As my playing career is entering its final years (probably not), I've made a pretty big shift in reading up on coaching more so then training in the last 18 months or so and is what lead me to purchasing this book in the first place.
In that time and reflecting on all the footy coaches I've had over my playing career (has to be around the 30 mark), not much has changed in regards to what is coached and how it is coached - this book turns that on it's head completely.
Even though the author Fergus Connolly has been involved with literally world class teams in the NBA, NFL and EPL, the principles of what to do and how to do can be replicated in any team sport at any level.
A lot of footy we practice is played with mates in a non-structured way which is fine but if you can add some purpose into what you're doing than you can still have all the fun you want to trying all the kicks you want to, but with a little extra intent that can have an added affect on learning and skill transfer to games.
This is a very simple drill as you'll see from the diagram below...
All speed starts with acceleration and is a physical quality all of itself.
It is the gradual build up of speed towards your hitting your max velocity/top end speed and the better you can accelerate from a mechanics point of view, the better and thus faster you'll be at max velocity.
There's not a lot of man-to-man defense in AFL or local/amateur footy anymore with the emphasis moving to a team defense through the use of zones and compression of space in your won forward line. That being said there are still times that defenders can caught in 1-on-1 situations but these days it is minimised and harder to manufacture as well, especially against top defensive teams in all levels...
In this article we look at the 25+ points I noted sdown in relation to actual training, team and individual from the Gamechanger book. I just received his new book in the mail Friday too so there's a heap more where this comes from. Strap yourselves in... GAME SIMULATION...
If you want more training articles with content that you can use right now than register at https://aussierulestraining.com/membership-account/membership-levels/
This time last year I was finishing up Gamechanger by Fergus Connolly, a book on individual and team preparation for team sports, and is probably the greatest thing I've read on the subject in my life.
It has totally changed my idea's on training and coaching.
I did a 14 part post series on it this time last year but it was exactly how I took the notes while reading the book, in absolutely no order and probably in the end, not really usable for you.
Over the next week or so I'll be reposting these notes but I have categorised them to give you a far better chance of knowing what it is, how and to use and when to use it.
Let's start with Game Macro Moments of which there are 4...
Mitch Robinson provides the different positioning as wing position player depending on the situation…You gotta love Mitch Robinson surely? He’s hard, wears his heart on his sleeve and is pretty good on social media as well – he’s the ultimate teammate. After teammate Hugh McCluggage was snubbed an All- Australian birth over “non-specific” wingman....
Here’s a simple kicking skill drill you can do on your own or with a mate or 2.
The main focus is to straighten up your body (hips/shoulders) towards your target which is implicitly inserted into this drill by the use of the initial cones in the first video below.
Also in my video series I’m aiming at some baseball pads on some wire netting at a local area here in Newport, Melbourne of which you could do the same at some cricket nets and simple take an old bed sheets down with you and tie it up to use as your target.
I've been toiling with this since September and then my brother put it together in about an hour but it's finally at the point where it can go live so here it is.
If you've already clicked on the few posts I've put up here from there, you'll have probably found that Aussie Rules Training is now a membership site consisting of 3 levels.
Level 1 is articles of which I'll get anything from 2 - 5 posts up a week that is $9/month.
Level 2 is training programs of which I'll post at least 1/week + all articles for $13/month
Level 3 is training drills of which I'll again post at least 1/week + training programs + articles for $17/month.
Yes you can have full access to everything for just $17/month!
All you need to is register from the main site for the plan of your choosing and you can up/downgrade at anytime.
I'll link a preview of all the content here as I have recently.
If you have any questions on this and/or would like to join my email list to keep up to date with everything please send me a quick email to aussierulestraining@gmail.com.
Should the pre-seasons for local/amateur football be shorter? Like nothing before Xmas shorter? This top local level senior coach thinks so…
I come from Warrnambool originally and down that way we have the Hampden Football Netball League which has been a top 10 league in Victoria forever moving up to 6th from 8th this year after defeating the Ballarat FNL and being coached by the almighty Jonno Brown.
Players the likes of Kevin “Cowboy” Neale, John Northey, Ronnie Wearmouth, Ken Hinkley, Wayne Schwass, Leon Cameron, Jonno Brown, Jordan Lewis, Gary Rohan, Ben Cunnington and the Merritt brothers are all products of the HFNL.
A few weeks ago this article came out in my old local rag down there from Warrnambool Football Club senior coach Matt O’Brien, suggesting a shorter pre-season period might do wonders for all local/amateur clubs fora variety of reasons, but also goes on to say it probably won’t happen in the near future sheerly because of the “change” involved.
But even though a move like this requires some natural talent and gifts, it's definitely a by product of the 4 co-actives.
TECHNICAL
- Clean 1 grab of the footy in traffic
- Positive decision making based on the perception-action coupling of the surrounding constraints (space, opposition, teammates, environment)
TACTICAL
- Running forward of the footy (what Richmond love to do)
- Forward handball to a forward running teammate (again what Richmond love to do)
- Dusty gets it get out of the way and let him create
PSYCHOLOGICAL
- Supreme team confidence applying pressure to the opposition and then to capitalise on their mistake
- Dusty knows he 1 of the best players inside and outside so he's extremely confident in whatever situation he gets the ball in
- Dimma gives him all the confidence in the world to create whenever he gets it rather then give it off to a first option like most players do
PHYSICAL
- Great eccentric strength to stop on a dime and change direction in the middle of those 2 GWS players
- Great lower body power and body control to be able to explosively change direction and pretty much maintain pace with the ball
- Great acceleration to power into space after the change of direction
This passage of play DOES NOT happen if even 1 of these co-actives hasn't been trained up to par so for the 2020 season think about how you can train the 4 co-actives to instead of the 1, maybe 2 that we do at local/amateur level right now.
My competitive season finished in an elimination final defeat late August, but was asked by the senior coach to continue training with the senior squad (and continued with my regular training), who in the end went on to Grand Final victory.
I moved house before and after that weekend so I had about a week off of all training and started with my 2020 training in mid September.
My leagues season started and thus finished a bit earlier then usual so starting this early means I have plenty of time up my sleeve so as stated I could take a week off and still use a slow build for the first month or so, as I'm now 41 and can't see a time machine in my future meaning I can't go balls to the wall all the time anymore.
So with all that in mind I'm focusing on just 6 exercises pretty much daily for 4 weeks or so.
Standing Single Leg Isometric x 60secs - foot/lower limb stability, stance leg glute activation.
Hyperarch Jumps x 3mins (work up to) - intrinsic foot muscles, increase fascial dominance.
Hang Clean 3 x 3 waving load through the week but hitting 2 "heavy" days every 5 - 7 days or so.
Tempo 400m Run - every 2nd day I'll head down to the track, do a 400 at an RPE of 6 - 8 and go home aiming to build my capacity over this distance rather then try and beat my best time every run - it's working so far as my 7/10 RPE time has dropped over 30secs already.
Iso Lunge x 3mins (work up to) - personally I need to learn to load my right knee in terminal knee flexion which I haven't really been able to through a good range of motion since I did my knee 4 years back and has hindered anything movement where I need to go vertical pretty much.
Forward Shin Isometric x 90secs (work up to) - again a person a need for me to regain verticality, which was a strong point of mine pre-knee injury (once dunked a volleyball on a full 10ft rim at 5'6").
When all exercises are done in a row (not often), it'll take about 30 - 40mins tops which looks like nothing but the micro-dosage/high frequency takes care of the volume as again I'm training every day and I have a week of this program to go before phase 2 gets a run which will be pretty similar I imagine.
Site revamp is taking forever (Wordpress changed their entire platform since I last looked rendering me useless) but I'm trying to get my brother to get it up and going for me (nightmare as well).
If you've got any questions on what you should/could be doing right now for season 2020 than let me know.
I deleted all my email contacts somehow so if you'd like to be put back on there or sign up if you weren't already, then please do at this link in prep for the ART Revamp in the next week or so:
Small group personal training done the right way. Train in a group - do YOUR OWN program. PT studio located in the heart of South Yarra on Surrey Road North, just off Toorak Road. 1on1 personal training also available. Don't do everyone else's program, get personal with your training.
