THE club GAA pre-season is in full flow with players pushing their minds and bodies to improve. The dedication from both players and coaching staff to improve year on year is seemingly increasing and greater resources being sought. However, an equally rising phenomenon unfortunately are player Injuries.

Speaking with a few of my physio friends over this last month, they are telling me that already the physio tables and appointment book are filling up – In February!

Unfortunately, the incidence of sports injuries has always been occurring since sport began. However, this trend of high injury rates in GAA despite the evolution of sports science and educational pathways in place is something I feel needs to be a ‘stop and reflect’ moment for all.

Training does leave clues despite the perfectly periodised training plans we have designed. If you have a significant number of players in your squads breaking down with injuries (soft tissue/muscle and tendon Injuries, etc) then you need to reflect on the training process that has been designed and implemented.

Some of the factors that contribute to injuries are well documented (previous injuries, sleep, training loads, etc). The demands also of Gaelic games have also increased significantly this year, especially with the addition of the new rule enhancements.

Our games currently are more intense in terms of high-speed metrics; competitions and games are more frequent and players travel a lot more to attend training sessions and matches.

A big consideration for players and coaches now is what should our players do in the off-season. What you don’t want is your players arriving at pre-season with little or nothing in the tank in relation to strength or explosive qualities.

With a lack of preparation for speed work and activities that involve repetitive ground contact (i.e. explosive plyometric activity) it leaves them at risk of overload of soft tissue, muscle tears, tendon injuries, etc. So planning the off-season work before your pre-season is key.

When I consult with GAA organisations and clubs, I always advise to air on the side of caution when planning training sessions or at least be aware that your session plan may need to change during the session. Our players are NOT full-time athletes and have work schedules and different work stresses to factor in. The likelihood of your players arriving to your training session fully recovered, well slept and good to go is highly unlikely.

So, when planning your training sessions factor these possibilities into your plan.

Whatever squad you are looking after, your greatest determining factor to being successful this year Is having high player availability (your best squad available to pick from).

Finally, coaches and managers need to have a clear understanding of the athletic and age ability of their cohort and use this part of the year to tailor the pre-season to each individual athlete’s needs. For eg, you may have older athletes in your squad who certainly won’t recover like the 20 year old, so adapt the sessions to help them.

Your number one goal of pre-season is to get everyone onto the same or similar page (fit and healthy) come late March/early April with high squad availability. You do not want 30 per cent of your squad on the physio table.