- Jul 5, 2012
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- Kidding, right?
I love to see a good Don’t Argue executed.
But one of the other things I love about our game is that it is constantly evolving; even willing to take on techniques from other sports. Tactical trends emerge, and then we start to see the emergence of tactics for countering those tactics. Look at the way tackling techniques have evolved, and the way we’ve seen the emergence of counter-techniques for dealing with tackles. (You might even say the Shuey is currently on the other foot.)
So, why haven’t we really seen much evidence that any thought has been put into countering the Don’t Argue? (Hereafter referred to as the DA.)
Currently, if a DA is well-timed and placed, the inevitable result is opponents falling away like extras in a bad action movie.
But it’s not as if (despite what you might think from the name) there’s no possible answer to it. No situation is beyond remedy. Footballers are strong, toned, balanced, and gifted with much faster reflexes than you or me.
Here’s one thought, borrowing from another sport.
Although my entire martial arts experience consists of a mere 18 months of kung fu training several decades ago, there are two relevant things I still clearly remember from that time –
1. keeping a low centre of gravity, and
2. deflecting your opponent’s attacks, rather than copping the full brunt.
I see both of these as potentially useful options for defenders to keep in the front of their minds when contesting with a player known for using the DA.
The low centre of gravity - because the DA is mostly about knocking an opponent off balance, or at least stopping them in their tracks. Might we see a time when players approaching a known Don’t Arguer adopt more of a crouching stance, making themselves hard to knock off balance, and also a smaller target in the process? Might be worth a thought.
And the deflection – my modest kung fu training taught that, with practice, a blow from even a much bigger and heavier opponent can easily be knocked harmlessly to the side. It’s all a question of being ready for it so you can react instantly, and let’s face it, most exponents of the DA are well known for it, so there’s little excuse for not being ready.
Could footballers be trained to be ready to deflect the outthrust arm, and continue forward in the same movement, to implement a tackle? We might start to see players contemptuously put out the DA, only to find it being brushed harmlessly aside, and themselves bundled unceremoniously onto their arse, or over the boundary line.
Over to those of you with far greater martial arts (and indeed football) experience.
But one of the other things I love about our game is that it is constantly evolving; even willing to take on techniques from other sports. Tactical trends emerge, and then we start to see the emergence of tactics for countering those tactics. Look at the way tackling techniques have evolved, and the way we’ve seen the emergence of counter-techniques for dealing with tackles. (You might even say the Shuey is currently on the other foot.)
So, why haven’t we really seen much evidence that any thought has been put into countering the Don’t Argue? (Hereafter referred to as the DA.)
Currently, if a DA is well-timed and placed, the inevitable result is opponents falling away like extras in a bad action movie.
But it’s not as if (despite what you might think from the name) there’s no possible answer to it. No situation is beyond remedy. Footballers are strong, toned, balanced, and gifted with much faster reflexes than you or me.
Here’s one thought, borrowing from another sport.
Although my entire martial arts experience consists of a mere 18 months of kung fu training several decades ago, there are two relevant things I still clearly remember from that time –
1. keeping a low centre of gravity, and
2. deflecting your opponent’s attacks, rather than copping the full brunt.
I see both of these as potentially useful options for defenders to keep in the front of their minds when contesting with a player known for using the DA.
The low centre of gravity - because the DA is mostly about knocking an opponent off balance, or at least stopping them in their tracks. Might we see a time when players approaching a known Don’t Arguer adopt more of a crouching stance, making themselves hard to knock off balance, and also a smaller target in the process? Might be worth a thought.
And the deflection – my modest kung fu training taught that, with practice, a blow from even a much bigger and heavier opponent can easily be knocked harmlessly to the side. It’s all a question of being ready for it so you can react instantly, and let’s face it, most exponents of the DA are well known for it, so there’s little excuse for not being ready.
Could footballers be trained to be ready to deflect the outthrust arm, and continue forward in the same movement, to implement a tackle? We might start to see players contemptuously put out the DA, only to find it being brushed harmlessly aside, and themselves bundled unceremoniously onto their arse, or over the boundary line.
Over to those of you with far greater martial arts (and indeed football) experience.
