Coaching AGAINST milestone and other special games

[Dry Rot]

IIRC Terry Wallace could some tricks out of his arse and pull off some miracle wins for us.

Coaches often try to use player milestones and other special things eg Pratt on this deathbed to lift players for a particular game.

But if you know one of these games is coming up, what does the opposition coach do?

Business as usual or do they have a special approach to counter this?

[Happy Days]

IIRC Terry Wallace could some tricks out of his arse and pull off some miracle wins for us.

Coaches often try to use player milestones and other special things eg Pratt on this deathbed to lift players for a particular game.

But if you know one of these games is coming up, what does the opposition coach do?

Business as usual or do they have a special approach to counter this?

There's not a whole lot you can do to compound players who are playing on emotion.

It's not like its anything structural, you just have to play the way you always do, and hope you're the better team.

[comrade]

There's not a whole lot you can do to compound players who are playing on emotion.

It's not like its anything structural, you just have to play the way you always do, and hope you're the better team.

The start in any game is crucial but particularly in milestone games. If you can jump the team playing on emotion and take the sting out of the game, you go a long way to deflating them.

If the milestone team gets off to a cracker, the horse has bolted and it makes it hard to get back into the game - see Archer's 300th.

[AndrewP6]

I'm with Sam Newman on this one... I find the notion of "lifting for a big game" difficult to understand. It implies that your effort and performance for an "ordinary" game is less than 100%. I think you should leave every game knowing you had nothing more to give. I think some teams let a "big game" get the better of them, and perform poorly, rather than their opponents lifting their game.

[LostDoggy]

I'm with Sam Newman on this one... I find the notion of "lifting for a big game" difficult to understand. It implies that your effort and performance for an "ordinary" game is less than 100%. I think you should leave every game knowing you had nothing more to give. I think some teams let a "big game" get the better of them, and perform poorly, rather than their opponents lifting their game.

Logic would say this is so and that players should play to their optimum each week, but emotions aren't logical.

[boydogs]

Logic would say this is so and that players should play to their optimum each week, but emotions aren't logical.

I agree, well put. That is exactly the key to beating a 'fired up' team - their start can be full of adrenaline which can make for poor decision making, you can use this to your advantage by playing smart. The opposition will also be more fatigued towards the end of the game, playing more runners than talls can help to exploit this

[AndrewP6]

Logic would say this is so and that players should play to their optimum each week, but emotions aren't logical.

Fair enough, I just don't believe that you play better because a day is "special"...nor do I believe you should need that incentive. A bit like the often quoted "home ground advantage"...never thought much of that. The crowd can only yell and cheer (or boo!), they can't play for you.

[boydogs]

Fair enough, I just don't believe that you play better because a day is "special"...nor do I believe you should need that incentive. A bit like the often quoted "home ground advantage"...never thought much of that. The crowd can only yell and cheer (or boo!), they can't play for you.

Stats would show that home teams when more often - I would imagine that travel and familiarity with the stadium and conditions would also be factors. Things like the way the fremantle doctor moves the ball when shooting for goal, what the angle on the shot for goal is like when kicking from the pocket at the SCG to know whether to lead there etc.

[AndrewP6]

Stats would show that home teams when more often - I would imagine that travel and familiarity with the stadium and conditions would also be factors. Things like the way the fremantle doctor moves the ball when shooting for goal, what the angle on the shot for goal is like when kicking from the pocket at the SCG to know whether to lead there etc.

Maybe for interstate games,...but how many teams play at Etihad Stadium... it's everyone's home ground in Melbourne!;)

[boydogs]

Maybe for interstate games,...but how many teams play at Etihad Stadium... it's everyone's home ground in Melbourne!;)

Definitely a difference between playing at Etihad and the MCG - you are right though, home ground advantage amongst Victorian teams has decreased since suburban grounds were taken off the fixture. Any correlation between this and the 2001-2006 interstate team premiership streak? Just a thought.

Back on topic, midfielders Harbrow, Eagleton, Picken and Ward are our bench this week so in addition to being conscious of fatigue from the Perth game maybe Eade is on board with my burnout in big games theory. Or maybe I am being self-indulgent

[AndrewP6]

Definitely a difference between playing at Etihad and the MCG - you are right though, home ground advantage amongst Victorian teams has decreased since suburban grounds were taken off the fixture. Any correlation between this and the 2001-2006 interstate team premiership streak? Just a thought.

Back on topic, midfielders Harbrow, Eagleton, Picken and Ward are our bench this week so in addition to being conscious of fatigue from the Perth game maybe Eade is on board with my burnout in big games theory. Or maybe I am being self-indulgent

Time will tell... I hope for the Dog's sake, that the big-game theory doesn't hold up... :)

[LostDoggy]

I think if you can absorb everything that is thrown at you in the first quarter, and then start winding in the game in the second, third and fourth. Similar to what we did against Richmond, although I don't think we played particularly well.

[LostDoggy]

I'm with Sam Newman on this one... I find the notion of "lifting for a big game" difficult to understand. It implies that your effort and performance for an "ordinary" game is less than 100%. I think you should leave every game knowing you had nothing more to give. I think some teams let a "big game" get the better of them, and perform poorly, rather than their opponents lifting their game.

But what is 100%? This is not consistent from week to week or day to day for any human being -- thus recovery being important, as a player's 100% on Monday after a game is different from their 100% on gameday on the weekend.

Someone has already mentioned adrenaline, and this is an important factor too -- we've all heard of people being able to do incredible feats on adrenaline like lifting a car off an injured child etc., which is clearly more than the individual would normally be able to do even with 100% of effort. It is difficult to artificially induce an 'adrenaline' rush, but coaches and players try all the time, through motivational pre-match talks, pumping music etc. The difference with genuine emotion that comes from a milestone is that you don't have to manufacture an adrenaline rush -- there is a genuine trigger for your emotions.

Finally, in a team sport, as important as every player giving 100%, is every player giving 100% at the same time so that your advantage over the other team is exponentially magnified, and this is what really creates momentum. I think it is fair to say that even among professional sportspeople it is difficult to give 100% effort 100% of the time, which is why the truly elite either learn to pace themselves better and get more out of themselves over the course of a match (a la Aker or Michael Jordan in his latter years), or are able to go 100% for longer (like a Judd or Ablett).

A milestone game, however, creates emotional conditions for a team where all players can go flat out simultaneously for a more sustained period, which often overwhelms teams who are not prepared for what can seem like an onslaught.

To return to the question in the thread, I believe that it is crucial to actually consciously coach against a milestone game with that in mind. If you go onto the field expecting business as usual it's a great way to get jumped (if the teams are relatively even skillwise). It has already been suggested that sucking the momentum and emotion out of the game early changes the emotional colour of the game. This can be done by slowing the game down and constantly changing the pace of the game so that emotional teams don't get comfortable at the speed they want to play (which is usually flat out). Also, frustrating the team by changing the mood of the game and making it very tactical, so that it becomes an intellectual contest rather than an emotional one can often work as well.

Finally, there are tactics that can exploit teams running on emotion -- their over-aggresiveness can lead to recklessness, so entice them forward and hit them on the counter, or draw free kicks by exploiting their carelessness. Geelong have become very good at this in the past couple of years, as they often encounter overly pumped up sides when they play. Mentally, you can create a seige mentality against a milestone side by bestowing upon your team a label of milestone busters.

[boydogs]

Great post Lantern. Didn't think of Geelong, but you're right, they definitely appear to see teams coming and perhaps we can learn from their approach, not just in this game but in other big games and increasingly week to week as we become a major force in the competition as Geelong are.

The other point to make is that we have some motivating factors this week as well - Rocket's 250th game coached, Grant's debut, Murphy's return, coming off a disappointing loss and coming up against a side in the top 4 race that has beaten us the last two games we have played against them.

Maybe we could go head to head in the fired up stakes, but I've got to say the party poopers approach is so very Western Bulldogs - under rate us at your will. Can't believe we are not favourites for this game (currently even money), what have Carlton done to deserve this high opinion? All the Sunday Footy Show panelists just picked us

[AndrewP6]

Looks like I'm outnumbered on this one. Perhaps the answer is to create an emotional spur for our boys each week....;)

[AndrewP6]

The other point to make is that we have some motivating factors this week as well - Rocket's 250th game coached, Grant's debut, Murphy's return, coming off a disappointing loss and coming up against a side in the top 4 race that has beaten us the last two games we have played against them.


All those motivating factors meant nothing to the team apparently...they hardly looked pumped up... or was it that they were over-pumped? :confused: