Sir Clive's Views on Wallaby Kicking

[the plastic paddy]

When Burke came to England to play alongside Wilkinson he was shocked how much he would practice his kicking. The guy is obsessive. It's rumoured that he knew how to switch the stadia lights out cos he was so often the last man there. He works out what each of the six numbered test match balls will do before a match and he will have a preferred ball to kick with. It's what you do for that 1% advantage. It's not a cultural thing, it's just about the best possible preparation. Woodward is pretty hard to stomach at times but he made English rugby more professional and he would pull out all the stops to gain an advantage, no matter how small.
For one thing, Australia has a fantastic technical resource in AFL - when you look at those guys kick out-of-hand or catching a high ball. Folau is a natural but even so, how much has he improved from his time with AFL? When you think back to a year ago and Barnes and Beale couldn't catch a cold let alone a high ball, it is mystifying why resources like this aren't being utilised. Maybe they are and I just haven't heard about it?

Lord Bald certainly pulled out all the stops to gain an advantage although becoming the first person ever to stop dear old Bill McClaren watch a pre five/ six nations training session would indicate that Bill Beaumont was indeed right when he called Woodward a c%^t.

However, place kicking is about practice and attention to detail and dare I say it you need to be a lad with Wilkinson's wholly admirable modesty and humility to really buy into the need to put in all those hours. JOC (James O'Connor) and Beale are terrific talents but neither of them are lads I would have down as the shy or retiring type, could that be why they don't place kick as well as they might? That is a genuine question BTW and not an attempt at starting a sh*tefest.

 

[Paradox]

I read a very fair article from Phil Vickery today who is completely at odds with Lord Bald's assessment.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I read a very fair article from Phil Vickery today who is completely at odds with Lord Bald's assessment.

Link?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[fatprop]

That is just a Journo "quote". Is there any cited mention of a Wallabies player or manager stating outright that Lilo was the kicker?

It was stated in the Fox commentary, I haven't seen a statutory declaration from the Wallaby management confirming same.

 

[RedsHappy]

Lord Bald certainly pulled out all the stops to gain an advantage although becoming the first person ever to stop dear old Bill McClaren watch a pre five/ six nations training session would indicate that Bill Beaumont was indeed right when he called Woodward a c%^t.

However, place kicking is about practice and attention to detail and dare I say it you need to be a lad with Wilkinson's wholly admirable modesty and humility to really buy into the need to put in all those hours. JOC (James O'Connor) and Beale are terrific talents but neither of them are lads I would have down as the shy or retiring type, could that be why they don't place kick as well as they might? That is a genuine question BTW and not an attempt at starting a sh*tefest.

I think you make an excellent point via that question.

If one looks at the brief Dave Alred coaching vid posted by IS above, it just begins to give a flavour of the complex physical and psychological disciplines - all applied with a kind of boring, obsessive repetition - that are required to become an outstanding consistently successful kicker. In many respects this is way less fun and glamorous than practising darting backline plays and such like with a bunch of team mates. And it's an isolated pursuit too, hours of lonely practice are required, not all with coaches in tow.

In summary, this skill at the highest level requires special, relentless application and maybe by its very nature a special breed of inner character. That's as it should be as the fate of national teams in huge series can depend upon it, or fall by its absence.

 

[Scotty]

It is not surprising that Alred is also involved in golf, because the swing mechanics of golf are very similar to that of a place kicker.

If any rugby kicker thinks it is boring to practise kicking for an hour they should go and spend some time with elite golfers. When practising they are often at it for 4 hours plus each day. When in tournament mode they generally have one travel day (Monday), one practise day (Tuesday), a sponsors day (Wednesday) and then 4 days of tournament play.

 

[Rock Lobster]

Believe it or not I actually have experience as a goalkicking coach at the elite level & I can tell you, in my experience, the biggest problem for Aus kickers is insufficient practice. When first drafted into the role, I suggested to the Super Rugby coach that our kickers needed to be practicing every day bar game day & recovery day. I was told there was not enough time for that! As an amateur player with a full time job I found time to practice my kicking EVERY day, so to suggest professional players didn't have time to practice this skill every day staggered me. On certain practice days I was told that certain kickers were only allowed x amount of kicks as they didn't want certain muscles overloaded...WTF! I would get 2, 3 sessions at most, per week! Aust kickers & coaches just don't understand the amount of work required to perfect this skill both physically & more importantly, mentally. I would suggest goalkicking is 75% mental 25% technique yet I can guarantee you our kickers would be lucky to spend 5% of their practice on the mental aspect of it. Until this attitude is changed our kickers will always struggle under pressure. And just to clarify, a kick from the sideline or 50m out to win a game is not a pressure kick. The 2nd last kick Beale had from just to the left of the posts WAS a pressure kick & I knew he would miss it. Only the mentally strong such as Wilkinson & Carter bang those over without thinking about it because they have trained their minds NOT to think about it & that is a skill we don't practice.

 

[Scoey]

I have little experience in this area, but I do know the amount of kicking practice Elton Flatley used to put in. It was staggering.

 

[Rock Lobster]

I have little experience in this area, but I do know the amount of kicking practice Elton Flatley used to put in. It was staggering.

And I would have Elton in the Wilkinson/Carter class. His kicking in that 03 WC Final was only possible because of the hours he put in. Wish we had more like him

 

[Rassie]

The Saffas tend to have a few kickers knocking about as well.

i think we can all agree that the Springboks are just kicking machines

 

[Rassie]

Australia has a culture problem on goal kicking, right down to grassroots level. The goal kicker is always the first picked in a team.

Do your kids play rugby barefoot? Playing bare foot as a kid teaches you how to find the sweet spot.

 

[RedsHappy]

Another good article re the matter of rugby kicking in general and BIL Test 1's kicking results in particular.

I was interested in the O'Connor quote that the kicking on Saturday was a 'pretty tedious process really'. May give weight to The Plastic Paddy's post above re our kickers' attitude to the task?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ru...tley-Beale-lost-mind-feet--Martin-Samuel.html

 

[Scoey]

And I would have Elton in the Wilkinson/Carter class. His kicking in that 03 WC Final was only possible because of the hours he put in. Wish we had more like him

Just in case it wasn't clear, my post was in support of yours. Couldn't agree more!

 

[Spieber]

I would be teaching Izzy how to place kick - seems to handle pressure better than most.

 

[RedsHappy]

Interesting input from Chris Malone on Wallaby kicking mode:

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-new...hris-malone-says/story-e6frfkp9-1226669349268

 

[rugbysmartarse]

I would be teaching Izzy how to place kick - seems to handle pressure better than most.

place kicking now goes in line with teaching him to play in the centres, play spin in India and captain the netball team as suggestions I have read

 

[mxyzptlk]

Larkham? I think your memory fails you.

Larkham? I hardly know him!

(sorry... that was uncalled for.)

 

[mxyzptlk]

Believe it or not I actually have experience as a goalkicking coach at the elite level & I can tell you, in my experience, the biggest problem for Aus kickers is insufficient practice.

Out of curiosity, does imagery figure in to that training? If so much of kicking is mental, it would seem imagery should be part of the program.

 

[BarneySF]

Scoey said:
I have little experience in this area, but I do know the amount of kicking practice Elton Flatley used to put in. It was staggering.

And I would have Elton in the Wilkinson/Carter class. His kicking in that 03 WC Final was only possible because of the hours he put in. Wish we had more like him


Interestingly though it came back to bite Wilko on the arse - remember all that fuss made about him practicing on Christmas Day or whatever, how it then fucked his groin up from over practicing. Not sure if Carter's WC groin injury was overuse or just shit luck.

 

[Rock Lobster]

Out of curiosity, does imagery figure in to that training? If so much of kicking is mental, it would seem imagery should be part of the program.

It should & it was for me. If you watch most kickers you will see them look at the ball then toward the posts then back toward the ball. Most of them are trying to draw a picture or visualise that ball going through the posts. I tell kickers to totally disregard the posts and pick a target beyond them. It might be a face in the crowd (if you're in a stadium), a cloud or a tree (if your at your local oval) in line with your normal kicking trajectory & imagine kicking the ball to that point, actually see the ball hitting that person, tree or cloud. This helps reduce any anxiety about the outcome, you train your mind not to worry about whether you will kick the "goal" by getting the ball between a couple of posts but just enjoy the thrill of seeing the ball go where you intended. I also had a tape of some outstanding goalkicking that I sometimes watched the night before a game. One of those kicks was by Michael Lynagh against Scotland on the 84 Grand Slam tour. The camera was right behind him, which was rare in those days, & a sweeter struck kick you will never see. The image of that kick was burned in my mind, still is, & I would often replay it in my head when I was lining up a similar kick. I tell kickers to put together a tape/dvd of their best kicks & if they are ever going through a bad trot, just pull that dvd out & watch how good you are.

One of my favourite mental drills is to ask a kicker to set himself up about 25-30m out directly in front of the posts, pretty basic kick. I then ask them to kick 10 goals straight & if they miss they have to start again from zero. You would be staggered how often they breeze through the first 7 or 8 then tighten up as they get closer to their goal & miss kick number 9 or 10. You can actually see a change in their technique as they get closer to kick number 10 when they are just trying to steer it through the posts. After 2 or 3 goes at this without success I say lets make it 5 kicks. 1,2,3,4..no problem, kick number 5...not so pretty, it's amazing. The ability to train your mind to treat kick number 10 exactly the same as kick number 1 (or a kick to win a game exactly the same as if the score were 30 nil) is not easy & only comes with hours of training.