Warne-Smith's tips for young players (I)
Handling a football
Conditions have been unpleasant for football in the last two weeks. There have been strong winds, the ball has been slippery, and the grounds have been greasy. Handling the ball, therefore, has been very difficult. It has made me wonder if all boys are skilful at this phase of the game, and if they realise its importance.
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Just think for a moment what it means to handle the ball well. A player must be able to pick the ball up cleanly when running at top speed whether the ball be on the left or right side of him or straight ahead. To do this he must judge perfectly the bounce of the ball on a windy, wet or still day from either a punt, drop, or grubbed kick.
The player's feet too, play a part in the handling of the ball for sometimes in a pack it cannot be picked up. In such circumstances the clever footballer dribbles or kicks the ball along the ground until he puts it in a more favourable position. Lastly, after the ball has been picked up the odd occasion occurs when a player must run with it and know how to bounce it every 10 yards.
It is not easy to attain perfection in handling the ball and constant practise is required. It may help you to be better and more confident footballers if I give you some hints to try out at practice
First of all on training night place the ball on the ground and stand a few yards away. Then run toward it at top speed and bend down and scoop it up with your right hand under the ball. Next, do the same with your left hand. After you have done this many times run straight at the ball and pick it up with both hands slightly under it. You may find that even though you scoop the ball up cleanly you overbalance slightly afterward: so the next exercise is to continue running 15 or 20 yards, making certain that you bounce the ball after every 10 yards.
We now come to the handling of the moving ball. For practice, first have another player throw the ball out in front of you—you will find that picking up the ball has become more difficult. Next, ask one of your team-mates to stand at kicking distance away and kick punts and drops toward you. Do not attempt to mark the ball, but let it hit the ground at a short distance from you. Then see if you can judge where the ball will bounce to and charge at your top speed toward it without hesitation to pick it up cleanly.
On a windy day or a wet day spend half your training time practising judging the bounce of the ball for any sort of a kick. You will be well repaid for your trouble, and if you do happen to miss the ball remember to bring your feet into play to kick it along in front of you. Also try to play a little soccer sometimes. Notice how your balance improves and the help you receive in a match because you can dribble the ball clear of the packs with your feet.
Practice makes perfect. Through it, a player learns to meet and overcome any possibility in a match. There never was a good footballer yet who could not handle the ball well in any conditions.
How to kick well
You may be disheartened by your kicking at football. There may be neither length nor direction in your attempts. The ball may go straight up in the air or along the ground and you may wonder what is wrong. When that happens you must begin at the beginning try to discover your faults yourself, or ask another boy in your team to watch your action and see whether you observe these chief principles.
For a drop-kick hold the ball at an angle of 45 degrees with the arms fully and naturally extended. Grip the ball firmly in the middle with the fingers apart and the thumbs about two inches away from the lacing. Run a few steps easily then drop the ball straight down about one foot in front of the body. As you draw back your leg to kick swing the kicking leg straight past and close to the other. Throw back the shoulders and meet the ball at the moment of its impact with the ground with the top of the toecap. Have the ankle and knee rigid as you do to. Make certain that your eyes are fixed on the ball all the time, and follow the kick straight through with your kicking leg.
That may be it lot to remember in detail, but once you have the chief points fixed firmly in your mind and have practised them over and over again to make certain that you do them all, kicking is really simple.
But I must impress on you the necessity for taking a kick easily. An attempt to kick farther than you usually do will make you lose your balance. Your timing will be incorrect, and you will not be able to follow through with your kicking leg. Remember that the best kicks are always accomplished effortlessly.
The stab pass
The stab pass—a kick to a man in position, not rising more than head high—is one that causes trouble. For this type of kick which is so necessary in system the ball must be held at a sharper angle than for a drop kick. Also, it is essential to drop the ball closer in to the body. Instead of swinging through with the kicking leg you then give a sharp, quick stab with the toecap. Judgment of distance and the varying lengths required for the stab pass will only come with constant practice.
The punt
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The punt kick is another necessity for a footballer. A drop kick simply cannot be done on a wet day although many players foolishly continue to try. For a successful punt kick the ball should be held at a slight angle across the body. It is thrown out a little further in front than it is for the drop kick. The ball is met slightly on the outside of the boot and between the toecap and the instep. Follow through and keep the knee and ankle rigid.
There are one or two other hints which may be helpful to you in a match. When kicking for goal from a mark or free kick fix your eyes first of all on an object in the centre of and behind the goals.
How to mark well
It was thrilling to watch the Melbourne team marking against Collinwood last Saturday. If you had been there you would have learnt from many players the correct way to catch a ball in the air. To illustrate some of the points in marking, three Melbourne players Mueller, Gibb, and Murnane will be taken as examples.
Mueller is probably the best mark in the league, and he is usually at his best when leaping from behind other players. You can see his intense concentration on the ball from over the fence, and as he flies through the air his head is held high and his arms are outstretched fully with three fingers apart. When his hand touches the ball his fingers take it in a vice-like grip. He never drops the ball once he has touched it. From him you can learn the first essentials of marking.
"Give" with the fingers
Gibb is also a fine mark, and like Mueller, he prefers to jump off from behind other players. He has the same concentration, but he balances the ball on the tips of his fingers more noticeably than Mueller. Gibb illustrates perfectly that there must be just a little give in the fingers and arms as the ball meets the hands. As soon as Gibb has the ball he flicks it back over his head. He does that to prevent other players from knocking the ball away. You should do the same thing, and if you are in front bring the ball straight down quickly for the same reason.
Murnane is almost a novice at marking compared with the other two. He does, however, illustrate one important lesson for beginners—he always tries to jump for a mark in front of others. It is only when you have fine judgment and a high leap that you can come from behind or from the side.
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Palms facing
When Murnane is actually in the air his arms are outstretched, but the palms of his hands are turned slightly outward. That is one reason why he misses. To be successful the palms must face each other. Another reason why Murnane often drops the ball is that he has not got a grip with his fingers when he touches it. More important still, Murnane seems to go for a mark without confidence and determination. You simply cannot mark unless you have faith in your own ability, and faith comes only after much practice and only when you remember the points mentioned, and never mark carelessly on training nights.
Sometimes you may be shoulder to shoulder with an opponent when going for a mark. In that case you may edge him away from the ball with your shoulders or hips-but only when the ball is within five yards. If you happen to be in front it is a good idea to step back a little with your hips pushed backward so that the opponent will be hampered as he makes his leap
Do not pose
Sometimes you may not be able to reach far enough with both hands to obtain a grip above your opponent. You should then try to punch the ball away from him with one hand. If you drop a mark it is, of course, bad football, but it is worse if you do not come down quickly to follow the ball up on the ground. Above all, do not be too proud of a mark and hold it up in the air for everyone to see and then walk back slowly to take your kick. Time is precious in football, and when it is wasted in that manner a good opportunity of passing on to a team-mate in position will be lost.
Swerving and dodging
Have you ever heard the football expression, "he needs a paddock to turn in?" The expression is used to describe a player who cannot pivot both ways who is unable to feint or swerve or dodge away from opponents; who is simply a straight head footballer. If you are able to pivot, feint, swerve, and dodge you are a good footballer. If you cannot, you are just a player.
Whether you are big or small, a ruckman, a back, a centre player or a forward, it is just as necessary to be able to evade opponents as it is to be good at kicking, marking, and handling the ball.
A pivot turn is not easy. It should be made slowly when you first practise it. Run along at half pace with the ball. When about to pivot, push the heel of the foot to be turned on into the ground. Throw the weight back on the shoulders and swing round on the heel, giving yourself an impetus with the other leg as it comes round.
Turn at top speed
After you have done that many times, turning both ways, increase your pace until you are attempting the turn at top speed. You may have many falls in the beginning but it will be in a good cause. As time goes on and you become proficient, try feinting to one side before you pivot around on the other
When you have become an expert at turning both ways there are a few other methods of avoiding opponents which you may care to learn. For instance, a player may be approaching very quickly from behind. To keep out of reach of his clutching hands something must be done. You may just avoid him by throwing your shoulders back and thrusting your abdomen out at the same time to make a curve in your back. Another way is to have a swerving run at your command. This is also useful when a player is in front of you. It may be learnt by a great deal of practice. Ask one of your team on training nights to run straight towards you and see if you can make sudden deviation to one side or the other just as he is about to tackle you.
Running backward
There is another rather rare method of obtaining a clean breakaway. It is to step backward. It is the last thing opponents expect you to do, and it is a very difficult feat to accomplish but many of the finer points of football are difficult until you learn them! Alan La Fontaine of Melbourne is able to run backward comfortably and I once knew a player in Tasmania named Horrie Gorringe who could run backward out of a pack just as fast as he ran into it
Feinting
Sometimes when approached by opponents you may pass them by a trick which I noticed Harris, Richmond’s rover, exploiting last Saturday. As he came close to the players in front of him Harris placed the ball in one hand and pointed it in one direction as if he were going there. But just as the opponents made a snatch at the ball Harris would whip it back again and go off in the other direction.
Although I have said that it is very necessary to be able to turn and swerve and dodge, I do not want you to think that you are extra clever at it. Footballer have been known to ruin their play because in every circumstance, even when clear of any other player, they will make their fancy turn before going on. Twists and evasions are to avoid trouble, and when there is none, or when you can possibly go straight ahead and can get your kick, you should do so.
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Footnotes
Title: Champion's hints for young players
Author: Ivor Warne-Smith
Publisher: The Argus (Melbourne, Vic: 1848-1957)
Series: Every Friday in the Junior Argus supplement, pp.7/8.
Dates: Friday, 14 May 1937 to 27 August 1937.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11064234
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11065807
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