This “weaker foot” malarkey

[Sothall_Blade]

Is costing us points.

Baldock taps it behind for a corner with his right foot when he could easily have cleared it with his left.

Stevens chooses not to shoot from a great opportunity because he doesn’t trust his weaker foot.

Right-footed defenders aren’t played on the left because they can’t overlap and put a cross in with their “wrong” foot.

Surely if they spent a day a week in training doing nothing but crossing, shooting, tackling and clearing with their weaker foot it would soon vastly improve?

At least enough for them to trust themselves to use it when needed in a match situation.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Messi rarely uses his right foot. Just saying.

 

[AWetFlannel]

I remember trying to train my weaker foot - I'm still awful with it.

All the evidence in the world suggests that even for most professionals it can't be done. It makes players that can eg. Son Heung Min the other night so special. Best two footed player in our squad is Lundstrum.

 

[Bayingblade]

Must admit, I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about this, professional footballers who can't kick with both feet, no matter how good they are. It's akin to being a one armed typist in my view.

 

[biggey blade]

Is costing us points.

Baldock taps it behind for a corner with his right foot when he could easily have cleared it with his left.

Stevens chooses not to shoot from a great opportunity because he doesn’t trust his weaker foot.

Right-footed defenders aren’t played on the left because they can’t overlap and put a cross in with their “wrong” foot.

Surely if they spent a day a week in training doing nothing but crossing, shooting, tackling and clearing with their weaker foot it would soon vastly improve?

At least enough for them to trust themselves to use it when needed in a match situation.

If only it was as easy as that. If it was that easy then wouldnt every player in the football league do it. It isnt necessarily down to it been that much weaker a lot of it is to do with confidence and that they choose to use there other foot because it feels more comfortable and they are more confident in doing so. I don't think baldock putting it out with his weaker foot has anything to do with the way we conceded the corner. Baldock didnt know where maghoma was behind him hence why he put it out like he did he choose safety first. Not a problem with him doing that we was unlucky to concede that corner as they never really threatened us up to that point and not much after other than the Adam's rocket that Henderson made a good save for. The problem was no one shouted baldock to tell him where the man is when your facing goal with a player lurking some where behind you but you dont know where that's the only option to put the ball out of play and go again as we did unfortunately that led to there goal. We go again only one point behind and think we have more than enough to beat millwall and then the pressure is back on Leeds when they play the pigs which I can see them dropping point in.

 

[Geordie Blade]

Messi rarely uses his right foot. Just saying.

Possibly. But he's still scored more goals with his right foot than most footballers score in their whole career with right foot, left foot, head, knees, shins and arse combined.

 

[Davalon]

It's not being truly two footed because very few are, it's the unwillingness to use the weaker foot that's my issue, especially when the alternative is wasting a chance of risking trouble.

 

[Sheff de party]

Is costing us points.

Baldock taps it behind for a corner with his right foot when he could easily have cleared it with his left.

Stevens chooses not to shoot from a great opportunity because he doesn’t trust his weaker foot.

Right-footed defenders aren’t played on the left because they can’t overlap and put a cross in with their “wrong” foot.

Surely if they spent a day a week in training doing nothing but crossing, shooting, tackling and clearing with their weaker foot it would soon vastly improve?

At least enough for them to trust themselves to use it when needed in a match situation.

Can you do knee jerk reactions with both feet?

He probably got a shout. And conceding a corner there is the right thing to do. There’s plenty more people to blame for not winning either of TWO balls they won during that goal.

 

[1889]

I agree every footballer should be able to use both feet and if the ball falls at their ‘weaker’ foot to shoot, cross or clear the ball they should be able to do so.

Every goalkeeper can kick with both feet out of necessity, I’ve never seen a goalie meekly side foot it out for a throw in, because they were getting closed down on their less favoured side.

Unless they possess special genetics that allows them to do this, I can only assume this is something they master by practicing?

As could their outfield colleagues

 

[Speedracer]

I have said this before on here. I was once involved in a conversation with Tony Parkes, the coach & caretaker manager of Blackburn when they were good in the late '90's, in the heavygate boozer in Crookes about this very thing. He told the group that if they wanted a left/right footed player for a specific position they would buy one. It was a waste of time trying to improve a players weaker foot & if they had to play a player out of position they just accepted any issues arising from it.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Baldock taps it behind for a corner with his right foot when he could easily have cleared it with his left.

JOC attempted to do that at Villa didn’t he and messed the clearance as a result, costing us points? It didn’t seem like Baldock got a shout, so rather than attempt that and risk the ball being taken off his foot in a dangerous area, what he did was understandable. Unfortunately we just didn’t defend properly from the corner – due in no small part to Birmingham giving us a dose of our own set-piece blocking medicine.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

Messi rarely uses his right foot. Just saying.

That Beckham winger bloke didn't do too badly either given he only had a right foot and never went past a player.

Take the original point but that's why they are with us in this division

 

[Mojo]

Some of the best players who have ever played have been incredibly one footed. You can train it to a certain extent but you must have some natural ability to be able to use both feet well.

 

[1889]

It’s not something you should be learning when you’re 26, it’s something you should learn when you’re 6.

Fathers take note

 

[Bert]

Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Charlton, two of England's greatest goalscorers.
Both had something in common, the ability to kick with either foot.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Charlton, two of England's greatest goalscorers.
Both had something in common, the ability to kick with either foot.

I also remembers an interview with George Best.
Think he said he was naturally right footed, then when he was 15 he vowed never to use his right foot again.
He practiced over and over again, only ever using his left foot.

He said the biggest complement he could receive was that during his career many fans never knew whether he was naturally left footed or naturally right footed. He said he got to a stage where they were both at exactly the same level.

He also said it was a massive advantage when dribbling because defenders didn’t know whether to cover his left side or right side but he could easily do both. He also used to say that for a professional player there’s no excuse not to be 2 footed, just takes practice.

 

[Bert]

I also remembers an interview with George Best.
Think he said he was naturally right footed, then when he was 16 he vowed never to use his right foot again.
He practiced over and over again, only ever using his left foot.

He said the biggest complement he could receive was that during his career many fans never knew whether he was naturally left footed or naturally right footed. He said he got to a stage where they were both at exactly the same level.

Same with Charlton and Greaves, both left footed but it was hard to work out.
Our best two footed players in recent years were Brown and Borbokis.

 

[LondonBlade89]

JOC attempted to do that at Villa didn’t he and messed the clearance as a result, costing us points? It didn’t seem like Baldock got a shout, so rather than attempt that and risk the ball being taken off his foot in a dangerous area, what he did was understandable. Unfortunately we just didn’t defend properly from the corner – due in no small part to Birmingham giving us a dose of our own set-piece blocking medicine.

Bash gave Baldock a thumbs-up as soon as he knocked it out. It was the right thing to do.

 

[Stretch]

I remember trying to train my weaker foot - I'm still awful with it.

All the evidence in the world suggests that even for most professionals it can't be done. It makes players that can eg. Son Heung Min the other night so special. Best two footed player in our squad is Lundstrum.

Ironically the other player who was superb on both feet was Clarke. Both players now deemed no longer good enough.

 

[BushBlade]

It's basic science that most people are stronger on one side, some less so and others hardly at all. Therefore some players will adapt to using both feet equally better than others. That’s just how it is.

 

[Speedracer]

I remember trying to train my weaker foot - I'm still awful with it.

All the evidence in the world suggests that even for most professionals it can't be done. It makes players that can eg. Son Heung Min the other night so special. Best two footed player in our squad is Lundstrum.

I would tend to agree with this, you can either do it or you can't, but practising is more to make it more natural and instinctive to use it rather than making it better.
I "taught" myself how to play golf right handed because at the time I couldn't afford left handed clubs, so I suppose it must have been in me to do that. I can bat both left & right handed at cricket but only bowl left handed.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

If Nozzer had swapped his feet over, none of us would be any the wiser....

 

[Sothall_Blade]

If only it was as easy as that. If it was that easy then wouldnt every player in the football league do it. It isnt necessarily down to it been that much weaker a lot of it is to do with confidence and that they choose to use there other foot because it feels more comfortable and they are more confident in doing so. I don't think baldock putting it out with his weaker foot has anything to do with the way we conceded the corner. Baldock didnt know where maghoma was behind him hence why he put it out like he did he choose safety first. Not a problem with him doing that we was unlucky to concede that corner as they never really threatened us up to that point and not much after other than the Adam's rocket that Henderson made a good save for. The problem was no one shouted baldock to tell him where the man is when your facing goal with a player lurking some where behind you but you dont know where that's the only option to put the ball out of play and go again as we did unfortunately that led to there goal. We go again only one point behind and think we have more than enough to beat millwall and then the pressure is back on Leeds when they play the pigs which I can see them dropping point in.

Can you do knee jerk reactions with both feet?

He probably got a shout. And conceding a corner there is the right thing to do. There’s plenty more people to blame for not winning either of TWO balls they won during that goal.

JOC attempted to do that at Villa didn’t he and messed the clearance as a result, costing us points? It didn’t seem like Baldock got a shout, so rather than attempt that and risk the ball being taken off his foot in a dangerous area, what he did was understandable. Unfortunately we just didn’t defend properly from the corner – due in no small part to Birmingham giving us a dose of our own set-piece blocking medicine.

I wasn't suggesting that he try to bring the ball down or juggle with it, just boot it clear with his left foot.
That wouldn't have involved any risk of somebody behind him nipping in and getting it.
The reason he didn't do that is that he's not confident enough to use his left foot in that situation.

 

[BushBlade]

I wasn't suggesting that he try to bring the ball down or juggle with it, just boot it clear with his left foot.
That wouldn't have involved any risk of somebody behind him nipping in and getting it.
The reason he didn't do that is that he's not confident enough to use his left foot in that situation.

It involves the risk of a miskicked or sliced ball falling straight to one of their players. It’s not his fault we didn’t defend the corner.

 

[biggey blade]

It involves the risk of a miskicked or sliced ball falling straight to one of their players. It’s not his fault we didn’t defend the corner.

I can't agree more deal with the ball first and foremost then worry about what comes of it after. As long as he clears the ball in a dangerous position under pressure and can't see what's going off behind him then I'm happy. Its easy to say he could have took it down with out the player taking it off him but he can't see where the player is as he is facing the other way so he doesn't know if he has time to take the ball down or simply just play it out of play like he did.

 

[biggey blade]

If we are blaming anyone for the goal which I don't want to do but then surely it has to be partly mcgoldricks fault as he is slow to react and the goal scorer comes from behind mcgoldrick to score the goal. Mcgoldrick was my man of the match though and isnt a defender so not really his fault but to blame baldock for the goal is harsh I think. Its just one of them things we dust our selfs down and we go again. We have a great opportunity now to pile the pressure on Leeds for the next few games where we play before them. Leeds have a tough game against Wednesday who I hate to say it but are in decent form at the min whilst we have struggling millwall coming to the lane we have a very good opportunity to go back second and keep the pressure on in hopes we can gain more points than Leeds in the final games.