SAAFL division 6 2014

[The Dark Knight]

Oh oh oh, I thought of another myth!

7. Strapping does anything, ever.

Hahaha love it, along with strapping and also stretching Morrel what's your opinion on rub downs?

and post match ice baths........

Yeah Ice Baths too, any Morrel myths with rub downs and Ice Baths?

[Q.]

Don't get fit, don't train, don't warm up. It's the philosophy set to revolutionise the game. Just turn up to the game wearing your pyjamas and you'll kick arse.

[Cohiba]

Oh oh oh, I thought of another myth!

7. Strapping does anything, ever.

Hahaha love it, along with strapping and also stretching Morrel what's your opinion on rub downs?

and post match ice baths........

Yeah Ice Baths too, any Morrel myths with rub downs and Ice Baths?

But the most contentious myth could be......the wearing of black slacks at presentations.......the ultimate in team bonding to further enhance on field performances..........I think Morrell would agree.....

[zedman]

Don't get fit, don't train, don't warm up. It's the philosophy set to revolutionise the game. Just turn up to the game wearing your pyjamas and you'll kick arse.

its working well for morell..just ask steve gatis from lockleys..he feasted on it!

[morell]

Jeez, considering the full forward at the other end kicked 10 why aren't we ragging on the Lockleys fullback? Q would understand that sometimes, when playing deep in D, there just 'aint much you can do. Gatis kicking 5 goals (3 on me) had nothing to do with me being unfit ... ok maybe it was a little bit ... but it was mostly Lockley's supply which was first rate on the day. Give credit where it is due.

[morell]

All in all my myths were sort of premised by an overarching opinion that we are overdoing and generally putting too much emphasis on the small stuff, in particular around preparation, training and the physical aspects and forgetting about the major things.

The small things might matter in the AFL, SANFL and maybe even Div 1 and 2 where the talent is very even, everyone is at a similar standard, but at our level, the ability to actually fundamentally play the game eg kick, catch, mark, handball should be taught with a greater emphasis and trained and drilled much more frequently.

As an example I played Basketball up until i was about 17 at a reasonably high level. Every training session at least half of the time was completely committed to the technique of actually executing the mechanics of the sport. Literally sitting there and repeating the perfect shooting action over and over again for hours. Without the ball then with ball. Rinse and repeat. Mastery through repetition.

Not once. Not even once, in 10+ years of senior footy, has anyone actually sat down and explained what a good kicking technique is. I think I have seen it a couple of times for the guys really new to the sport. Not once has anyone explained what a good defensive technique is. How to position your body in a marking contest.. Smart tackling techniques.... Never has anyone taught me an effective handball technique. etc etc. Maybe thats because I didn't come through the junior ranks but to me, when at the end of the season it's mostly about an ability to execute as it is anything, it amazes me that we simply don't practice these things more often.

I guess this is why in sports such as Basketball it's called practice. With Football its called training. My personal revolution is to turn Football training into Football practice.

This combined with a much more granular approach to the mental side of the game - meaning a deeper understanding around what motivates a player to do x and y, rather than n and z, with a solid and game specific fitness regime ... will eventually combine into morell's theory of everything football.

You will all be asking me for my hourly rate one day

[zedman]

Jeez, considering the full forward at the other end kicked 10 why aren't we ragging on the Lockleys fullback? Q would understand that sometimes, when playing deep in D, there just 'aint much you can do. Gatis kicking 5 goals (3 on me) had nothing to do with me being unfit ... ok maybe it was a little bit ... but it was mostly Lockley's supply which was first rate on the day. Give credit where it is due.

lockleys fullback didnt lose the match,lived to fight another day and he isnt on here preaching how to play the game and prepare for it..

game was in the balance at half time..by 3/4 time it was over after gatis tore you a new one..how about maintaining some body contact with your forward like an extended arm or shoulder? the supply was good but not that special if you were keeping body contact with him..maybe you were tired and a bit sore from the first 60 minutes of the game..a good preseason will fix that..

Not once. Not even once, in 10+ years of senior footy, has anyone actually sat down and explained what a good kicking technique is. I think I have seen it a couple of times for the guys really new to the sport. Not once has anyone explained what a good defensive technique is. How to position your body in a marking contest.. Smart tackling techniques.... Never has anyone taught me an effective handball technique. etc etc. Maybe thats because I didn't come through the junior ranks but to me, when at the end of the season it's mostly about an ability to execute as it is anything, it amazes me that we simply don't practice these things more often.

blame your club and coaches then?..we do kicking and handball drills incessantly..every night we train, trying to get execution perfected..assume the group knows nothing about structures and coach accordingly..the ones that are aware will get a refresher course and the ones who dont will learn a lesson..if someone is struggling with the basics we attempt to fix it but habits are hard to change after doing something one way for a long time..

[Q.]

Jeez, considering the full forward at the other end kicked 10 why aren't we ragging on the Lockleys fullback? Q would understand that sometimes, when playing deep in D, there just 'aint much you can do. Gatis kicking 5 goals (3 on me) had nothing to do with me being unfit ... ok maybe it was a little bit ... but it was mostly Lockley's supply which was first rate on the day. Give credit where it is due.

Ahem. I was never beaten...mainly because I wore slacks to the game and got my ankles taped.

[Cohiba]

[quote="morell"]
As an example I played Basketball up until i was about 17 at a reasonably high level. Every training session at least half of the time was completely committed to the technique of actually executing the mechanics of the sport. Literally sitting there and repeating the perfect shooting action over and over again for hours. Without the ball then with ball. Rinse and repeat. Mastery through repetition.

.....And how did that work out........... Slacks would have made taller...

[Yank Man]

As an example I played Basketball up until i was about 17 at a reasonably high level. Every training session at least half of the time was completely committed to the technique of actually executing the mechanics of the sport. Literally sitting there and repeating the perfect shooting action over and over again for hours. Without the ball then with ball. Rinse and repeat. Mastery through repetition.

.....And how did that work out........... Slacks would have made taller...

People you all need to understand that the only "Mastery" is morells ability to keep bantering over a futile subject whilst being bored at work. When he's busy he is quiet, he is "THE" keyboard warrior. He actually can seriously play as well, but he's already told us that.

[morell]

hahha, ah Yanky, your insight is profound.

Ill respond to the rest of you blokes on Monday.

[Cohiba]

As an example I played Basketball up until i was about 17 at a reasonably high level. Every training session at least half of the time was completely committed to the technique of actually executing the mechanics of the sport. Literally sitting there and repeating the perfect shooting action over and over again for hours. Without the ball then with ball. Rinse and repeat. Mastery through repetition.

.....And how did that work out........... Slacks would have made taller...

People you all need to understand that the only "Mastery" is morells ability to keep bantering over a futile subject whilst being bored at work. When he's busy he is quiet, he is "THE" keyboard warrior. He actually can seriously play as well, but he's already told us that.

You think he's bored !!!!!!!.....we keep feeding him.....

[morell]

Hahaha love it, along with strapping and also stretching Morrel what's your opinion on rub downs?

If it’s the Lockleys girls doing it – invaluable.

Haha, nah, my understanding from back at my Resistance Training Uni days is that massage helps with increasing the lymphatic bloodflow and removes metabolites and other toxins.

These toxins are what cause pain and increased tightness, reducing flexibility and increasing the chance of injury.

and post match ice baths........

See above, my understanding is that ice baths stimulate blood flow and therefore flush out toxins, especially lactic acid.

Don't get fit, don't train, don't warm up. It's the philosophy set to revolutionise the game. Just turn up to the game wearing your pyjamas and you'll kick arse.

Now this isn’t what I am saying, but I dig it.

What I am saying, is that in my opinion the teams I have spoken to in the lower ranked divisions are putting too much emphasis on this side of football, rather than actually learning and practising on how to play the game.

It’s a bit like teaching calculus before times tables.

But the most contentious myth could be......the wearing of black slacks at presentations.......the ultimate in team bonding to further enhance on field performances..........I think Morrell would agree.....

Black slacks at Saturday night presos? You have to be kidding me.

.....And how did that work out........... Slacks would have made taller...

I got a pretty good shot going there when I was younger. It fell away when I quit basketball for footy though. I wasn’t tall enough to be a forward nor quick enough to be a guard. Basketball is good fun but just isn’t my sport.

Still, the techniques they use for practising the skills of the sport are above anything we do in football. That I have seen anyway.

[morell]

preaching how to play the game and prepare for it..

I am discussing football theory with the kind folks of SA Footy. Feel free to post alternative opinions. Hopefully the kind folks of SA Footy wont regale you with stories of your bad games, moments which you squibbed out of the contest or coaching meltdowns.

Which according to local footy lore and all the stories people tell me about you, have all been innumerate.

game was in the balance at half time..by 3/4 time it was over after gatis tore you a new one..

They continued to kicks goals from the midfield after quarter time pretty easily. Obviously you have always been a forward flanker type and haven't played a key defensive position in your life. Sometimes you have to sacrifice looking good or even possibly conceding a goal or two to help a team mate and stop a definite goal.

1. First goal Gatis was behind me, I pushed back and made contact but he was too strong and protected the drop really well, the pass was well weighted and it went over my stretched arms and he took a solid mark. Too good. I could have been closer but it wouldn't have made a difference.

2. Second goal he got I was on the end of a block in the goal square, was good team play, he lead and dived and the kick landed on his shoe lace. Perfect. Even without the block Stephen Silvangi would have struggled to stop it. That’s the thing with playing in defense though, people watching, including coaches, umpires and others only see the last split second and assume you've been slack or lazy. Never mind that you copped a punch, slipped, got scragged 3 seconds earlier.

3. Third goal was completely my fault. I misread the play. Gatis made a soft lead to the middle from the square to make what I thought was some space for their other forward ruckman who stayed in the square, the midfielder on the flank was on his wrong side and under pressure so I thought he would bomb it, as we were undersized (Maylin was much smaller) I made an instinctive call to try and be third man up and help him. The midfielder stopped, propped, went back onto his preferred and kicked a bit of an inside out kick and hit Gatis out in front 25m. I copped a spray and nodded that I stuffed up. Fair enough. Life of a defender.

Those 3 goals were the only goals I had kicked on me all day. One could ask why on each occasion there wasn't more pressure on the kicker like there was in the first, but that would be finger pointing, which you seemingly like to do. I have had better games and was disappointed with my output but to be absolutely frank, just being out there was a win for me.

Being fitter would not have helped any one of those moments, not one. Gatis “tore me a new one” because he was more talented than me, was a bigger unit and was overall a better player.

If anything Gatis outplaying me is probably proving my myths more than anything as I don’t reckon he could run 100m without stopping.

how about maintaining some body contact with your forward like an extended arm or shoulder? the supply was good but not that special if you were keeping body contact with him..maybe you were tired and a bit sore from the first 60 minutes of the game..a good preseason will fix that..

hahaha, oh dear, I hope you have a defensive minded assistant.

Proptip – if you’re outsized and outmuscled by an opponent, don’t get into a one on one wrestle with him

By putting an arm or shoulder onto him, it gives him the advantage and plays into his hands as he has control over the physical nature of the contest. My strengths are a bit of a jump and an OK-ish closing speed (yes that’s about it). His strengths are well, strength, great hands and size. Doing that would have completely nullified any tool I had to my disposable to beat him. He would have kicked 10.

blame your club and coaches then?..

Of course, this is relevant to Mitchell Park and the way we do things.

we do kicking and handball drills incessantly..every night we train, trying to get execution perfected..assume the group knows nothing about structures and coach accordingly..the ones that are aware will get a refresher course and the ones who don't will learn a lesson..if someone is struggling with the basics we attempt to fix it but habits are hard to change after doing something one way for a long time..

Hurray. Well done on finally posting something without trying to be a dick.

What sort of drills have you implemented to instil muscle memory for instinctive skill?
How do you teach the difference between static and dynamic kicking?
What about the specific biomechanics of how to prepare for kicking the ball?
What about handballs? How do you break down the smaller mechanisms within the whole action to ensure a player is executing the skill with the maximum chance of the ball hitting its target?

Thus far, all of the traditional football drills we do fail in doing most of the above. In my opinion. Its more about training and exercise, than practice.

Its not just about doing it more frequently either. Getting someone to run up and down constantly kicking and handballing 1000’s of times is pointless if he is running up and down kicking and handballing with an incorrect technique.

I am very interested in breaking down the best possible technique for the skills of our game, and understanding them at a fundamental level, as in all honestly, I have not read or seen anything that addresses it like I have for the skill sets in other sports. I assume it gets done at AFL level although their skill rate (especially in front of goals) might suggest otherwise.

[Phantom Gossiper]

Morell, never thought I'd sat this, but I agree with you. There doesn't seem to be enough focus on perfecting skill level in these grades.

I mean everyone does their kicking/handballing training exercises etc but i dont think i've ever really see a massive focus on technique or improving efficiency, except when David Payne was at Ingle Farm briefly.

I can only compare with training for other sports i play and i know with Rugby League the training is a large percentage of technique and skill work - breaking down skills into steps i guess to perfect/improve efficiency, with a component of fitness included but seperate from those drills/exercises.

Stretching is beneficial - if it is dynamic and progressive build up, i could never understand why sides would do a warm up in the middle of winter, run a lap and then sit down on the cold wet ground and go through static stretches then get up and run another lap

[zedman]

Morell: if you want to know what drills we do you will have to come to training and find out!

"Which according to local footy lore and all the stories people tell me about you, have all been innumerate."

You should be able to quantify that statement with a few examples then eh?

I look forward to hearing from you.

[Cohiba]

Morrell....your thoughts on high altitude training being directly linked to the perfection of foot and hand skills please....and should black slacks be worn when travelling to high altitude venues.....

[citycoaster17]

Morell, I agree with some of your comments, but fitness, regardless of what division you are playing in, is surely the most important asset any footballer can have. There is no point having all of the skill and ability in the world, if you cant get your hands on the footy.
Lets take for example, two opponents, of equal weight, height, strength and talent. One can run 15 laps in good time at training, the other can get around the oval say 3 times before he needs a breather. These two guys line up on each other on a Saturday, and there are 15 contests, 1 on 1, with the ball about 30 metres away. How many times do you think the bloke with supreme fitness is going to get his hands on the ball first and pump it long. Not to mention his delivery will be much better because he isn't so spent by the time he gets the footy, and his decision making will be better because his mind is clear, and not asking himself how am I going to get my next breath. Just my opinion.

[morell]

Morell: if you want to know what drills we do you will have to come to training and find out!

a. You assume I haven't seen CLG train.
b. It would probably be more pertinent for the coaching group rather than a washed up player to be a guest at CLG training
c. We would probably want to go and see WOS train as, well, you know, they won the flag as heavy underdogs.
d. Still, I am happy to come along and see how you go about things and maybe report back. Name the date, time and place.

"Which according to local footy lore and all the stories people tell me about you, have all been innumerate."

You should be able to quantify that statement with a few examples then eh?

I look forward to hearing from you.

I used the word "lore" very deliberately as I cannot vouch for their veracity.

One story I can recall was a day you were playing MPFC on our oval and Kenilworth were flogging us. I think the story goes that you kicked 7 goals to 3 quarter time so we put some "heat" on you. Rumour has it that you asked to come off. Quite a few other people have told me stories about you after reading some of our discussions on the interweb.

They're not exactly endearing, most are around you being a softish forward flanker type during your playing days and that as a coach you have lost the plot on numerous occasions in close games, resulting in a choking like demeanor for your team. Details and specifics of names and places will be withheld as I wouldn't want to betray any confidentiality.

[Q.]

The best drills at training are the ones where the decision-making is left up to the player/s and skills are executed under a degree of pressure.