hello Pj,My names Briege and at present im doing sport exercise and leisure studies at Jordanstown. It may seem strange that a Tyrone person should seek your help but do you know any site where i could get as much different drills as i can, its just im producing a folder so that i have a record of all the drills i can use. If you have any drill which would help conquer the following problems:

Speeding play up
Communication
Using space
Switching play
Hurdles and ladder drills
fear of the ball (especially some of the young ladie gaelic players)

Another major problem i have is that alot of the teams is that they dont understand the concept of the game and everyone just chases the ball. Would having the pitch zoned for each player just confuse things?

I have been playing since 11 and i got my all ireland medal at 15 in 1999 for Tyrone Ladies,played for ulster and was chose last year for the all ireland combined university team.Im out at present with knipped cartilage so most of my time is spent coaching. Just a bit of background incase you think im just some egit who know nothing about the game. Hi anything you can do for me would be greatly appreciated.

Briege

It's OK, I'm from Tyrone as well!

http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/ Loads of info on just about every aspect of Sport. I'm sure you already have it.
http://www.sini.co.uk/gaelic/coachingarticles.htm Loads of very good info.
http://derry.gaa.ie/ Then click coaching and you will find several articles, some of which may be useful.
http://www.cul4kidz.com/ Some good points and info for coaching kids.
Gaelic Football - Training Drills: is a book with loads of drills. It's by Mike Culloty & Pat O'Shea. You might be able to get it on Amazon

Speeding up play - We use rules i.e no soloing & bounce, you are only allowed 5 secs max on the ball, hand pass only, kick pass only, no passing backwards, must take the 4 steps before doing anything, giving bonus points for the least number of passes that results in a score, when fouled give the ball to someone else to hit the free quickly etc.

Communication - See below.

Using Space - Difficult to do as everyone will make a different decision. We encourage players not to make their run to early, to make dummy runs that can create space, always looking up when on the ball. There are no exact drills but you can modify most drills to suit you needs i.e backs V forwards - get the full forwards to stay on the end line before timing their run, have the half forwards play on the touchline, two man full forward line etc. There is a good drill in the Derry GAA Coaching - tip number 21

Switching play - Difficult to do at any level. Must take the four steps when have the ball as this enables people to look up before they solo or bounce. We encourage player to make the simplest pass and the use of both hands are feet are critical. There is a good drill in the Derry GAA Coaching tips page 3.

Fear of the ball. The key here is simple drills that ensure that the correct technique is used. This will require time and patience, but it will built confidence, The McDonald's catch and kick programme has some really simple and useful drills.

If you send me your address, I will post info on SAQ sessions and all the various drills associated with them. I will send a copy of the McDonald's Catch & Kick Programme also.

All kids run after the ball. They all want to score (remember when we where young) What we do is to have small sided games and also if we are having a full 15 a side game then we use the portable seven-a-side goals and play across the pitch. This ensures that all kids get a touch of the ball as it is constantly moving in a small area. Most kids won't understand positions until U12/14. When training and playing games, we stop the game and reset all the positions. You could also get them to watch a game on TV or show them a video/dvd. I won't zone the pitch as it takes time for a coach to decide what position is best suited to the individual and when kids start playing they all want to score. As they get older they will understand.
THE FIVE STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION
Communication is the art of successfully sharing meaningful information with people by means of an interchange of experience. Coaches wish to motivate the athletes they work with and to provide them with information that will allow them to train effectively and improve performance. Communication from the coach to athlete will initiate appropriate actions. This however, requires the athlete to not only receive the information from the coach but also to understand and accept it. Coaches need to ask themselves:
Do I have the athlete's attention?
Has the athlete understood?
Does the athlete believe what I am telling him/her?
Does the athlete accept what I am saying?
Am I explaining myself in an easily understood manner?

How to interpret non-verbal messages
At first, it may appear that face-to-face communication consists of taking it in turns to speak. While the coach is speaking the athlete is expected to listen and wait patiently until the coach finishes. On closer examination it can be seen that people resort to a variety of verbal and non-verbal behaviour in order to maintain a smooth flow of communication.
Such behaviour includes head-nods, smiles, frowns, bodily contact, eye movements, laughter, body posture, language and many other actions. The facial expressions of athletes provide feedback to the coach. Glazed or down turned eyes indicate boredom or disinterest, as does fidgeting. Fully raised eyebrows signal disbelief and half raised indicate puzzlement. Posture of the group provides a means by which their attitude to the coach may be judged and act as pointer to their mood. Control of a group demands that a coach should be sensitive to the signals being transmitted by the athletes. Their faces usually give a good indication of how they feel, and a good working knowledge of the meaning of non-verbal signals will prove invaluable to the coach.
Communication blocks
Difficulties in communicating with an athlete may be due a number of issues including the following:
1. The athlete's perception of something is not the same as yours
2. The athlete may jump to a conclusion instead of work through the process of hearing, understanding and accepting
3. The athlete may lack the knowledge needed to understand what you are trying to communicate
4. The athlete may lack the motivation to listen to you or to convert the information given into action
5. The coach may have difficulty in expressing what you want say to the athlete
6. Emotions may interfere in the communication process
7. There may be a clash of personality between you and the athlete
These blocks to communication work both ways and coaches need to consider the process of communication carefully.
THE TWO MAIN COACHING STYLES
There are perhaps two coaching styles - autocratic (do as I say) and democratic (involve the athletes in decision making).
The autocratic style could be broken into two types - telling and selling and the democratic style into sharing and allowing. Coaches will use a variety of styles/types depending on the coaching situation.
Autocratic Style - Telling
The coach decides on what is to be done
The athletes are not involved in the decision-making
The coach defines what to do and how to do it
On a circuit training session the athletes are told the exercises in the circuit.
Autocratic Style - Selling
The coach decides on what is to be done
The coach explains what is required and the objectives
The athletes are encouraged to ask questions to confirm understanding
The coach defines what to do and how to do it
On a circuit training session the athletes are informed of the exercises in the circuit. The coach explains the object of circuit training and the purpose of each exercise. Athletes can ask questions to clarify any points.
Democratic Style - Sharing
The coach outlines the training requirements to the athletes
The coach invites ideas/suggestions from the athletes
The coach makes the decision based on the athletes' suggestions
The coach defines what to do and how to do it
The coach identifies a circuit training session. Athletes identify possible exercises for the circuit. The coach selects from the suggestions a set of exercises.
Democratic Style - Allowing
The coach outlines the training requirements to the athletes
The coach defines the training conditions
The athletes brainstorm to explore possible solutions
The athletes make the decision
The athletes define what to do and how to do it
The coach identifies a circuit training session. The coach defines the conditions of the circuit to ensure it is safe and meets the overall objectives of the session. Athletes identify possible exercises for the circuit and then select a set of exercises that meet the coach's conditions.
FOUR ALTERNATIVE COACHING STYLES
1. Command style - direct instruction, coach dictates
2. Reciprocal style - athlete takes some responsibility for their own development - monitored by the coach
3. Problem solving style - athlete solves problems set by the coach
4. Guided discovery - athlete has freedom to explore various options
The bottom line in sports conditioning and fitness training is stress, not mental stress, but adaptive body stress. Athletes must put their bodies under a certain amount of stress to increase physical capabilities. Where the stress loads are appropriate then the athletes' performance will improve but if the stress loads are inappropriate then a state of over-training could come about for the athlete.

I hope this helps. If you have any more queries, please let me know.

Regards

P.J.

hi clffy here !I would be so grateful as I'm starting out in management for some helpful tips and ideas . I have played football since i can remember but 3 injuries to my cruciate ligament and 3 operations in the one knee has ended my days of playing but has opened the doors to a new beginning for me in management.So was hoping for some help starting out . From the basic warm ups to drills to man management to game plays and winning . I would be so grateful for the help and tips . thanks