A lot of young right handed baseballers are taught from the get go to hit left handed because they are automatically two steps closer the first base. It becomes a disadvantage in the field though, so you find a lot throw with their right and hit with their left.This really is one of those Myths that needs busting. The true reality is, VERY FEW humans period, do not have a dominant side. VERY FEW AFL footballers and in fact any athletes period, are good on their non dominant side. Why the hell are the best tennis players not smashing right and left handed forehands? Bloody Nadal was always held back by this weakness.People saying they can't believe players make it to AFL without being proficient on both sides are just not on the reality train. It can be handy no doubt but for the vast majority of all AFL players, not even worth considering out there.
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List Mgmt. Welcome to West Coast : Connor West
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I'm glad someone else here gets it.
It's like saying that 95% of all cars drive on the correct side of the road (or even 99.999% - the actual % doesn't matter) - so all we are going to do is concentrate on those driving on the right side of the road, because even though those driving on the wrong side cause more accidents, it is a small percentage. The reality is the gain from concentrating on the small percentage is far greater than concentrating on something that is already done well.
The real question is not whether making the 5% of opposite side disposals better would be beneficial, but would increasing the use of the opposite side plus increasing the skill/execution on the opposite side have a significant impact?
Blind Freddy could see that Gaff would be a significantly more damaging player if he could kick on is right to a high standard (maybe not as well as his left, but somewhere close). Teams just zone to his left and know they can pressure the kick - if he were able to use his right then they may have to attack him differently, which would likely still result in 95%of his kicks being left-foot, but the pressure factor would be different due to his ability on the opposite side.
- Jun 26, 2011
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Indeed. It's actually his basketball background that buys him time because in basketball you're not allowed to be tackled.
It’s actually kind of bizarre how rare it is that he gets tackled in traffic. Sometimes he’s just standing there and no one goes to him. Maybe he just really stinks
Sorry but the fact almost the entire game is played through dominant side possession is the reality and is the convincing argument.
If you can't grasp that mathematical concept and it's importance, you can't grasp high level footy. There's good reason why all players are still so one side dominant at AFL level, still being drafted and still almost the entire list compliment. If you can't put it together, such is life. Probably time to leave it alone in this thread.
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Flarn Rarn
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Well you've obviously framed that in your head in a way that's incontrovertible but it isn't true. Your point about clubs not needing to focus on non-dominant sides isn't necessarily wrong, but your reasoning is. If you can't grasp that mathematical concept and its importance, you can't grasp high level footy. But if you can't put that together, such is life.
On Connor West though, for all the talk of his disposal I actually don't mind his tendency to throw it on the boot because a lot of the time it results in quick ball movement forward which at the moment is better than our typical strategy of holding the ball up, giving away an easy turnover and having the oppo score against us instantly.
"I'd rather the 10 non-preferred kicks go out on the full and the 90 preferred hit someone on the chest.
"You can practice on it. But if you're trying to practice now at AFL level, and wanting to be proficient, unless you're doing a heap of extras, it's never going to work.
"I certainly wasn't worried as a coach if blokes couldn't kick on their wrong foot. I played 369 games and to be perfectly frank I reckon I kicked on my left foot 20 times.
"It wasn't something we were focused on when I coached. Some of the guys could do it, and some were terrible. It was embarrassing how bad they were. So what do you do [by then]?"
"Where we are as an industry now, it's just not a debate worth having because if players aren't proficient at it, they're not at the club long enough to work on it.
"And for about 10 per cent of kicks, it's not worth worrying about. I'd rather worry about blokes learning defensive transition, and running harder and being better kicks at goal."
Paul Roos
If you still can't grasp the reality at AFL level now, then it's obviously beyond you. This is pretty much the accepted wisdom through all clubs at the highest level now and has been for some time. It's just mathematics, though the percentages he refers to I believe are now closer to 95%. Once again I assure you, It is simply not focused on at this level for precisely the reason both Roos and I stated. When you say my reasoning is wrong, you are absolutely incorrect. Unless you know better than every AFL club. You are confusing lower level thought processes and involvement with AFL level, It really is a different beast.
"You can practice on it. But if you're trying to practice now at AFL level, and wanting to be proficient, unless you're doing a heap of extras, it's never going to work.
"I certainly wasn't worried as a coach if blokes couldn't kick on their wrong foot. I played 369 games and to be perfectly frank I reckon I kicked on my left foot 20 times.
"It wasn't something we were focused on when I coached. Some of the guys could do it, and some were terrible. It was embarrassing how bad they were. So what do you do [by then]?"
"Where we are as an industry now, it's just not a debate worth having because if players aren't proficient at it, they're not at the club long enough to work on it.
"And for about 10 per cent of kicks, it's not worth worrying about. I'd rather worry about blokes learning defensive transition, and running harder and being better kicks at goal."
Paul Roos
If you still can't grasp the reality at AFL level now, then it's obviously beyond you. This is pretty much the accepted wisdom through all clubs at the highest level now and has been for some time. It's just mathematics, though the percentages he refers to I believe are now closer to 95%. Once again I assure you, It is simply not focused on at this level for precisely the reason both Roos and I stated. When you say my reasoning is wrong, you are absolutely incorrect. Unless you know better than every AFL club. You are confusing lower level thought processes and involvement with AFL level, It really is a different beast.
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Yeah, but how often does he make it on to base?
you mean in teaball game? ahh is that what he is doing?
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