  The nucleon axial form factors -- axial $G_A$, induced pseudoscalar
$\widetilde{G}_P$ and pseudoscalar $G_P$ -- have displayed large systematics in
lattice QCD calculations. The major symptoms were the violation of the
partially conserved axial current (PCAC) relation between the three form
factors, and the underestimation of the induced pseudoscalar coupling
$g_P^\ast$ and the axial charge radius $r_A$ compared to phenomenological
estimates. The small $g_P^\ast$ was a consequence of the failure of the
pion-pole dominance (PPD) hypothesis, especially at low $M_\pi^2$. The small
charge radius $r_A$ and the underestimate of $g_A$ were related. The dominant
systematic responsible is the lack of inclusion of low-energy ($N \pi$) states
that are not manifest in the multiexponential fit to the nucleon two-point
correlator. We show that this low-energy state can be determined from the
three-point correlator $\langle N A_4 N \rangle $ with the insertion of the
temporal component of the axial current $A_4$ within the nucleon state, ie, the
strategy labeled $S_{A4}$ [1]. Including this low-energy state in fits to
control excited-state contamination (ESC) gives results for $g_A$, $r_A$, and
$g_P^\ast$ that are consistent with experimental/phenomenological values.
However, the systematic uncertainties, especially in data at small $Q^2$, are
now much larger.
