Modern goal kicking

Remove this Banner Ad

Daniel

Senior List
May 24, 2000
223
1
Living the dream
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
MUFC; Dallas Cowboys
Has anyone else noticed the proliferation of goals intentionally kicked along the ground during the past few seasons? When a player is running towards an open goal or is shooting from an angle, it has become routine to see the ball guided along the ground. I am sure it never used to happen this regularly even as recently as 5 years ago.

Why do they do it? It certainly looks good and Matthew Lloyd is one who is particularly proficient at it. However, you would think that you would have a better chance of kicking a goal if you kept the oval-shaped ball off the ground. But this is apparently not so. Many players seem skilled at making the ball curve the right way along the turf.

Anyway, I was just wondering how many others have noticed this unmentioned change in goal-kicking style that has come over the game. Is it really easier to kick a goal if the ball travels along the ground, especially from an angle? Logically you would have to say it isn't, but evidence suggests otherwise.

As everyone knows, kicking for goal has not improved much, if at all, over the years. Apart from when wind is a factor, why are a lot of players unreliable from a set shot at 35 metres when they must give the ball some elevation, yet almost certain to kick a goal if they steer it along the ground?

I reckon it's an interesting phenomenom and one that has gone largely unnoticed.
 
Very interesting observation.

If you were to blindly kick a ball on the ground, it would generally not be a good idea due to the un-even bounce that an oval ball provided.

I know Malcolm Blight as coach of Geelong and Adealide didin't like his players doing it. He liked his players to kick right through it, so it travelled through a few metres high.

But there is one kick which Matthew Lloyd has perfectd and we also saw Ang Christou kick an absloute gem agaist the Lions.

I have been practising it myself. I spent about an hour at the local footy oval here in Werribee with my brother dribbling balls through the goals.

It generally involves a player (say a right footer) being on the correct side for a right footer. This would be the left forward pocket. Now, if you hold the ball diagonally, pointing it from left to right, and make contact with the "point" closest to you, it should bounce back in towards goals going back from right to left. You need to aim it a bit "right", and it will bounce back.

I believe if there is no one in the goal square, and you are on a tight angle it is beter to do this than it is to bend the ball through the air.

Now obviously, for Matthew Lloyd and Christou, being left footers, you would reverse everything, but in principle it remains the same.

Even if a right footer is in the right forward pocket, the aim is still the same. Hold it diagonally, pointing AWAY from the goals, kick it on the point, and it should bounce back from left to right and hopefully through the big sticks.

Daicos did it for years.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

It is a great way to see a goal being scored. The spectators really do get up off their seats to see which way the ball will bounce. Only the long bomb from 60m out can get as much excitement going (one of the Melbourne players...Powell I think....got one that way....the ball just kept on going...great stuff). Dan24, thanks for the description on how to do the kick...I'll get to the park and give it a try. Daicos was a genius for getting goals this way...a total freak.
 
Doesnt anybody here play footy?
Those sorta kicks is what just about everyone does for half an hour after training. Yes, I find it more accurate than in the air, the problem is that it is rare the goalsquare is left empty.

In the past the traditional fullback was always in the square, and it was basically impossible to do. Nowdays, with a more open game and less adoption of the traditional 18 positions, forward lines are very open which is probably why they seem to be seen more now than in past years.

BTW Lloyd last week didnt kick the same kick that Christou did, Lloyd used his left in the left pocket and kicked what would be a snap along the ground - they are probably more easier than the Christou type, as with the later there is more room for error, kicking with the outside of the foot.

Basically, a snap along the ground will spin right (right footer), and a banana along the ground, will spin left.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Modern goal kicking

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top