COACH education is a subject very close to my heart, it’s a huge passion of mine. As a coach I never want to stop learning. With that in mind, I always carry a little black book with me; quite a bit of my week seems to be spent in a car, so therefore the book […]
By Patrick Morrison WHENEVER I was younger, Sherry’s Field in the heart of Armagh City was our playground – a very large field that included five full tennis courts, a soccer pitch, a playground as well as some fringe areas for building tree huts and the like. No matter what the weather was like, most […]
By Patrick Morrison “IF you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a 100 battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” This is […]
WE are now coming into the mouth of October and with the majority of teams now on their extended rest period, it means that for the majority of players, the season has ended and their so called ’off’ Season has begun. This sees players going from training three to five sessions per week down to […]
MANY people not involved in teaching don’t appreciate the stress and strains the profession can bring, but let me assure you, teaching is a wonderful profession, particularly PE teacher where every day brings a different challenge. All teachers are good teachers but one of the best teachers of all time and an inspiration of mine […]
I HAVE been writing these goalkeeping columns for over three years now and I regularly have emails, texts and social media messages from players, coaches, parents etc. in relation to goalkeeping. One of the most commonly asked questions I receive would be: “Where do I get my inspiration from?” The short answer for this is […]
AFTER-SCHOOL football is well and truly back in full flow throughout the province of Ulster with the countless number of schools back training, relying on the good will of dedicated staff. School, in my opinion, is without doubt the bedrock for the development of young players. Unfortunately there are horror stories in the past of […]
THE kickout has changed so much tactically over the past 30 years. So much so, that the name has been changed along with it. From punting the ball out to the midfield areas where players would compete for the ball in 50/50 challenges to try and catch, break or attain possession; they have now evolved into […]
By Patrick Morrison ALL goalkeepers want to improve. It doesn’t matter what age, level or reason for playing as a goalkeeper, we all want to feel as if we are becoming better ‘keepers week on week. That said, it is important to realise that the amount you improve, and the rate of improvement are vastly […]
THE club championships are in full flow now & most counties are entering the knockout stages. Preparing for the ‘big game’ can be a very stressful time for both players and management. Firstly, it is completely normal for the anxiety to intensify especially on the day before the event. Below I have outlined some mental and […]
