Pre-season training. Bring it on!

[chigwidden]

So I understand, the only real senior player doing 100% of the work this preseason is Doughty. Guess when you're living year-by-year you need to do that!!

He was looking pretty fast in most of the drills, too. I was watching him in particular for any signs of slowing or fatigue, ut he was holding his own and looking good.

Others just give it 100% the whole time, with varying degrees of success. It worked for the likes of VB and Symes, but not so well for poor Dowdell who looked stuffed most of the session.

I have to admit that watching training has given me a whole new level of appreciation for VB's fitness levels. I've also ended up going back to watch the last five matches from our last season over the end-of year break, and I've now completely revised my opinion of VB as a player as a result.

At the end of the session they combined the thrusting momentum and tackling emphasis with running. They had players in the push-up position, and they had to jump up, charge into another player (with pads) for 5 steps, hooking the leg while they were at it, then drop back down into the push-up, then jump up, go back the 5 steps and fall into the push-up position again. It looked bloody tough, but it's great to see us training the execution of tackling skills while the players are fatigued and have strained muscles.

I thought this was great drill. This is only the second time I've ever made it to training, so I didn't know it wasn't a regular drill. Man, that was a tough one. You could see after a while, just how fatigued they were by how slowly they dropped into flat position.

Finally, I was watching the traded-in guys in Jenkins, Johnston and Lynch. Lynch stands out like a sore thumb on the field and didn't really do anything wrong, but nothing that grabbed my eye - to be fair, he spent most of the session on the opposite side of the ground from me.

He was pretty close to me for a bunch of the session, and I really liked what I saw from him in the full field work. Looks really comfortable, positions well, shows good awareness.

 

[Allefgib]

Awesome stab and chiggy, great stuff.

 

[bjn1960]

Awesome stab and chiggy, great stuff.

big ditto

 

[WALL-e]

Lynch would have the best foot skills of our big men, that should stand out soon in game day situations.

 

[Mad Fan of AFL]

Thankyou Chigwidden and Stabby for your essays. Thankyou for not only making the time to go down to training but also to provide your insights into training!

 

[WAG]

Thanks for the reports guys. Great stuff!

 

[chigwidden]

Lynch would have the best foot skills of our big men, that should stand out soon in game day situations.

Yeah, he's a neat kick.

I can't wait for MMC to start so that I can see some of our new recruits in game-day situations, and see what Sando will do with everyone. How many days is it?

 

[Crow-eater]

Handball Drill

Grigg

Kerridge

Smith

Restricted Group

 

[Footypie32]

Great reports guys! Just one question though. Is hooking the leg when you tackle legal in AFL? Love the emphasis on tackling, but dont want the boys developing any bad habits!!

 

[cmndstab]

Great reports guys! Just one question though. Is hooking the leg when you tackle legal in AFL? Love the emphasis on tackling, but dont want the boys developing any bad habits!!

Hahahaha, I asked the same question

Legal as long as it's above the knee apparently.

 

[Mad Fan of AFL]

^^
Agree love the emphasis on tackling. Has been a problem for a couple seasons now.

 

[Allefgib]

you'd be safe above the knee wouldn't you?

(must admit the same thought went through my head)

 

[Slippery Pete]

Can you explain this hooking the leg drill in a bit more detail?

 

[WALL-e]

Can lift above the knee, but spearing is still illegal.

 

[Footypie32]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease!

Lookin forward to seeing some ripper tackles this year...

...Pigdog style!!

 

[SydCrow]

from the experts:

HOW TO SPEAR TACKLE

1. Pick a target, wait til the target has the ball.

2. Sprint as fast as you can at him, only look at his hips, if he trys to put a step on you, the hips move the least so follow them,

3. Go into the tackle with your shoulder, then drive up, take his weight,

4. With your strength turn him about 90 degrees then drop, this is against the rules of rugby, however some people do it to you, and you just have to do it back, this is how. I don't advise you do it this hard, i think in a spear tackle you should just drop them on there ass. Not on there head as this can cause serious damage.

http://www.rugbyforums.com/rugby-general-discussion/2389-how-spear-tackle.html

 

[Crow-eater]

Tex

Tipp

Porps

Tipp and Tex

Tipp and Porps

The moment after Porps brought Tipp down

Bode leads the run

Danger, Joyce, Kerridge

 

[Allefgib]

so it looks like porpoise took tips out after he was outmarked?

bassett style tantrums from the porps? I like

 

[WALL-e]

Get him in the long sleeves ASAP!

 

[Allefgib]

Can you explain this hooking the leg drill in a bit more detail?

If your a right hander I'm picturing left shouder driving into hip region of opponenet. Left arm wrapping around in a 'tackle'. Hopefully pinning the opponenets right arm.
Right hand/wrist getting behind the left knee of opponenet. Just above it to remain legal. Pull on that lever point so knee bends and pulls foot off ground to get them off blance and losing power from the ground.
Slight lift and bang flip them over onto the ground as quick as you can.

Kinda like tryign to get an opponent on teh ground in the UFC with a bit more restriction on where you can grab.

That's what I'm picturing anyway.

 

[WALL-e]

Yep, should assist in reducing the rediculous amount of handballs opposition players get away in our tackles...

 

[bjn1960]

Yeah, he's a neat kick.

I can't wait for MMC to start so that I can see some of our new recruits in game-day situations, and see what Sando will do with everyone. How many days is it?

Sunday 26 February

45 days (but I did fail arithmetic)

 

[cmndstab]

If your a right hander I'm picturing left shouder driving into hip region of opponenet. Left arm wrapping around in a 'tackle'. Hopefully pinning the opponenets right arm.
Right hand/wrist getting behind the left knee of opponenet. Just above it to remain legal. Pull on that lever point so knee bends and pulls foot off ground to get them off blance and losing power from the ground.
Slight lift and bang flip them over onto the ground as quick as you can.

Kinda like tryign to get an opponent on teh ground in the UFC with a bit more restriction on where you can grab.

That's what I'm picturing anyway.

That's pretty much right, yeah. Except they were getting the players to practice doing it from both sides of their body - can't choose which side you're going to have to tackle someone from, I guess!

 

[Allefgib]

Of course, but for an example of understanding making the left/right distinctions is useful.

 

[cmndstab]

Too true

The guy was putting a big focus on technique - making sure you hit them front-on rather than turning to the side (easy to spin away from), keeping your eyes up so you can watch the ball, and also not give away your intention to hook the leg, grounding your feet right before you propel into them, keeping the body slightly hunched so you can go in hard without hitting the head, etc.