Anthony Rocca - has departed NM - Thanks Pebbles

Apr 24, 2013
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Arden Street Hill
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One thing to be dissapointed but if he hasn't addressed this over the off season he is taking the piss.

If you think he hasn't addressed this over the off season you are taking the piss.
 

Psicosis

Brownlow Medallist
May 7, 2012
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Bird Rock
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Ziebell is my major disappointment because he just stabs at the ball instead of kicking through it, it is just a sloppy technique which isn't reliable enough. He is such a beautiful kick, to see him hack it from 30m when he so easily and more accurately kicks from 50m because his technique is better at longer range is really odd, most people struggle with range.
Sometimes it easier to kick long cos you can focus on just getting the technique right to get maximum distance. Probably should do that from close up too but lots of people kick with a slight arc left to right or vice versa thru the air. That might be what causes that cos Ziebell isn't the only one who does it. Lots of players from across the comp have struggled in a similar way over the years. For the exact reason you mention about Ziebs. Stabbing at the ball instead of kicking thru it.
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
Sometimes it easier to kick long cos you can focus on just getting the technique right to get maximum distance. Probably should do that from close up too but lots of people kick with a slight arc left to right or vice versa thru the air. That might be what causes that cos Ziebell isn't the only one who does it. Lots of players from across the comp have struggled in a similar way over the years. For the exact reason you mention about Ziebs. Stabbing at the ball instead of kicking thru it.


The biomechanics of modern football training has affected long kicking significantly ferbs.

Speed & endurance are now the deciding factors for AFL footballers.

If they somehow manage to slow the game down, then the bigger legs will return.
 
The biomechanics of modern football training has affected long kicking significantly ferbs.

Speed & endurance are now the deciding factors for AFL footballers.

If they somehow manage to slow the game down, then the bigger legs will return.

Yep, when they started focusing on recruiting athletes rather than footballers about 15 years ago, it lead to the rot we see these days.
 
The biomechanics of modern football training has affected long kicking significantly ferbs.

Speed & endurance are now the deciding factors for AFL footballers.

If they somehow manage to slow the game down, then the bigger legs will return.
That shouldn't make any ... well that much ... difference.

Recruiting for speed and endurance may mean less talented kicking but the actual biomechanics of kicking shouldn't be affected by training, especially speed training which should improve it.

The focus on endurance may mean players don't have the strength to kick for distance like they did, I accept that is a possibility and does contribute to the force side of that biomechanical equation but its really mostly technique. Summation of forces and effective drop of the ball and timing of contact are the most important things. Its the transfer of momentum generated by the kicker thru their foot into the ball that really makes the difference. But as noted if too much endurance training changes the strength profile of the kicker and even their body shape, then it can affect distance. Cos even body weight itself contribute to the momentum you impart to the ball. That is why bigger players like Duck, Plugger and the Rocca boys could kick so far, well a contributing factor.

This is a fairly good summation of all that technique stuff in terms of transfer of momentum:


If we aren't training with this in mind after a decade of skills letting us down at crucial times then we need to start.
 
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