If you're not a good kick at age 19-20, will you ever be?

[Gavin Excell]

You know Sam Reid isn't from Sydney, right?

No I didn't

Sure has the style though

 

[Old Skool]

Didn't Lockett only pick up a footy at 17?

Kicking a footy is pretty easy. I reckon you could easily become a good kick just with practice, even at 45 years old.

AFL isn't a talent based sport, its a fitness based one.

I think you're referring to Sav Rocca.

If I recall correctly, he took up footy at 15.

He obviously got the biomechanics right straight away, and indeed this raises the question, would kids be better off just hand balling in their early years?

 

[Donakebab]

Didn't Lockett only pick up a footy at 17?

Kicking a footy is pretty easy. I reckon you could easily become a good kick just with practice, even at 45 years old.

AFL isn't a talent based sport, its a fitness based one.

Lockett played his first game of VFL at the age of 17 years and 38 days, he was drafted before he turned 17. Talent scout for the Saints back then must have been magic.

 

[Obeanie1]

Often wonder whether kicking is something that is developed and set when you are a lot younger.

Unsure whether there are many examples of guys with only ok kicking skills become very good over time.

This may be an extension of the athlete vs footballer recruiting debate but interested in others views of whether core skills such as kicking can be signficantly improved when 20+ and joining a club.

Kicking skills are only one part of becoming a really good kick. Decision making and how you kick under pressure are the others. A a junior you can develop good skills and at 19>20 they can still improve but with age comes experience and poise.

Making correct decisions under pressure can turn an above average kick skill wise to a very good user by foot.

So yes you can improve. Matt Priddis is the perfect example. 2 > 3 years ago he was widely criticised and fair enough, he would kick blindly around corners and just thump it long and high. The last 18 months he has really worked at kicking lower with more penetration, is handballing backwards instead of kicking blindly and has a much improve efficency rating.

 

[Obeanie1]

I take kids for Ozkick.

If you are not a good kick at the age of 5 years old.

You never will be.

Believe me.

The best kicks are good kicks at 5.

You can't really be trained to improve your kicking style.

So there are no good kicks in the AFL who started playing after they were 10 yrs old?

Strange statement to make when its pretty hard to back it up with any facts. It would be interesting to know at what age each AFL player started playing. Then at least there was something to discuss on this point.

 

[Covertackle]

I take kids for Ozkick.

If you are not a good kick at the age of 5 years old.

You never will be.

Believe me.

The best kicks are good kicks at 5.

You can't really be trained to improve your kicking style.

i agree that some have a gift for all sorts of things, and kicking being one of them. no 5 yo is a good kicker. he may nail it occaisionally, he may kick it straight as a habit. but he wont be good all the time, it just isnt wired in yet.

to suggest practice doesnt improve ones kicking style is laughable, and doesnt really require a reply.

and as for believeing you.....um no, i dont. what evidence you got? or have you none, and thats why we must 'believe' you..?

 

[Dazb86]

Jobe Watson seems to have improved a lot. He carved us up in round 1 last year with his precision passing.

 

[Watson_my_mind]

You cant improve things like super penetration and distance and velocity of the ball travelling.

Players like Hurn, Suckling, McKenzie, Goddard all have outstanding kicking penetration and velocity.

Someone like Nick Dal Santo and Scott Pendlebury dont have this penetration and velocity, what they have is perfect placement and weighting of kicks, which comes with superior football brain and instinct, smarts etc.

Both are hard to teach.

I believe Sam Mitchell and Jobe Watson have undergone excellent kicking rehauls, which I believe has happened through improving decision making, neither are penetrating in their foot passing

 

[liam_13]

A lot of emphasis on technique in here...what about just getting stronger in the upper leg??

Players who are drafted at 70-75kg, and end up getting to 80-85kg, will not just put that weight on in their arms/torso. A lot will be put on in the legs.

Bigger legs = Stronger legs = swinging through faster (or more efficiently) = better distance and speed of ball through air while remaining low.

Speed and height of the ball is actually very important, you could be a deadly accurate kick, but if you 'loft' it into the air, chances are you won't hit your target because you will create a contest. So excellent training kick, but not so good in matches.

Also, while I've 'simpled' what I'm trying to say down, it's all true. I will try to find the article that basically explained the vital importance of strong legs, and post it here. Was backed up by studies and evidence and all.

 

[.Shotties.]

You cant improve things like super penetration and distance and velocity of the ball travelling.

I don't think that's quite right.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Kicking skills are only one part of becoming a really good kick. Decision making and how you kick under pressure are the others. A a junior you can develop good skills and at 19>20 they can still improve but with age comes experience and poise.

Making correct decisions under pressure can turn an above average kick skill wise to a very good user by foot.

So yes you can improve. Matt Priddis is the perfect example. 2 > 3 years ago he was widely criticised and fair enough, he would kick blindly around corners and just thump it long and high. The last 18 months he has really worked at kicking lower with more penetration, is handballing backwards instead of kicking blindly and has a much improve efficency rating.

You and a lot of others still aren't talking about players that mechanically are terrible kicks. You're talking about improvement with experience, working to your limitations to become an effective kick

They don't become better kicks they just become more comfortable and confident with what they're able to do. They make better decisions.

A lot of it sounds to me like players that have just got comfortable with their roles within a team or it could come from the realisation that you've gone from a panicky, inconsistent player that's in and out of the side to someone who is getting a regular game.

As Old Skool basically posted. If you can improve your kicking through repetitive hard work then everyone should be kicking like Darren Jarman.

With a lot of players mentioned in this thread, the poster hasn't said they are an outright terrible kick, they just said that with more experience and poise they've become more effective.

 

[.Shotties.]

I don't think there are that many outright bad kicks in the AFL. If you gave any player a ball and asked them to kick 35-40 metres to someone I can't think of any who'd fail miserably

 

[TAITA]

I don't think there are that many outright bad kicks in the AFL. If you gave any player a ball and asked them to kick 35-40 metres to someone I can't think of any who'd fail miserably

And they should not be employed if that was the case - maybe on their non preferred side.

A training or 'confidence' drill I did many moons ago - the coach fed the ball out to a running player streaming towards goal at dead centre with the player needing to kick before he got out of the square - probably 4 one bounced though out of 30, the others made the 70 metres easily, some at over post height - with pretty decent degrees of accuracy.

 

[Blessed]

So there are no good kicks in the AFL who started playing after they were 10 yrs old?

Strange statement to make when its pretty hard to back it up with any facts. It would be interesting to know at what age each AFL player started playing. Then at least there was something to discuss on this point.

Please Read.

You miss the points. People can pick up a ball and kick it at the age of 40 and be a natural

My point is:-

You are either a natural kick or not.

No amount of training can improve you if you don't have the skill to start off with.

I can spend 2 minutes with a kid of any age and see if they have the natural kicking ability talent.

You either got it or not.

You can hours with others and they never learn the mechanics.

Under pressure they revert back to their old faults.

 

[Old Skool]

I don't think there are that many outright bad kicks in the AFL. If you gave any player a ball and asked them to kick 35-40 metres to someone I can't think of any who'd fail miserably

Yep, agree. They just can't get away with it any more. I think the spectrum moves between solid and elite these days.

God I miss Simmo.

 

[Obeanie1]

You and a lot of others still aren't talking about players that mechanically are terrible kicks. You're talking about improvement with experience, working to your limitations to become an effective kick

They don't become better kicks they just become more comfortable and confident with what they're able to do. They make better decisions.

A lot of it sounds to me like players that have just got comfortable with their roles within a team or it could come from the realisation that you've gone from a panicky, inconsistent player that's in and out of the side to someone who is getting a regular game.

As Old Skool basically posted. If you can improve your kicking through repetitive hard work then everyone should be kicking like Darren Jarman.

With a lot of players mentioned in this thread, the poster hasn't said they are an outright terrible kick, they just said that with more experience and poise they've become more effective.

We are talking about can a player improve their kicking after they have turned 19>20, not if they can become like Jarman. This is just stating an extreme which no one would argue against.

Matt Prddis, Matt Rosa and even Patrick McGinnity have all improved their kicking in the last couple of years. McGinnity is only just 20 but Priddis and Rosa are both 25>26 and have had huge improvement in the past couples of years.

 

[speedytiger]

I think you can improve, Paul Licuria springs to mind. Was a hopeless kick and became very effective, Ben Johnson has got better but still sends the odd helicopter sideways but a reliable kick generally

 

[DEAN0]

Yes, Jobe Watson is proof of this, and this video is most if not all of his kicks in the first half or so of last year, not just his good ones.

[YOUTUBE]lvvabVq14eU[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Gram2Lovett]

do you think a kick like this can be improved?

[YOUTUBE]Y8vqkobWrUY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Gavin Excell]

do you think a kick like this can be improved?

[youtube]Y8vqkobWrUY[/youtube]

the non guidance down to the foot will expose him at senior level

 

[Gram2Lovett]

He will struggle imo. Even if he is coached to have a proper kicking technique, the minute he is under pressure he's likely to resort to the way he has kicked in this video.

Somehow despite not being able to kick he made the u18 AA team as Centre half back. So he must have some talent.

 

[Doglandstheplacetobe]

He will struggle imo. Even if he is coached to have a proper kicking technique, the minute he is under pressure he's likely to resort to the way he has kicked in this video.

Somehow despite not being able to kick he made the u18 AA team as Centre half back. So he must have some talent.

Whilst it is an ungainly kicking action I don't think he actually missed a target!

 

[Blessed]

I think you can improve, Paul Licuria springs to mind. Was a hopeless kick and became very effective,

Please. Lucuria was the worst kick in the game. Not a natural. Ended up kicking 20 metre helicopters. Terrible example. He proves my point.

Ben Johnson can actually kick on his left foot. Always could. He kicked 3 goals in his first game v Hawthorn.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

do you think a kick like this can be improved?

[youtube]Y8vqkobWrUY[/youtube]

No. Looks like Andrew Dunkley kicking.

 

[estibador]

A training or 'confidence' drill I did many moons ago - the coach fed the ball out to a running player streaming towards goal at dead centre with the player needing to kick before he got out of the square - probably 4 one bounced though out of 30, the others made the 70 metres easily, some at over post height - with pretty decent degrees of accuracy.

Are you trying to say 26 out of 30 guys in your amateur team could kick over 70m?

Right...