By John McMahon THE business end of the Gaelic club season is reaching the pinnacle with county finals fast approaching. For those clubs that have exited the championship and their seasons have now ended, what should their focus be? The off-season brings a welcome rest from the demands of a long competitive season in GAA. […]
By Patrick Morrison THIS week’s article will come in a two-part form. This is because I have repurposed my Eleven Goalkeeping Principles and as such will need two articles to fit them in. Below is Part One of these principles, Part Two to follow up next week. Enjoy! All goalkeepers are different and no two […]
14 YEARS ago in the PE office in my former school in St Columban’s I had an idea of a fund raiser for the PE department and GAA within the school – a Coach Education morning. In its inaugural year back in January 2009, we had 57 coaches come through the doors and one of the […]
AS championship football at the club level continues to evolve, so does the relentless intensity that accompanies it. With each passing year, the demands on players reach new heights. They run more, at higher speeds, with increased accelerations, decelerations, frequent changes of direction, and endure physicality like never before. For coaches, the later stages of […]
By Patrick Morrison 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 […]
THERE is plenty of excitement off the pitch at present with the managerial merry-go-round but what is it that could be done to make things on the pitch more exciting for players and spectators alike? I might enjoy watching one team’s ability in breaking down a packed defence, creating space and more scores, but at […]
By Patrick Morrison DISTRIBUTION in the modern game has become more and more important for teams whenever they are focusing on winning games. In some games a team’s ability on restarts can literally be the winning or losing of a particular game. For the goalkeeper then, it is crucial they can self-appraise their kicking both […]
THE first thing I do whenever I enter a team dressing room is to scan the place for the number one object guaranteed to cause stress to a huge portion of the players in that room. It’s usually under a table or the middle of a floor while someone publicly records what it shows. The weighing scales. […]
All our schools are in full flow now and school training for most age groups has started across the province. I have mentioned the importance of school football before and how schools work in tandem with the clubs. As the club season comes to an end, the school season just starts and it is so […]
THE club championships are beginning to reach the business end in most counties. As with the new county format, a lot of counties have opted for group stage systems and as a result the blood and thunder has been diluted. It will no doubt return when competitions reach the knock-out phases, but the early stages […]
