GAA Coaching

Jake Logan Condon

12/01/23

Child Participation
Analysis of issues affecting participation at child, youth & adult levels.

Below, I’ll look into the various issues that may affect the participation at child, youth & adult levels.
Considering both, internal & external factors that many may not look towards in relation to
participation levels.

Child

The interest of the child may become an issue. As they have no desire to learn & develop a new skill
in this area but may have interested elsewhere. Not everyone is going to fall in love with a sport
straight away, therefore I feel that parents should positively influence their children to partake.

Another issue that may arise, is the amount of time their parents must organise them going to
training & back. Unfortunately, there’s not unlimited time in the day, parents may have work &
other commitments where their unable to spare time during the hours that training is on. Therefore,
they may look to bring their children into other activities that may suit their time.

A final issue that may arise for children, is transportation. Not everyone has a car & not all
transportation may lead to a football pitch. Therefore, I see this as a barrier for the child as they may
not have the facilities to commit to training, even if they wanted to.

Youth

Around this age, teenagers may become more invested in their studies. Aiming for the best grades
possible. Therefore, they may have to sacrifice a few sessions a week, to ensure that they’ve free
time to commit to their studies. It’s a mild issue, but around the times of the Junior, or Leaving
Certificate this may become more severe.

Another issue that may arise, is new members looking to start Gaelic but feel like it’s too late. Most
people that would be in the club would have started from a young age, which is what they presume.
Hence, being a barrier to entry to them for starting & participating in the sport.

A final issue that may arise for a teenager, is the foundation of new hobbies. Of course, we’d love to
carry out a sport & become the best at it for as long as we can. However, as we grow & develop, we
begin to develop new hobbies which may take over older ones. In this case, it’ll affect how a person
feels about the sport, hence, possibly dropping it completely.

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Adult

As we become an adult, the less spare time we seem to have. Commitments & work tend to
takeover with our leisure time. Therefore, becoming an issue to many. Those who continue to
commit to the sport, usually must sacrifice elsewhere around this time to make time for what they
love to do.

Another issue to consider, is relationships. Around this time, we’re set & happy with our other part.
However, considering the time we have from beforehand, committing to a sport will leave us even
less time for those who we love. Therefore, people will have to sacrifice participation to give time
elsewhere.

A final issue that may arise for an adult, is drinking. Most people around this age, would like to go
out & drink with their friends at the weekend. Which means they’ve the possibility on missing out on
match time. Hence, they feel like they’re training may become a waste as they are essentially
training for no end goal.

Gaelic Games Player Pathway

Skill development programmes offered by the GAA, considering the Gaelic Games Player Pathway.

Skills develop through three different means within the Gaelic Games Player Pathway. I’ll be
expanding on each throughout, briefly covering the reasoning of each.

Foundation

First, we’ll start with the foundation. This is where a player is catered to throughout youth, to adult
level. A player learns the fundamentals of the game & continues to progress these fundamentals to a
high level through refinement. Here, a player can learn commitment. Where they consistently attend
training & continue to develop.

Talent

Following through from the fundamentals, refinement & commitment we find the talent pool of
development. Here, a player can show their true potential. They’re at the peak, of their
development within the youth stage, bordering adult level. This is where we see verification, where
a player gets picked to represent their county. A player will then feel like the work & commitment
they’ve put in pays off. Continuing from this, if the player is exceptional. They will eventually
breakthrough & find themselves at the elite level of the programme.

Elite

This elite & high-performance level is the peak of the programme that only a few find themselves in.
Includes the likes of an adult intercounty player such as David Clifford for Kerry, etc. Those who find
themselves here will continue to excel, until they can’t keep up with the competition anymore.

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 (GAA. 2022.)

Philosophy
Outline the GAA philosophy for coaching Gaelic to children, youth & adults.

“As a coach, our primary mission to help participants develop, not only as athletes but as people too.
To fulfil that aim, we must carry out function tasks that underpin our knowledge & reflection.”
(Connacht. 2022.)

I found this philosophy online & I think it’s a great way to think as a coach. We must see a player for
the individual that they are, not as a robot. To do so, we share our knowledge by carrying out
sessions which we hope will improve their skills & development overtime. Whilst reflecting, on what
works & what may not work for certain players. However, within this part of the assignment I’d like
to look at the issues, communication & alterations that may have to be made whilst working with
children, youth, or an adult. With this, I’d like to see how my philosophy may change to adapt to the
needs of these various groups.

Child

A main issue I see arising with children, is maintaining their attention. As a coach, I’ll have to be
more attentive to this within a session. I’ll do so by adjusting how often I communicate with them.
With the youth, or an adult group you can leave them at their own devices without any issue.
However, here we will need to consistently speak with them to ensure their attention throughout.
Could also be done through the means of altering sessions, to include fun games that they’ll want to
commit to, rather than the normal mundane skill sessions that most will go through.

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Youth

A main issue I see arising with the youth is attendance, especially throughout times of the year when
examinations & such are on. It’s important that we communicate with these players, giving them
insight into the overarching goal that we’d like to achieve. Doing so, will give them a broader
understanding of what needs to be done & what sacrifices, if any, must be made. However, as a
coach we must understand that their studies must be a priority. Therefore, we can make alterations
in the days & time that we train. This ensures best practice for the players as they go on in life,
enabling us to lead by example as a coach.

Adult

A main issue I see arising with adults, like youth, is commitment. As we grow out of our youth, we
gather more responsibilities. These responsibilities make it harder for us as players to commit to
certain tasks that we would’ve easily been able to do so, beforehand. Therefore, players will need to
sacrifice to play football. Another way in which commitment is hindered, is through the likes of
drinking alcohol. Players go out at the weekend, let’s say on a Saturday with a game on the Sunday.
Come Sunday morning the players are in no shape to play. Hence, their training was for nothing. This
is whereas a coach, we must make alterations to the schedule to allow for said players to commit as
much as they can.

As we can see, as a coach the main thing we need to focus on is time. As we grow up, the less of it as
we have. If we can accommodate time for players, the more attention, attendance & commitment
will hopefully be shown. More committed players are, the better the team spirit will become. Since
everyone understands that everyone is making a commitment, or sacrifice to be there whenever
they can. Hence, they too, will want to work harder to make the commitment of others worth it.

Role & Responsibilities

The role & responsibilities of a coach.

A coach is an individual that takes on the role of assisting & challenging players to achieve their full
potential within a sport. To do so, a coach must create the right conditions for intuitive learning to
occur, which in return, will allow the player to maximise their potential. This is the overarching role
of a coach. Below, I’ll delve deeper into the responsibilities this individual will take on as their time
as a coach.

Goal

A coach has the responsibility to set a goal for an individual, or the team. This goal must be clear, to
ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of what their aim for the year is. If a coach is unclear
in his approach, it may leave the team feeling underwhelmed as they’ve no vision going forward. The
lack of vision may lead to many dropping out from training sessions. Hence, a key responsibility for
any coach is to provide a clear ultimatum in which the players can look at moving forward. This goal
must also be realistic & within the realm of grasping. To set an unrealistic goal is ultimately setting
the team up for continued failure.

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Education

A coach has the responsibility to educate those around them. To maximise the potential of the
players a coach has, he/she must provide them with the best education. This education enables
them to become smarter on & off the field. Education such as nutrition, will enable them to recover
quicker. In return, players will be fresh leading up to training sessions & matches, getting the best
out of them. Hence, education should be at the forefront of all coaches’ minds at present, whilst also
looking forward into the future where they can continue to educate said players.

Development

A coach has the responsibility to develop those around them. It’s their goal to ensure that a player
becomes the best version of oneself. To do so, a coach must identify any progression, or regression.
If progression is being noticed, then furthering that progression should be the coaches main aim &
responsibility. If a coach notices regression, a coach must be able to identify this as soon as possible
to implement the best practice to prevent any regression from occurring. Hence, putting the best
practice in to ensure the further success of players they work with.

Structure
Outline the structure of a typical coaching session.

Before starting a session, we must organise our structure beforehand as a coach. We’ll do so by
following the player pathway discussed prior. Typical sessions usually start with 10 minutes of a
warm-up, where we include fun games to get the players moving, whilst getting the heart rate up.
Games like bulldog, rob the nest, etc. can be included in this area. Moving forward into the session,
we’ll next turn our attention to the skill development portion. This portion will take up roughly 30
minutes, going through two skill drills & a single agility, balance & co-ordination drill. Skill drills
include controlling a moving ball, overhead striking, etc. where the player can home in on said skill &
develop through the session. As for agility, balance & co-ordination drills include the likes of tail tag,
ladder hopscotch, etc. Again, a player can improve on both their skills & awareness whilst partaking
in these sorts of sessions.

To finalize the session, players will then work in a 20-minute small-sided games where they can use
said skills in action. This step is important in player development as it gets them used to using these
skills within a game environment which is very important when playing a match. A coach should
continue to remark the ability of a player whilst they do the small-sided games as it promotes good
learning habits which in return, can be used in a game situation. After the session is over, it’s the job
of the coach to see if everyone enjoyed the session. From here, you can take note of what they
learnt & what they wish to progress on down the line. This chat should only last roughly 5 minutes,
as it’s only brief.

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Safe Use
Explained in detail the safe use of personal & coaching equipment used in Gaelic football.

Regarding the safe use of personal & coaching equipment used in Gaelic football, I think it’s a must
& should be promoted to all who partake in the sport. Below I’d like to cover different equipment
that is used in the sport, with it’s application to safe use.

First, I’d like to cover is the gumshield. This bit of kit is used to cover your teeth, to prevent any
knocks, or breaks while playing the sport. Players should ensure that their gumshields are properly
fitted beforehand, by using boiling water to shape it to their mouth. Also, they should ensure that
they always wear them throughout training, or games.

Secondly, we have the use of gloves to enable the player to have firmer grip over the ball. This bit of
kit allows them to be more confident in taking on the ball, especially in rainy conditions where the
ball would usually slip through their hands, allowing for the opposition to retrieve the ball. It’s not a
necessity for players to wear them, but they do greatly enhance your game if use correctly.

Lastly, I’d like to look at the boots that players use. This bit of kit allows players to grip on the grass,
rather than slipping with a flatter shoe. However, now all boots are permitted. Players must use
either the standard boot, or moulded. Therefore, the likes of metal studs are not permitted due to
their higher risk of injury to both player & opposition.

Welfare of Underage Players

Examined successfully best practice in protecting the welfare of underage players.

Before we delve into how we can enhance the welfare of underage players, we must understand the
likes of abuse so we can put the right systems in place to prevent said abuse. Abuse itself, relates to
any mistreatment of an individual. There are various categories of abuse. This includes physical,
discriminatory, emotional, sexual, or domestic. As a coach, we must be aware of the various types so
that we can identify indicators when necessary. Indicators can include the likes of bruises,
depression, fear, weight-loss, or fractures. Again, as a coach we must be aware of all of these. Once
identified there as steps that we must take to ensure the welfare of the individual.

Firstly, we must react calmly, listening to the individual themselves. Taking them seriously, as the
situation will be a tense, most likely an uneasy one too, for both the coach & the individual. In this
situation, we must assure them that they’ve done the right thing. A lot of people would avoid
bringing such abuse up, as they feel as if it’s the wrong thing to do. Hence, being there for them will
be key in such situation. However, we must not make any sort of promises, or express our opinions
on the situation. All we can do here is listen & be there for the individual. Giving them the right
support where necessary. Final stages include a written report of the instance, information the
designated liaison person with said information. All should be kept in confidentiality.

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Self-reflection
Thoroughly conduct self-reflection on the impact of a training programme on players.

Moving on from the actions taken by a coach to positively influence the welfare of the individual, I’ll
now turn your attention to my personal self-reflection on the impact of training programming on
players. I’ll do so by identifying areas where I can improve, showing the steps taken to make said
improvements.

Firstly, I think my transition from activity, to another is slow. I identified this in my last training
session, where I felt like the time taken to set up the next activity could’ve been used more
effectively. Hence, the overall session lacked efficiency. Therefore, I’ve implemented planning
beforehand with cone placement, where I can smoothly transition now as all is laid out correctly.
Saving both, time for myself, and for the players who committed themselves to training that day.

Secondly, I think my explanation at times can be rough. Ideally, when explaining a session I want to
make it easy for everyone to understand, not making it long-winded to the point where only half
truly understand the point I’m trying to get across. Therefore, I’ve made my explanations from now
on short & brief, only including the necessary information needed to carry out the session. Allowing
for more time for the training itself. Hence, making the session more effective overall.

Lastly, I took note of my placement on the pitch. This refers to the ability of the players to hear me.
In past sessions, I had placed us too close to other sessions that where happening at the same time.
Due to the loud amount of noise, not everyone could hear me. Leaving a lot confused on what to do.
This is not their fault, as I should’ve been more spatially aware. Therefore, in future sessions I moved
us into a quiet position on the pitch. Enabling us, again, to be more effective as I don’t have to
explain everything two, or more times.

Rules of Gaelic
Explain in full, three basic rules of Gaelic football.

Now that I’ve covered my self-reflection on coaching, I’d like to move into the rules of Gaelic
football. First one I’d like to look at is the playing rules. Such rule states that an individual can’t carry
the ball for more than four steps. A bounce, or a solo must be carried out to continue the run.
Failure to do both creates an overcarry, where the opposition gets a free. It also states that the
individual can’t bounce the ball twice, so a solo must be carried out in-between two bounces.

Second rule relates to the tackling of an individual. A player can contest for the ball by using their
hand, or by shoulder charging an opponent side-to-side. Any other form of contact is prohibited,
cards been shown in the instance of such. This could be in the form of using a foot, where the other
player is on the ground with the ball. Therefore, a player should always keep their eyes on the ball &
not the individual themselves as they may cause a foul.

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Lastly, I’d like to look at the rules for scoring. For a point, a player must kick, or fist a ball over the
crossbar. Scoring just one point for this type of movement. If they wish to score more than one
point, they can score in the goal, or net. Again, by using their foot, or hand. Fist can only be used in
certain circumstances, without said circumstances a goal won’t stand. Circumstance includes if a
player is passed the ball from another, instead of taking the ball into the chest. Said player will use a
closed fist, to fist the ball towards the net. Accounting for a legal score.

Conclusion
To conclude this assignment, I feel that I’ve hit all the markets set out in the introduction. I’ve
thoroughly investigated all the areas covered above, without giving any unwanted information. I’ve
done so by presenting the information clearly, in a way that it makes the readers time easier in the
hopes that more information will be taken in.

On reflection, I could possibly have added images in portions of the assignment. However, I felt as
though any images that I would’ve added wouldn’t have fairly represented the points I was trying to
make throughout the assignment. Therefore, in the future, I’d like to investigate ways to include
images smartly, where they can enhance the visual elements of what is being spoken about.

I hope you enjoyed reading & indulging into this assignment. I had an enjoyable time researching &
laying out the information. I hope to continue to learn about Gaelic football, especially regarding the
philosophies in which can be carried over to other sports, or activities.

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Bibliography

Connacht. 2022. Website of Connacht GAA, Coaching Philosophy. Available at:

https://connachtgaa.ie/coaching-philosophy/#:~:text=The%20coach%20must%20keep
%20the,conscious%20of%20keeping%20everyone%20involved. (Accessed: January 12, 2023.)

GAA. 2022. Welcome to GAA Learning, Welcome to our Learning & Development Portal. Available at:
https://learning.gaa.ie. (Accessed: January 12, 2023.)