Goal Kicking

[perfectionist]

There is a secret to kicking for goal. Almost always, the ball goes in the direction to which it is kicked. It's a law of physics. If you watch the leg of a player kicking for goal, if it swings in the direction of the space between the goal posts, then it will likely go through for a goal as these days, at most grounds, wind is no longer a factor. If the leg swings through in the direction between a goal and point post it will be a point (Leigh Montagna is the worst - he kicks it in the wrong direction almost out of spite).

Some players have taken to marking a spot on the ground (BJ recently for some unknown reason and Stewart Loewe in the past), but they almost always mark it at right angles to the direction to which they are kicking. They should mark it like an arrow, pointing towards the goal umpire and follow through along the line. It will not only tell them where to kick the ball from but in which direction.

Some players have a natural straight arc. Tony Lockett, Peter Hudson and Peter McKenna all did, the three most accurate kicks ever. Others players can learn this, if they are taught it.

My suspicion is that most coaches pay scant attention to this skill. Players practising without correction is a waste of time. They are just practising to do something wrongly. At the end of the kick, the player should see his boot in the middle of the goal posts. If the boot is heading towards one of the goal posts, or worse, one of the point posts, then that is where the ball will go, especially when distance is not an issue. Simple really.

[matrix]

great post

ive always thought that if you walk/jog/run up straight between the middle of the sticks when having a set shot, drop the ball straight, swing the leg straight and follow thru straight...then the ball would go straight and go straight in the direction you are aiming.

then you get players like you mentioned
plugger knew he had that arc and just did the same thing every time he kicked, he knew that the ball would curve this certain way as that was just his kicking style, so he worked with it.

[saint6709]

If it's as bad as all that maybe they shouldn't train at all - If you can't practice the things that need improving to win matches, they may as well just dispand and play something less taxing on the body

[repta]

One thing is for sure, if you have a game plan that only realistically allows 30 shots a game at goal (at most), you would want to put away the set shots. Totally Totally unacceptable to be 15m directly infront and scrape it in for a point Goddard

[Sainternist]

The kicking for goal has been lamentable in the last two years. It cost us a premiership in '09.

It ain't going to happen, but I'd love to see Plugger return to the club as a specialist coach for goal kicking.