Darren Jarman On Kicking Skills

[Junction Oval]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/f ... 6084401278

Considering how bad the Saints kicking skills are, this article by Darren Jarman (ex the Crows) is worth a read. Here's a couple of quotes :

"People say it must be genetic or whatever, that my brother Andrew and I were born with these disposal skills," Jarman joked.
"Well, let me explode the myth because it was all due to hard work. Just constant practice.

"

Find a good teacher, get the basics right then practice them again and again and again. If you want to do well in class you must spend hours studying. Same with kicking or handballing a football."

said the most important part was the ball drop. He said it also was a matter of becoming comfortable with your routine.

I just hope a few Saints Players and Coaches read this, especially after SainterK's perceptive report on Saints training yesterday.

[SaintPav]

Does anyone know if Nick's kicking for goal was better before his shoulder injury? Someone on call back last year thought that since that injury he had changed they way he drops the ball on his foot. I thought it was an interesting theory.

[degruch]

Could be, or his hammy, or both? I don't recall an entire season when Roo was ever a dead cert, although he was a bit of a dead eye before his hammy.

Stewie Loewe wasn't great early in his career, but improved vastly towards the end...I wonder how he turned it around? You'd think with Paul Hudson on the coaching staff, we'd be in capable hands, but the results speak for themselves.

[PLUGGER14]

Could be, or his hammy, or both? I don't recall an entire season when Roo was ever a dead cert, although he was a bit of a dead eye before his hammy.

Stewie Loewe wasn't great early in his career, but improved vastly towards the end...I wonder how he turned it around? You'd think with Paul Hudson on the coaching staff, we'd be in capable hands, but the results speak for themselves.

Stewie had Huddo's old man to thank for his improvement!

[degruch]

Could be, or his hammy, or both? I don't recall an entire season when Roo was ever a dead cert, although he was a bit of a dead eye before his hammy.

Stewie Loewe wasn't great early in his career, but improved vastly towards the end...I wonder how he turned it around? You'd think with Paul Hudson on the coaching staff, we'd be in capable hands, but the results speak for themselves.

Stewie had Huddo's old man to thank for his improvement!

Ah, that's right! I'm baffled as to what's going on then...I can only think the 'soft tissue injury - no kicking' rule allegedly imposed by the club during the pre-season was a very poor decision (especially in light of the fact we were 1.14 at one stage in GF2). I'm not sure if this was fact or fiction though (likely the latter)?

I used to laugh at Richmond's deplorable disposal, and Cloke's lousy kicking at goal...boy are they having the last laugh!

[Johnny Member]

Could be, or his hammy, or both? I don't recall an entire season when Roo was ever a dead cert, although he was a bit of a dead eye before his hammy.

Stewie Loewe wasn't great early in his career, but improved vastly towards the end...I wonder how he turned it around? You'd think with Paul Hudson on the coaching staff, we'd be in capable hands, but the results speak for themselves.

Stewie had Huddo's old man to thank for his improvement!

Ah, that's right! I'm baffled as to what's going on then...I can only think the 'soft tissue injury - no kicking' rule allegedly imposed by the club during the pre-season was a very poor decision (especially in light of the fact we were 1.14 at one stage in GF2). I'm not sure if this was fact or fiction though (likely the latter)?

I used to laugh at Richmond's deplorable disposal, and Cloke's lousy kicking at goal...boy are they having the last laugh!

Roo gets late swing on the ball.

But he can't control that swing. I reckon he tries to kick it too straight. To kick a footy from a set shot dead straight takes a certain type of action.

Most players have a curve or swing when they kick, and the good ones actually utilise it.

Fraser Gehrig for example, curved the ball from right to left. Which is unusual for a left footer. But he knew this and didn't try to kick the ball straight.
He kicked it, allowing for the curve and he was really effective.


As strange it may seem, perhaps Roo needs to alter his run up and not be so straight. Perhaps he needs to try to work out a natural curve in his kicking and work with it - not against it.

[SainterK]

I used to laugh at Richmond's deplorable disposal, and Cloke's lousy kicking at goal...boy are they having the last laugh!

I heard somewhere Damien Hardwick is building a list largely based on footskills

[St Chris]

Does anyone know if Nick's kicking for goal was better before his shoulder injury? Someone on call back last year thought that since that injury he had changed they way he drops the ball on his foot. I thought it was an interesting theory.

The "collarbone injury has impacted his ball drop" is the wisest thing to ever come out of Eddie McFathead's mouth.

He was the first to make public comment on this, and I remember seeing pretty compelling footage of a "before and after" shot on goal, and there was a obvious difference.

In 2004, he kicked 67.32

In 2005, he broke his collarbone twice. He kicked 33.35

In 2006, he kicked 60.35

In 2007, he kicked 42.26

In his career, he's kicked 453.302

So I think the problems he was having we're evident in the year he got the injury, but it seemed to have been fixed in the years after. All he has now is the "yips", and fatigue.

[ralphsmith]

Jarman has reached the stage where he seriously hates watching AFL players turn the ball over by foot, saying it is an artform in which they should take pride.

Yep, thats what it is like being a saints fan.

Constant turnovers from our players who cant kick properly.

Too much focus on discipline and structures, not enough focus on the core aspect of
FootBall.

Kicking the ball.

We are not the only team that has drafted too many athletes.

Perhaps the entire under 18 system is somewhat flawed with too much focus on beep test champions, standing still jumpers, skin fold heroes.

Too many non footballers are getting to the elite level and not enough football brained players.

Jarmans mention of divorces, and dads not being there to kick the footy with the son is an interesting one....perhaps too many kids playing xbox all day instead of booting the footy to friend for hours on end. Too many other distractions for juniors these days.

I think the junior system, particularly the under 18 system needs a revamp. We want to see more skillful players at the elite levels. The likes of gram, c jones, ray, dempster, dawson, blake, baker ,steven, armitage are at the ahtletic elite level without the kicking skills.

I am sure the jarman brothers would kick to eachother endlesssly everyday.

[spert]

Jarman sums up the benefits of hard work to improve your skills, but I think the Jarmans had their hand and foot skills sorted way before senior football. If AFL players in their mid to late 20s are still having problems with hand and foot skills, then forget it and they become a liability. I think in the case of Loewe, his kicking style was so incorrect that any coaching to improve it, stood out like a sore thumb. My advice to Roo when kicking for goal, is to imagine a teammate standing between the goalposts, then instead of holding his head up and looking at whole goal area, aim his vision to the bottom half of the goal posts and imagine he is kicking to his team mate..it worked for me years ago.

[Junction Oval]

My approach was to pick out a person or sign well behind the goals and kick to it/them. It works quite well.

However, this is basic stuff. What Roo needs is some very intensive sessions with a very good coach, using video replays. He is a nice kick, it's just his technique that needs adjustment.

As for the rest of the Saints, it's practice, practice,practice, under the eye/tuteledge of a good skills coach. Being paid as much as they are, they are obligated to get their skills right.

I would have thought that "personal pride" would be big driver in trying to improve.

[plugger66]

I have a feeling everything mentioned here and a whole lot more has been tried on Rooy. It is only one thing though and that is confidence. Sure he hasnt got the perfect technique but he never did but he was still accurate.

[Junction Oval]

You may well be right Plugger. Let's hope he drills his first one on Sunday and that the rest follow !

[Johnny Member]

I have a feeling everything mentioned here and a whole lot more has been tried on Rooy. It is only one thing though and that is confidence. Sure he hasnt got the perfect technique but he never did but he was still accurate.

But how do you get confidence back?

[spert]

As Yabby Jeans used to say in one form or another- beat your opponent, and make as few mistakes as possible. If Roo or any player wants to regain confidence..start winning your little contests, beat your direct opponent to the ball, do something effective when you have the ball, don't give up the chase if the ball is not passed to you on a silver platter. From little things, big things grow.

[Zed]

I grew up a few suburbs away from the Jarmans and played against both of them (mostly Andrew). They were well known in our zone as kids who always had a football with them. These guys would eat and sleep with a football in their hands.

I have a personal dislike for Andrew Jarman (which is a story for another day) - but you cant ever deny that these guys worked seriously hard on their skills.

[matrix]

who???