If your team is playing in the finals this weekend, well done! What a great opportunity to get your players used to the added pressure of finals footy. There will be plenty of emotions from players, parents and coaches, but it is important to remember it is still junior footy, and the main goal of junior footy is development.
Skill development should never be overlooked, and if you see someone at training doing something wrong, you should still fix it. However, the main focus this week should be on game plan, touch and game sense activities. Game sense activities will get your players used to game simulation throughout the week, therefore getting them ready for the weekend.
Below are some great activities available for Vida members for a game sense themed week. Good luck to all teams in the finals!
Our resident kicking specialist, Sav Rocca had an article published by the Herald Sun by reporter Jay Clark talking about the importance of specialized skills training in footy. At Vida footy, we belive in doing the extra work in making sure skills are developed at a young age. When Sav came on board, we continued our weekly Skills Sessions with great results.
Despite the increased professionalism in the game, Champion Data statistics reveal set shot goal kicking accuracy has got worse over the last decade.
But Rocca, currently working at the Blues this year, is adamant proper goal kicking coaching would improve a team’s scoring by about two goals a game.
“It’s only a couple of little things you need to tweak here and there and you can really get a huge benefit out of it,” Rocca told the Herald Sun.
“But it’s getting someone who can really pinpoint what’s going on when players are missing goals and really fine tune.
There are many ways to coach. Different techniques, visions, goals, values and communication methods. The end results of whatever coaching methods we use is usually measured in the success of the pre determined goal at the start of the season. In senior footy this is usually measured in a Premiership Flag, for juniors it should be about development.
So how do we try and develop junior players so they can move into senior footy, whatever level that may be, so that they can help bring success to their club. Well according to an article written in the In Daily, an independent newspaper in Adelaide, it’s about creating players who think more.
Creating players that think more drastically improves a players ability to impact a game of footy. We need to create thinking players throughout junior footy by mixing games based decision making activities throughout training sessions. The following articles explains this theory.
“The development of ‘thinking’ players will create better team performances and ultimately make Australian Rules football a much safer and enjoyable game for juniors, according to sport experts at Flinders University.
Game-based coaching and game-play practice sessions give junior and senior players alike the chance to be more tactical, to play with purpose and respond more adeptly to the dynamics – and hazards – of the game, says Flinders University coaching analyst Associate Professor Shane Pill, who advises AFL and other leagues around the country.
“Compared to traditional training, which focuses on repetitive drill-based practice, the game sense approach gives players the skills to make better moment-to-moment decisions in a complex and dynamic sport,” says Associate Professor Pill, co-editor of Advances in Australian Football, a new in-depth look at the Great Australian Game.
“Drill based ‘off the line’ training can develop inattention ‘blindness’ that limits players’ perception decision-making and ability to play according to the realities of the game,” says Associate Professor Pill from the Sport, Health and Physical Education (SHAPE) Research Centre at Flinders University.
Now acknowledged as the preferred approach of the AFL coach development department, he says Hawthorn’s award-winning senior coach Alastair Clarkson is a great supporter of the game-sense approach.
“The view of the three-time premiership coach is that young footballers right down to under-10s are being subjected to far too many training drills and not enough football. As a result, young footballers being drafted into AFL clubs not having adequate decision-making skills.
“But the game at the elite level is not the only concern.
“Teenagers should be learning how to play the game by playing it – and learning to enjoy it,” Associate Professor Pill says.
These tactics, along with advances in player selection, player movement, sport medicine and nutrition, are adding to the evolution of the great Australian game, says SHAPE Research Centre director Professor Murray Drummond, co-editor ofAdvances in Australian Football.
“Over time, the game of elite Australian football evolved from a community-based sport to what is now – entirely professional amidst a billion-dollar industry that has enormous social and cultural influence,” Professor Drummond says.
“This book is unique in that it delves into the social, scientific and coaching aspects of Australian football, from elite player level to community ‘grassroots’ engagement and junior player, Indigenous and women player development.
“It explores, challenges and highlights the significance of Australian football in Australian society, as well as the enormous changes that have occurred within the sport since the early 1900s when clubs were starting to emerge.”
The role of elite football in defining masculinity and football club culture is examined in another chapter by fellow Flinders University Sport, Health and Physical Activity lecturer Dr Deb Agnew.
“My chapter, ‘Becoming a star: life as an elite Australian footballer, identity construction and withdrawal from the spotlight,’ is based on research with 20 retired footballers,” Dr Agnew says.
“There is strong evidence to support the influence of Australian football in the development of masculine identity.
Throughout the year, players should be encouraged to kick on both sides of their body. A player who can do has a significant advantage when it comes to playing at a higher level. Even if your player’s goals is not to play AFL, it is still important to teach both sides as it is a key skill in modern football at all levels.
If you are a coach or a parent who wants to help their child develop, it would be a good idea to try and implement the following either at training, or the back yard.
Throughout the week you should be encouraging your players to kick on their opposite side throughout your activities, especially when pushed to that non-preferred side. Developing this tool will make that player so much better as a whole.
Think about players such as Sam Mitchel, who can get out of trouble from either side. They can also attack from either side of his body, making him a great player even if he may give away some six and speed than some other AFL Footballers.
During a Game
You may not necessarily want to set KPI’s for this as the occurrence may vary. However, you would want to let your players know that they should keep their own tally of opposite foot or even opposite hands handballs. Your players will know when they should be using their non-preferred side, therefore try to get them to tell you after the game how many times they did so when they had the chance.
After the game, have a discussion about why it is important to develop this skill and therefore try to get your players to understand the “why”. You can then use this feedback to take into your training session throughout the week, and reiterate the important of the opposite side.
In the upcoming School Holidays, we will have a Master Skill Development Program which will have a heavy focus on kicking skill development. If you want your child to improve their kicking, check out the link below to learn about the program and how it could improve the kicking of juniors.
Congratulations to Matthew Signorello for getting drafted to the Adelaide Crows at pick number 62. Matthew has a great life opportunity which footy has given him, and we wish him all the best.
How did he get there? Matthew, a 184cm tough, quick and athletic midfielder started his junior footy at West Preston Lake Side and then onto South Morang. He also played for Ivanhoe Grammar where he attended school and won this years Best and Fairest. In amongst these clubs, Matthew also starred for the Northern Knights when available and also played a trial game for Vic Metro. After being over-looked for the National Championships this year, Matthew continued to work hard and this may of been a blessing in disguish as he really stood out at TAC Cup level and School Level, catching the eye of Adelaide recruiters. All of the clubs Matthew has played for have contributed a huge role in the development of him as a player, and ultimately got him a chance in the AFL.
Picture Shawn Smits.
How was Vida Involved? Vince Dattoli has played a large role in helping Matthew get to where he is today. After meeting Matthew as a 12 year old back in the West Preston days, Matthews father asked Vince to do some individual work with him to help in his development. Vince worked with Matthew and suggested some other strength and conditioning training as well as skill work. Vince has also done some boxing work with Matthew to increase his strength and improve his toughness which has become a real asset in his game.
Here are some of the stats of Matthew from the Adelaide Football Club Site.
Signorello was the third onballer selected by Adelaide, joining Jordan Gallucci and Myles Poholke. The Club also bolstered its key-position stocks by drafting the versatile Elliot Himmelberg.
An energetic midfielder, Signorello played most of the season for Ivanhoe Grammar but averaged 23 disposals per game in eight TAC Cup appearances with Northern Knights.
After the draft Vince stated that “I am really proud of Matthew” and that “he worked really hard and maximised his talent”.
Skill Development and Vida – As previously mentioned, much of the recognition of Matthews success has come from himself and the clubs he has played for. However, the extra work on his skills through Vida definitely helped. The main components work on with Matthew were;
Kicking efficiency
Kicking accuracy
Strength through boxing
Quick decision making with fatigue
Mental toughness
All these skills and more make up the core principles in our Skill Development Sessions that Vince and Sav Rocca run. All players are welcome to get involved and work on their game and maximise their individual talent.
The pathway from Juniors to AFL can be a tough and torturous one. Most players start playing at about 8-10 years old and enter the AFL as an 18 year old. There so many years of development in those junior seasons. Players need to learn what position they play best which is very difficult as people grow. They also need to know and understand where to position themselves on the ground, kick and handball off both sides, get stronger, faster, fitter, etc etc etc. The list of things to master is endless, that’s why so few players make it to the elite level.
Once a player makes it to the elite level you would assume most of these factors have been mastered. Wrong. There is a whole new journey about to take place for new draftees. Emma Quayle, a football writer from The Age, recently published a great article on the journey of AFL draftees. Her piece demonstrates the way new AFL players go about their development from juniors to being an elite AFL player.
Quayle outlines the major physical and technical things that need to be worked on over a four year period to ensure a player has the best chance to become an AFL player. The main objective in their development in the first four years are;
Year 1: Learn how to become a professional athlete then develop those skills.
Year 2: All off field fundamentals in place as well as work into doing a full pre season.
Year 3: Working into full physical AFL training and playing and start to plan life.
Year 4: Start to become a director and leader around the club.
