40m on their non preferred...

Some of the things I done when I played and are basic and easy to learn. The Lions really need to improve their effort in so many things it's not funny. Absolutely no commitment at the ball or the opposition when they have the ball.

 

[Chezzalenko Reborn]

To enjoy football, you must drink booze and large qualities

 

[blynd_freddie]

Spent many a game in the late 60's early 70's as a pre-teen on a cardboard toboggan sliding down the dirt mounds at the back of the raised amphitheater terraces... back then, the only thing that needed to be learned was the ump was a maggot.

 

[Ironmonger]

- don't kick across the face of goal

When I was 10 years old I copped a bit of a roast from a parent who was rostered to drive me and a bunch of other kids home from u/12s that weekend for doing exactly that. Wasn't fun, and it always stings a little bit when I see the professionals do it repeatedly these days.

Particularly as it wasn't even me that kicked it! Geez, I don't think I even got a kick that day.

/painful childhood memory

 

[Fatcat08]

To enjoy football, you must drink booze and large qualities

not necessarily, high alcohol content works too

 

[matwt73]

- If you get knocked down or tackled ALWAYS get up as fast as possible don't stay down and have a sook.
- Sheppard your team mates
- Use your voice
- If you're a defender and weaker or smaller than your opponent play off them so you can get a good launch at the ball when it comes in. Don't get into a wrestle.
- Learn to use your opposite side... can't believe how many AFL players can't even kick 40m on their non preferred...

Some of the things I done when I played and are basic and easy to learn. The Lions really need to improve their effort in so many things it's not funny. Absolutely no commitment at the ball or the opposition when they have the ball.

I think this is a good example. I suspect that your playing days are more recent than mine SizeMatters, but even within these (all of which make perfect sense as general rules) you could see ways in which some of them may for better or for worse, not be as strict in an AFL context.

- Always get up fast (unless you can sell a free?)
- Sheppard your team mates (unless you can give him an outlet going past)

I'm less convinced that our problems are effort related. I just think that as watchers when we see a failure at what we take to be the basics, we tend to attribute it to effort

 

[winged1]

To be honest in the past there were only a handful of players who had good disposal so shepparding was a bigger thing from guys who didnt have as big a tank or didnt have as good a skills as the guy carrying the ball. Most players, even KP have big tanks and good skills now and there is a lot more running and running patterns being followed so shepparding is down.

The kicking across the goals thing at junior level is frustrating, because the kids see it on TV when guys are kicking at 90% efficiency. Under 10's are lucky to kick at 50% efficiency ie you turn it over 1 in two and they wonder why you are going into apoplexy. You can be the on field coach standing right next to a kid telling him not to kick across goals and they will still do it. It's like a magnet. Then you have to be nice and supporting instead of cuffing them around the f#$%ing head like you want to.

 

[blynd_freddie]

When I was a playing we had a few core maxims, and msot of us probably got some version of these
- play in front.
- Keep your feet
- keep the ball in front of you
- no u turns
- don't kick across the face of goal

Nice one Gubby.

 

[OldLion]

Having watched a million junior footy games, it's all about numbers at the ball. Eventually you will overwhelm the opposition. Hard running. And a great indicator of team commitment and concentration is the number of shepherds. The more the team helps out mates, the greater the intensity.

Unless the other team is very good.

 

[PTizzle]

Talk talk talk. Shepherd shepherd shepherd. Get on the bloody bench, why did you try to kick that?

About all I remember from footy.

 

[Chezzalenko Reborn]

No matter how many misses at goal your team records, it is always someone elses fault!

 

[LionKing]

Attack the ball, expect the contact

Don't just put your hand over the ball put your head over the ball

Selfish footy is stupid footy

Attack starts from defence and defence starts in attack

 

[BulldogMurray]

Spent many a game in the late 60's early 70's as a pre-teen on a cardboard toboggan sliding down the dirt mounds at the back of the raised amphitheater terraces... back then, the only thing that needed to be learned was the ump was a maggot.

Lakeside Oval? Remember sliding down the slopes on a piece of cardboard there in the 70s.

 

[knaf]

knaf = Knows Nothing About Football. However I think it was Max Walker who put up a sign in front of the microphone when he started broadcasting that read "Test Cricket is a difficult game". I guess AFL level football is a difficult game too. Every player who crosses the line probably has more ability and certainly more courage than me. I therefore try and judge their performance from that perspective, rather from than my expectation of perfect performances.

Not sure if this is on topic or not.

 

[Davemonkey]

My background is Rugby Union so has no applicability (especially as I was never very good at it so was always in the team full of the kids being made to play coached by the teacher who was making up the numbers).

From watching my son's footy training and games all of the above come to mind which probably reflect is coaches' backgrounds as much as anything.

 

[blynd_freddie]

Lakeside Oval? Remember sliding down the slopes on a piece of cardboard there in the 70s.

Trying to recall which ground had the best? Western Oval at the northern end, Moorabbin? Lakeside? And then there were some that looked great but had huge drop-offs over a bluestone retaining wall that were never tackled. Geez, those were the days, come back after the game covered in dirt/mud, smelling of second hand smoke and sprayed beer - all initiations into adulthood.

 

[Dom PC]

Tackle to make it hurt. Merrett doesn't miss tackles because he goes by this ethos

 

[blynd_freddie]

And not to forget the all codes, all sports cliche... If you carn't play like a 'footballer' at least look like one!

Polished ankle high footy boots, socks pulled up, held up by cloth elastic sown to size [later replaced by electrical insulation tape] and scratchy woolen jumpers tucked into the shorts.

 

[BulldogMurray]

And not to forget the all codes, all sports cliche... If you carn't play like a 'footballer' at least look like one!

Polished ankle high footy boots, socks pulled up, held up by cloth elastic sown to size [later replaced by electrical insulation tape] and scratchy woolen jumpers tucked into the shorts.

Used to go to bed on a Friday night wearing my Fitzroy jumper (that Mum knitted), shorts, socks and boots. I would jump out of bed and run down to Cross Keys Park in Essendon for Little League training. Came home for hot dogs then in the car to Junction Oval or wherever we were playing. If we won we would race to the car to hear 3LO commentators tell us who they thought were BOG and then hang on the words of whoever they quickly interviewed.

 

[winged1]

The biggest one is the harder you go in the less likely you are to get hurt. (with the caveat that when you do get hurt it is more likely to be serious, but you dont tell them that)

 

[Paul D]

Used to go to bed on a Friday night wearing my Fitzroy jumper (that Mum knitted.

 

[GingerGreatness]

Really like the OP and wish I had more to add.

I'll be the first to admit frustration with some aspects of the game itself when compared to what I was taught - eg. in my brief stint playing as a junior I was told never to drop the ball and dispose of the thing by hand or by foot. I now watch the modern game and can't help but see drop-a-palooza. I didn't get to it in any heated way in my years, but I imagine a lot of 'see ball/get ball' and 'go in lower and harder' is pretty much redundant at senior level now too. Scragging and hands in the back, probably similar.

*sigh*