Derry Coaching and Games

Under 10 Go Games Hurling Blitz

2011-05-31T09:38:00.001+01:00

The Go Games hurling programme is up and running. This week we had our first club based blitzes which went very well. The fixtures were:

Kevin Lynchs

Ballinascreen

Banagher

Slaughtneil

Swatragh

Lavey

O Cahans

Na Magha

Coleraine

Well done to all the clubs who took part, in particular the host clubs for looking after the blitzes.

Underage Coaching at Glack GAC

2011-05-26T10:15:00.000+01:00

Richard Ferris Gaelic Games Development Officer for the Limavady area was in Glack GAC on Wednesday evening to take their Under 14/16s for a coaching session. The boys and coaches really enjoyed the session and appreciated the new games / ideas which Richard was able to introduce to them. Although the weather was extremely wet the young players from the Glack club put in a great effort, plenty of talent within this group of young players Richard will be back in June.

Year 8 Super Touch at RVLC

2011-04-03T12:40:00.001+01:00

On Friday the 1st April at Roe Valley Recreation Centre Limavady a Super Touch Year 8 indoor Gaelic Football Blitz took place coordinated by Richard Ferris, GPO for the area. This event proved to be very popular with all that participated, 7 teams took part from St Patrick’s Dungiven and St Mary’s Limavady. 40 boys enjoyed the day’s football immensely, with 40 games taking place across the two halls. Finish off with all the boys getting 60mins session in the pool. Obviously a day such as this doesn't happen without the help of the teachers whom helped with the smooth running Mr. Mc Mullan, Mr. Mc Gilligan and six sixth form students from St. Mary's Limavady and St Patrick’s Dungiven refereed the games. Finally a big thank you to all the players who took part from 10am to 2.45pm, it was plain to see how much craic they were having and some of the skill levels on show was exceptional.

Club Derry Under 16 7's Football 2011

2011-04-01T12:22:00.003+01:00

Last night saw almost 400 players from the clubs in Derry take part in an Under 16 7 aside competition organised by Derry coaching and games and sponsored by Club Derry. 59 games were played from 7pm to after 10pm but no one was in a rush home as it was a glorious to be in Owenbeg under the lights.

Both group stages in the A and B section were fiercely competitive with some very tight games with all the teams vying for a place in the knock out stages.

In the A section Glen topped their group undefeated with Limavady qualifying as the best runners up courtesy of a good win over Dungiven in the final group game. On the other side Bellaghy finished first in their section with good wins over Banagher, Magherafelt and Slaughtneil. Slaughtneil finished second place in the group so the semi finals were formed. Glen would meet neighbours and rivals Slaughtneil while Bellaghy would play Limavady.

Glen proved too strong for Slaughtneil on this occasion winningon a score line of 2-11 to 1-03 while Limavady caused one of the upsets of the night by beating Bellaghy 2-07 to 1-04 to set up a final showdown against Glen whom they had run to two points in the group stages. Unfortunately for the Roe men the effort of beating Bellaghy at the semi final stage took it’s toil as they picked up a few injuries. A very good Glen side won the final comfortably on a score line of 7-08 to 1-01.

The Glen squad were: Conor Convery, Thomas Convery, Oisin Hegarty, Cahair Glass, Paul Gunning, Cahair McCabe, Conor McDevitt, Cathal Mulholland, Stevie O'Hara and Danny Tallon.

Full results from the A section are as follows:

Section A Group 1 Fixtures						Section A Group 2 Fixtures
	Score	Time		Score	Pitch		Score	Time		Score	Pitch
Ballinascreen	1-03	7.00	Dungiven	2-03	Pitch 1	Bellaghy	4-05	7.00	Banagher	1-09	Pitch 3
Steelstown	0-01	7.00	Glen	6-10	Pitch 2	Doire Colmcille	4-00	7.00	Magherafelt	3-05	Pitch 4
Limavady	3-06	7.20	Ballinascreen	1-00	Pitch 1	Slaughtneil	4-03	7.20	Bellaghy	4-06	Pitch 3
Dungiven	0-05	7.20	Glen	2-06	Pitch 2	Banagher	3-08	7.20	Magherafelt	3-06	Pitch 4
Steelstown	1-04	7.40	Limavady	0-08	Pitch 1	Doire Colmcille	1-04	7.40	Slaughtneil	5-07	Pitch 3
Ballinascreen	1-04	7.40	Glen	2-07	Pitch 2	Bellaghy	2-05	7.40	Magherafelt	1-05	Pitch 4
Dungiven	2-07	8.00	Steelstown	1-04	Pitch 1	Banagher	3-08	8.00	Doire Colmcille	3-02	Pitch 3
Glen	3-11	8.00	Limavady	5-03	Pitch 2	Magherafelt	4-04	8.00	Slaughtneil	7-05	Pitch 4
Ballinascreen	3-06	8.20	Steelstown	1-05	Pitch 1	Bellaghy	3-06	8.20	Doire Colmcille	3-06	Pitch 3
Dungiven	1-06	8.20	Limavady	2-07	Pitch 2	Banagher	4-04	8.20	Slaughtneil	4-06	Pitch 4

Top two teams from each group will progress to the semi finals
Winner Group 1 (Glen) 2-11 vs Runner Up Group 2 (Slaughtneil) 1-03
Winner Group 2 (Bellaghy) 1-04 vs Runner up Group 1 (Limavady) 2-07
Final: Glen 7-08 vs Limavady 1-01

In the B section the following teams made it through to the knock out stages after some pulsating games in the group stages : Sean Dolans, Foreglen, Lavey, Greenlough, Claudy, Ogramore, Slaughtmanus, Coleraine and Doire Trasna.

Sean Dolans and Foreglen had to play in a preliminary round to get into the quarter finals with Foreglen coming out on top with a comfortable 12 points to spare. The quarter finals threw up some interesting ties:

Foreglen	3-08	vs	Ogramore	2-04
Lavey	4-05	vs	Slaughtmanus	2-03
Greenlough	3-11	vs	Coleraine	2-00
Claudy	0-13	vs	Doire Trasna	0-11

Foreglen played Lavey in the semi final, the extra game appeared to show on the young Foreglen players legs with Lavey showing more energy to get over the line and book their place in the final. In the other semi final Greenlough put Claudy to the sword to set up what was to be a very close final.

To decide who would be crowned the Under 16 Football 7’s B champions both Greenlough and Lavey knew they would both have to be at the top of their game. As the game progressed it became increasingly difficult to separate the teams, Greenlough appearing to hold a slight advantage for much of the game, just managing to keep their noses in front. But the fitness and athleticism of the Lavey men came through in the end, they managed to hit a very well worked goal with two minutes to go to put them level followed by some very intelligent football to knock on two extra points which was the winning margin when referee Mervin McAleese blew for full time. Lavey won on a score line of 3-06 to 2-07.

The scores of the B section were as follows:

Section B Group 1 Fixtures

Section B Group 2 Fixtures

Score

Time

Score

Pitch

Score

Time

Score

Pitch

Limavady B

2-02

7.00

Glack

1-02

Pitch 5

Ogramore

2-06

7.00

Steelstown B

0-03

Pitch 6

Glack

0-00

7.25

Coleraine A

5-01

Pitch 5

Steelstown B

1-02

7.25

Ballerin

3-02

Pitch 6

Limavady B

3-03

7.50

Coleraine A

6-03

Pitch 5

Ogramore

1-04

7.50

Ballerin

1-03

Pitch 6

Section B Group 3 Fixtures

Section B Group 4 Fixtures

Score

Time

Score

Pitch

Score

Time

Score

Pitch

Slaughtmanus

0-06

7.00

Dungiven B

0-03

Pitch 7

Swatragh

0-03

7.00

Doire Trasna

0-11

Pitch 8

Dungiven B

5-03

7.25

Drum

1-01

Pitch 7

Doire Trasna

1-05

7.25

Bellaghy B

2-01

Pitch 8

Slaughtmanus

6-09

7.50

Drum

0-04

Pitch 7

Swatragh

2-08

7.50

Bellaghy B

4-05

Pitch 8

Section B Group 5 Fixtures

Section B Group 6 Fixtures

Score

Time

Score

Pitch

Score

Time

Score

Pitch

Lavey

2-09

7.00

Banagher B

0-01

Pitch 9

Foreglen

6-07

7.00

Doire Colmcille B

1-00

Pitch 10

Banagher B

1-05

7.25

Drumsurn

7-08

Pitch 9

Doire Colmcille B

0-03

7.25

Faughanvale

5-04

Pitch 10

Lavey

8-05

7.50

Drumsurn

1-03

Pitch 9

Foreglen

5-06

7.50

Faughanvale

1-01

Pitch 10

Section B Group 7 Fixtures

Section B Group 8 Fixtures

Score

Time

Score

Pitch

Score

Time

Score

Pitch

Glenullin

0-02

7.00

Lissan

4-04

Pitch 11

Greenlough

5-08

7.00

Ardmore

2-01

Pitch 12

Lissan

3-00

7.25

Sean Dolans

3-03

Pitch 11

Ardmore

3-02

7.25

Ballinascreen B

4-02

Pitch 12

Glenullin

1-05

7.50

Sean Dolans

3-01

Pitch 11

Greenlough

5-10

7.50

Ballinascreen B

2-00

Pitch 12

Section A Group 9 Fixtures

Score

Time

Score

Pitch

Castledawson

0-04

7.00

Claudy

1-03

Pitch 13

Claudy

6-04

7.25

Coleraine B

2-02

Pitch 13

Castledawson

2-02

7.50

Coleraine B

2-01

Pitch 13

Top team from each group in Section B will progress into an open draw

Preliminary Round

Sean Dolans

1-01

Foreglen

4-04

Quarter Finals

Foreglen

3-08

Ogramore

2-04

Lavey

4-05

Slaughtmanus

2-03

Greenlough

3-11

Coleraine

2-00

Claudy

0-13

Doire Trasna

0-11

Semi Finals

Foreglen

Lavey

Greenlough

Claudy

Final

Lavey

3-06

Greenlough

2-07

Finally thanks to the 12 referee’s who made themselves available on the night and done an excellent job, to the groundsmen for ensuring the pitches were in great shape for the competition, Club Derry for sponsoring the competition, Lavey and Glen were both presented with a new set of Club Derry shirts for winning their section by County chairman John Keenan and County coaching officer Kevin Cassidy and to all the players and coaches for taking part and producing some excellent football in what was an excellent way to start the Under 16 football in 2011.

The Perfect Coaching Session

2011-03-22T09:00:00.003Z

Last night almost 50 coaches turnout for a Coach Education course titled The Prefect Coaching Session delivered by Tony Scullion and Kevin McGuigan. The Derry minor football squad took part in what was a very enjoyable and worthwhile session. All the players had heart rate monitors on them and they will be given feedback on their performance during the session.

GAA for all at Celtic Park

2011-03-21T10:05:00.001Z

Derry's Allianz Football League meeting with Donegal on Saturday night showcased an important new aspect of the GAA in Ulster as a team of players from the South Derry Down Syndrome Group representing Derry met a Donegal team of young people with learning disabilities in the half-time game at Celtic Park as part of the GAA For All Programme.

The players on both sides thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the 2,000-strong crowd cheered both teams to the rafters of the stand during the eight-minute duration of their match. Derry County Board Chairman John Keenan praised the efforts being put in by coaching and development staff in Derry and by the Ulster Council in promoting this initiative.

“The half-time game took place in Celtic Park on Saturday evening was truly remarkable and I would like to thank parents, coaches and anyone that had any involvement in organising the match. Both sets of players took great pride in representing their counties. Congratulations to Eilish McGurk, Seamus McCorry, Terry Maguire, Donard McErlean and Christopher McErlean for doing fantastic work with these young men alongside Derry Coaching Staff member Diarmuid Scullion and Ulster Council Regional Development Officer, Paul Callaghan. I can’t speak highly enough of our Derry coaches for all the work they do within the special needs sector.”

“Back in the summer time during my school visits with Uachtarán Cumann Luthchleas Gael, Christy Cooney we had the privilege of visiting the four special needs schools that currently have weekly slots in our Coaching Programme and we witnessed the connection our coaches are making with these children. The ‘GAA For All’ model is something that we in county Derry are very much supportive of and I would commend Paul Callaghan and the Ulster Council for rolling this programme out throughout the province.”

After the half-time game a presentation of sporting equipment was made to the teams by Club Derry Vice-Chairman, Brian Og Mullan, to help enable the players to continue to enjoy Gaelic games.

Four special needs schools currently have weekly slots on the coaching programme in County Derry giving these children the opportunity to enjoy and take part in Gaelic games. Over the past couple of months Derry County Board and the Ulster Council through Paul Callaghan, have been bringing a focus on club coaches and parents who have an interest in delivering adapted Gaelic games and activities to children and young adults with disabilities and special needs. To try and address this, Ulster and Derry GAA have run workshops in Foreglen, Glenullin, Steelstown and Ballinascreen over the past couple of months.

Any club wishing to learn more about this opportunity should contact Paul Callaghan at paul.callaghan.ulster@gaa.ie.

Club Derry Under 16 7's Hurling

2011-03-20T19:14:00.002Z

On Sunday 20^th March the annual under-16 hurling 7s was held in Claudy. The games were played on Claudys excellent new 3G pitch facility which proved to be the perfect venue for the competition. 7 clubs in all took part, there were two groups with the top 2 teams from each section going into forward to the semi finals. The groups finished up as below:

Group 1:

Team	played	won	lost	draws	points
Lavey	3	3	0	0	9
Na Magha	3	2	1	0	6
Slaughtneil	3	1	2	0	3
Coleraine	3	0	3	0	0

Group 2:

Team	played	won	lost	draws	points
Banagher	2	2	0	0	6
Swatragh	2	1	1	0	3
Kevin Lynchs	2	0	2	0	0

In the semi-finals Lavey proved too strong for Swatragh whilst Na Magha defeated Banagher. The final again was an excellent game of hurling with Lavey coming out on top against Na Magha on a score line of 4 - 5 to 1 – 5. Overall Lavey were deserving winners, they combined strong running and economical use of the ball throughout the day which other teams could not match. The winning team got a set of Club Derry jerseys as the prize for the winning the competition. Congratulations to Lavey and well done to all the clubs who took part.

Na Magha Parish League

2011-03-16T15:24:00.003Z

Na Magha have recently started a new initiative to attract more kids to the club. The parish league invites ten pupils from each parish in the town i.e 10 from Bunscoil Cholmcille (Steelstown), 10 from St Annes (Rosemount).
These kids come together every two weeks to represent their parish and it is hoped that the kids will then filter into the club. After a few weeks more parishes will be invited along to compete. Sunday saw the first day and it was a huge success.

North West Indoor Hurling 2011

2011-03-07T23:33:00.003Z

Over the past few weekends teams from Derry, Donegal and Tyrone have been taking part in the North West indoor hurling under 10 competition. The teams were hosted in 2 venues, LYIT in Letterkenny and Templemore sports complex in Derry City.The games were all ground hurling only and played in a Go Games format with the main focus of the blitzes being getting the lads to enjoy playing and helping to develop their skills. 14 clubs in all took part, with the standard of hurling improving as the games went on. A special word of thanks must go to Donal McLaughlin (Chairman Donegal Hurling Board) Noel Murray (Na Magha), and all of the various club coaches who helped to ensure that the blitzes were such a success. Many of the clubs participating will now take part in Ulster blitz in the Meadowbank this weekend so hopefully the North West competition will have prepared the lads for playing against teams from across the province.

Thanks again to all the clubs for their continued efforts in hurling development. I have no doubts that if clubs can sustain their current efforts they will soon reap the rewards. Thanks again, Kevin.

Indoor Primary School Hurling Blitz @ Meadowbank

2011-03-07T23:25:00.003Z

On Thursday 3^rd March, the County Derry indoor hurling blitz was held in the Meadowbank arena in Magherafelt. 7 schools took part:

St.Canices Dungiven,

St.Eoghans Moneyneena,

St.Columbs Straw,

St.Johns Swatragh,

St.Brigids Tirkane,

St.Brigids Mayogall

St.Patricks Glen.

The schools took part in a series of Go Games matches throughout the day. The standard of hurling was very high with some exceptional individual talent on show. This is a credit to the work going on in the local clubs and within the schools themselves. We look forward to the outdoor blitzes in the spring to see how the lads are developing. Many thanks to the teachers who reluctantly took a day away from the classroom to help out at blitz and to the schools for their continued support in the development of hurling in Derry.

Under 10 Go Games Football

2011-03-06T14:50:00.005Z

On Saturday a number of Go Games blitz's for Under 10's took place across South Derry and in Derry City. All blitzes were outside due to the good weather. The standard was very high with some great displays of point taking, blocking, passing and fielding. Some photo's are attached.

Hurling and Camogie on Claudy New 3G Pitch

2011-03-02T22:36:00.002Z

On Wednesday the 2nd of March the Primary 6/7 pupils of St Canices Feeny and St Marys Altinure participated in a hurling and camogie day at Claudys fabulous new 3G pitch. Aided by the glorious sunshine the pupils took part in various games. A special thanks to all the teaching staff from both schools. To the children who went home very tired but they really enjoyable this event. Thanks also to Richard Ferris and Emmett Stewart for organising the event.

Drumsurn Road to Croker

2011-03-02T22:31:00.002Z

Drumsurn GAC's Road To Croker programme started back on the 17.11.10. The programme concluded tonight under lights with Antrim running out winners after a tough final with the Dubs. All the players from all teams show great skill and determination throughout. A big well done to all players! There were no trophies or awards on the night,hopefully the big reward would be to be pulled out of the hat for Croker sponsored by Club Derry!

Roe Valley Learning Community Gaelic Team

2011-02-25T08:26:00.001Z

Under the ethos of Sharing Education, the partner schools in the Roe Valley have joined together again to field a team in the Ulster Vocational Schools competition. To date many of the activities and ventures through the Sharing Education Programme between the five schools have been curricular and classroom based however this marks one of the many initiatives outside the classroom setting.

The team currently fields 6th Year players from Limavady Grammar School, St. Patrick’s College Dungiven, Limavady High School and St. Mary’s and Rossmar. The team have already played Holy Trinity College Cookstown, St. Ciaran’s College Ballygalwey and Sacred Heat College, Omagh.

A very striking design incorporating the colours of all five schools was agreed upon and Sports Development Roe Valley has generously sponsored that strip that will be used in all future games. Ollie Mullan said that, “the partnership between the schools of the Roe Valley and Limavady Borough Council is continuing to flourish, particularly in the area of sports”

It is a testament to the strength of the Roe Valley Learning Community that young people can now enjoy opportunities to learn together in the classroom, explore life issues together and come together on the sports field – a truly shared future.

Under 10 Go Games Football

2011-02-24T15:36:00.002Z

Photos are attached from this weeks under 10 go-games. Lavey hosted Magherafelt, whilst Ballinascreen hosted Desertmartin and Swatragh. Bellaghy are hosting Glen and Castledawson tomorrow. The standard of football was very high.

St. Canice Dungiven After School Football

2011-02-24T14:39:00.002Z

St Canice Dungiven PS After School coaching in Dungiven Sports Pavilion, some very good players to watch out for in the years to come, too many to name individually but they all have a good sound foundation in the GAA.

See photo with Development Officer Richard Ferris

Drumsurn Midnight GAA programme Alcohol & Drug awareness workshop

2011-02-21T10:15:00.003Z

Drumsurn GAC Midnight GAA programme is nearing an end and on Friday night past (18th Feb) an Alcohol & Drug awareness workshop was held in the club hall by professional tutor Martin Connelly. The night drew great interest with 36 young people turning up, all of which are active on the sporting field. The presentation Martin ran through highlighted areas such as:

Alcohol and Exercise

"If you have alcohol 24 hours before exercising you are more likely to develop muscle cramps."

"After exercising the body needs to be rehydrated. It's not helpful to drink alcohol as it will just continue to dehydrate the body further."

What difference can a couple of drinks make?
What may surprise you is the number of ways the proverbial couple of drinks can affect your performance. If you take your sport seriously, and like to do the best you can for yourself or your team, it's worth knowing the facts and what you can do to drink sensibly.
Endurance

The blood sugar your body needs for energy is produced by the liver releasing glucose into the blood stream. Alcohol reduces your body's ability to produce this sugar, so you have less energy and less endurance capacity.

Remember - "if you were drinking the night before, when the time comes to really dig deep, there mightn't be anything there."

It is also important to remember that drinking before or during exercise can lead to injuries. Alcohol in the body can slow down the healing process leading to an increased recovery time from an injury.

Reaction Times

The relaxant properties of alcohol can flow on into your sport even well after you've finished drinking. Alcohol affects the central nervous system and slows down the information processing ability of the brain. This in turn affects your reactions, co-ordination, accuracy and balance - all the things most important for staying on top in any sport.

Roe Valley Sports Department Development Squad (Gaelic Football)

2011-02-12T21:24:00.003Z

On Saturday 12th February at Drumsurn GAC, The Roe Valley Development Squad had its first Strength and Conditioning session, learning the proper techniques in strength training exercises with an emphasise on core stability. Each player has a weekly programme to follow to help them become fitter and stronger for the incoming year

The squad will have its next coaching session Saturday 5^th March in Faughanvale GAC 10am. This Squad is still open to other players to join. Contact Richard Ferris on richardferrisgpo@yahoo.co.uk

Improving Standards

2011-02-07T10:48:00.002Z

On Saturday 5th February, Roe Valley Sports Department in conjunction with the Gaelic Games Development officer Richard Ferris,had its first squad session in Drumsurn GAC 20 players from the clubs in the borough attended a good start. The squad will have coaching sessions, strength & conditioning sessions, information on lifestyle management and will compete in games against Club Derry Development Squads (U16 & U17s) etc. The next session will be a Strength and Conditioning session in Saint Matthew's GAC Drumsurn at 10am on Saturday the 12th of February. This Squad is still open to other players to join.

Under-12 North West Indoor Hurling Competition

2011-02-01T16:31:00.001Z

For the past 3 weeks, 17 clubs, from 3 counties have been taking part in the North West under-12 hurling competition. The game is played indoors, with full hurling rules. Teams play 5-a-side with teams scoring by striking the ball against the basketball backboard. The first 2 weeks of the competition were seeding rounds held in the Letterkenny Community Centre, The Old Library Trust Hall (Derry City) and Dungiven Sports Pavilion. The final round was held on Sunday past, 31^{st Jan.} The A section finals were held in Dungiven and the B finals in Letterkenny.

Overall the standard of hurling was very good and players were clearly developing as the competition went on. Congratulations to all the clubs, players and coaches for their efforts over the past few weeks. A special word of thanks must go to Donal McLaughlin (chairman of Donegal hurling Board), Emmet Stewart (Derry City GPO) and Shauna McCallion (Derry City GPO) for supervising at the various venues during the course of the competition.

The A final was contested between Kevin Lynchs and Ballinascreen with Kevin Lynchs coming out as worthy winners in the end. In the B finals Kevin Lynchs came out on top again, defeating Na Magha in the final.

St, Mary's Limavady Road to Croker

2011-01-28T09:02:00.002Z

St Marys High School Limavady “Road to Croker” Programme in full swing on Thursdays evenings, with their Year 8 Boys taking part. The Boys are split into 6 teams of 6-a-side playing two touch Gaelic Football and they are really enjoying each evening’s football.Some very competitive matches This event is co-ordinated by Richard Ferris and help is provided from Mr. Mc Gilligan and Mrs. Mc Gee, teachers from the school, which was greatly appreciated.

The Importance of Warming Up Correctly

2011-01-27T10:19:00.001Z

By: Barry Solan

Warming UP

In attending any GAA fixture throughout the country nowadays at club or county level the time, planning and energy invested in a team’s warm up routine has massively increased. Indoor warm up areas now exist in many GAA grounds so the process often starts now before players even get on to the pitch.

This change in approach has meant that in most cases the days of putting some burning magic lotion on your legs that came from the shed of some local “doctor” while hoping at the same time that it won’t reach any delicate parts may be over!! Funny how these potions turn up in dressing rooms every so often. At this point there is generally someone running for the shower/toilet area to cool down – even before they warm up!

The modern warm up has evolved based on great improvement in coaching standards and research indicating that many previous methods may have ill prepared players for competition and exposed them to a higher risk of injury. In my opinion that must be the number one goal of any training program/schedule or warm up period – Reduce Risk of Injury . Think about that, if we can reduce any player’s risk of injury by preparing them better to train and compete then that is a win win situation. My current warm up routine with the teams & athletes I work with changes nearly every day depending on the environment i.e. indoor, track, pitch, gym based etc but is underpinned by the same core principles and progressions for each training session.

1 – Reduce Risk of Injury

2 – Must begin simple and progress to complex

3 – Must allow the body time to adapt to increasing intensity

4 – Must include skill work

5 – Must include high intensity effort at climax to prepare body for upcoming demands.

6 – Must include a fun activity to put smiles on faces!!!

The above warm up protocols can be applied to any sport or activity. Mark Verstegen, founder of Athletes’ Performance refers to the warm up period as “Movement Preparation”. This is a term I like as it does exactly what it says on the tin. Warm Up periods simply prepare the body to move. However the better prepared your warm up is, the better prepared you will be after completing it. Recent advances in research and in practical evidence from coa

ches who work with athletes’ everyday have highlighted different areas which when included in a warm up may or may not benefit participants.

Stretching – how to stretch? What type of stretching to do? How long to do it for? This seems to be a never ending topic in the fitness and performance field. One coach advocates one method while another disagrees with it. This in many ways is the beauty of trying to educate yourself as a coach or athlete and make a decision in relation to what you feel benefits you best. Current practice from elite coaches seems to focus more on dynamic type stretching routines. This progression came about as research suggested that static stretching may decrease an individual’s ability to produce force and therefore hinder performance. However, currently many coaches are using static stretching as a precursor to more dynamic movements believing that gaining the flexibility benefits associated with static type stretching and completing a more dynamic warm up after this period will result in gains in flexibility without the accompanying potential decreases in ability to pro

duce force. This seems like a logical well thought out approach.

On the basis of current research and practicality I include 4 main areas in every warm up period.

1- Pre-habilitation: This section is designed to target specific areas of the body prone to injury and will consist of self massage, static stretching, activation and corrective exercise aimed at decreasing potential for injury and increasing proper movement patterns.

2 – Dynamic Flexibility: This section will encompass whole body movements progressing from simple to complex aimed at increasing mobility, stability, flexibility and body temperature preparing athletes for the upcoming demands of their activity.

3 – Nervous System Activation: This section will encompass high i

ntensity exercise such as rapid response drills, jumping, bounding and sprinting preparing athletes for the upcoming high intensity demands of activity such as agility, reaction, acceleration and deceleration.

4 – Game Skill: This section will encompass all the skills necessary for success in the upcoming event. There will be periods of high intensity contact situations interspersed with lighter recovery periods. Design of skills and drills will encompass match type situations focusing on attacking, defending, passing, scoring etc.

Missing component: FUN: At any stage a fun activity may be included. The purpose of this maybe to calm down an atmosphere if you sense as a coach that the situation may be a little too tense or also to get the energy up if you feel the situation needs an injection of something more upbeat.

In this next section we will go through the process of arranging a warm

up period as looking at the above information would identify that order and sequence is important if optimal results are to be obtained.

1 – Prehabilitation

Self Massage: 1st up is a period of self massage. This can be done using a foam roller, massage stick, tennis ball, sliothar, med ball, pvc pipe or a football. This self massage is designed to target and decrease densities in muscle tissue, release trigger points or tightness and promote blood flow. Not every team can afford a number of physiotherapists or masseurs so this option comes in as a much cheaper alternative. (add foam roll video). It is believed that performing these self massage techniques decreases muscle density resulting in obvious benefits to performance and recovery. I advise every athlete I work with to get a foam roller. The responses are always the same; they wish they got it sooner. I also advise them to do it every day. Start

doing some type of self massage work on any of the equipment mentioned above. Your body will thank you. (No foam roll, no problem video)

Static Stretching: In my own individual experience I have seen far too many benefits to discount static stretching as the root of all evil. It may not be good for everyone but many athletes I have worked with have benefitted greatly from it. I will add at this point that I always include a dynamic stretching sequence after static stretching before progressi

ng to anything more strenuous or high intensity in effort. The thought process of completing the above steps is that while self massage decrease muscles density, static stretching now allows this muscle tissue to stretch in a less restricted fashion resulting in greater improvements in movement capability. While observing the movement patterns and progression of today’s general posture, I think everyone could benefit from some static stretching in the hip flexors, hips, quads, mid section and chest as we seem to be getting far too close to our prehistoric friends

Activation & Corrective Exercise – This part of the warm up is designed to “wake up” muscles and movement patterns necessary for performance. Many of the muscles targeted in this period are prone to shutting down and allowing other muscles to compensate resulting in these muscles becoming over worked and prone to injury. An example in this case would be the glutes (butt muscles) shutting down resulting in areas above and below (low back & hamstrings) becoming overworked, fatigued and injured. This activation process will be targeted at areas around the hips, core and scapula as these areas are often prone to developing compensation and imbalances. Exercises in this section will begin on the floor and progress to more dynamic integrated movement patterns. (Add Video)

2 Dynamic Flexibility

Throughout this area of the warm up we will be aiming to increase body temperature and the ability to move in a more dynamic fashion. As movements are completed we will be further aiding the activation process and also making the muscular and nervous system more pliable for the following high intensity activity. An example of this would be a reverse lunge stretch with a reach over head. On the left leg we will be cueing the athlete to squeeze his glute as tight as possible on the back of his leg while his hip flexors are stretching on the front side. This combined with the reach overhead will help to dynamically elongate muscles on the front of the body while we activate those on the back of the body. Also there is considerable stability challenge involved with the right leg and core section of the body providing a stable base throughout this movement and further preparing the body for training or competition.

Movements are then further developed to include more game like high intensity drills where more ground is covered and heart rate is elevated. Examples of this would include, High knees, skips, carioca’s straight leg kicks & skips, drop steps and some striding type 75 – 80 % effort running.

Dynamic type whole body movements as illustrated in the pictures and video are an excellent way to improve mobility, stability and flexibility preparing any athlete or team throughout the warm up period

3 Nervous system activation

This section of the warm up is completed to further prepare athletes for the high intensity speed and agility demands of the game. Included in this section will be exercises such as rapid response drills, jumps, sprints, changes of direction etc to increase the nervous systems response to produce force in a short space of time. Video

4 Game Specific Skill

This section will encompass all the skills necessary for success and will be completed as close to match intensity as possible.

It is important to note that once the athletes are on their feet low effort skill work can be included at any stage throughout the warm up period to maximise athletes contact and interaction with the ball/sliothar and also to make the best use of the time spent training. An example of this would be to complete some low intensity passing skills while dynamically stretching. It must also be noted that all the science in the world does often not include practical realities. As a coach if you feel a certain situation may be lacking something and that you need to inject some energy to the environment then that is fine. On field decisions are not in any coaching manual and can change the dynamic of a group very quickly. If you feel your situation warrants this do not be afraid to inject some high knees or fast feet drills here and there. Stick to the recipe in the general sense but it is ok to switch things up a little and don’t be afraid to have a little fun!!

In a gym situation this warm up period will generally take about 20 mins.

In a field practice situation or prior to a game this process will take 15 – 30 mins depending on what you like to do with your team. Any self massage, static stretching or floor based exercise will be completed in the dressing room before going to begin a pitch warm up. All pitch exercise will be completed standing with a high emphasis on skill work all throughout the warm up period. Each player will also be given time to prepare individually during the warm up on the field and these junctures will be included in the overall plan.

Rosmar School and LEAP Programme

2011-01-27T10:04:00.004Z

The Rosmar Special School Limavady/LEAP project has bee running each Friday morning in Roe Valley Leisure under the stewardship of Richard Ferris and Des O Boyle the aim is to provide the young people who participate in the programme a supportive, engaging and challenging environment in sport.

Benefits of Rosmar/Leap project: the group leaders see both groups have increased their understanding of working together.

Roe Valley GAA Foundation Course

2011-01-27T09:48:00.002Z

On Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd of January Roe Valley Leisure Centre hosted a Child Protection and the New GAA foundation coaching course for coaches. A large turn out attended the child protection; 51 coaches, then on Saturday 17 coaches completed the full course.Paul Simpson and Richard Ferris delivered the course. Thanks to Ollie Mullan and all the staff at RVLC for all their help and co-operation. Thanks to all the coaches who attended, they certainly applied themselves very well!

Limavady Wolfhounds Club Coaching Night

2011-01-27T09:43:00.003Z

On Wednesday night in St Mary's Limavady Sports hall over 30 underage coaches from the Limavady Wolfhounds club came together with Richard Ferris the Gaelic Games Develoment Officer for a Workshop on Planning and implentation a coaching structure for underage teams within their club. Firstly, Richard put Limavady U14s through a coaching session including a Warm Up, Mini Games, Skill Develoment tips, Coaching a Skill, team play games and a Cool Down. Then each team of coaches planned 2 coaching sessions for their teams which will be copied and passed onto all team coaches from U6-U18's. The Limavady Wolfhounds Youth Officer Ronan Curley is tasked with the job of carrying these session plans across to each coach from each squad or team.

Finaly all attentees watched a powerpoint presentation on the coaching structures and plans within Crossmaglen GAC in Armagh and how this has worked to gain success at all levels, titled "Success The Crossmaglen Way".

College GAA Academy a First for the North West

2011-01-26T18:03:00.000Z

Back: Jimmy Darragh (Ulster GAA Council), Seamus Murphy, College Chief Executive & Principal, Gary Mallon (Ulster Council), Chris Collins (Derry County Board), Gerard Faulkner & Joan Gribben, lecturers. Front: Students & Academy applicants Leona Russell & Enda McDermott

North West Regional College has recently launched a unique Gaelic Games Academy, following a prestigious event held at its Strand Road Campus. Destined to develop the GAA stars of the future, North West Regional College GAA Academy has been heralded as a real first for the North West region after receiving full support and endorsement from the Derry GAA County Board and Ulster Council.

On hand to officially launch the Academy were prominent Ulster Council GAA coaches and officals including 4 time All-Star Tony Scullion, who, in the company of other well-known GAA personalities and dignitaries, learned about plans to develop and enhance the opportunities for potential elite performers in all Gaelic games across the College.

North West Regional College GAA Academy will combine full-time education with a practical skills training package, allowing College students to play the sport they love to a high standard, whilst gaining academic or vocational qualifications. It will be aimed at embracing the development of sporting, leadership, personal and social skills to prepare College students for a future in coaching or playing Gaelic sports. The programmes will include the development of young referees, coaching qualifications at foundation level, child protection, personal development courses for coaches such as planning for a season strength and conditioning defending workshop, goalkeeping and place-kicking, player development, performance analysis, first aid, and working toward Derry County Teams.

A spokesperson for the College added: “Our College has long been associated with the development Gaelic Games in this region, indeed some of our students and staff have played with or coached some of the most successful GAA sides in recent times. The launch of North West Regional College GAA Academy underpins our commitment to furthering the ambitions for our students and staff in Gaelic Games, so that they are given every opportunity to realise their full potential, whether that be on or off the field of play.”

All programmes included in the Academy will be monitored carefully, and training and playing will depend on student’s commitments to their academic studies. Backing the initiative, Gary Mallon, Third Level Education Development Officer from the Ulster GAA Council, explained the Academy was a much needed boost for games in the North West:

“North West Regional College GAA Academy is an exciting development for Gaelic Games in this region, and we believe it can act as a catalyst for GAA growth and prosperity for aspiring players, coaches and administrators in local counties Derry, Tyrone and Donegal. We firmly support this initiative by North West Regional College, and look forward to working in partnership with our Colleagues in the College through the Academy in the future.”

In order to be eligible to enter the academy, students must be at least 16 years of age and must be enrolled on a full time programme within the college. For further information on North West GAA Academy, visit call 028 7127 6000.

Glen G.A.C. Foundation Course

2011-01-20T14:56:00.002Z

On Friday and Saturday Watty Grahams Glen, Maghera had a Child Protection and Foundation level Football & Hurling course delivered within their club. Emma Murray delivered the Child Protection Course on the friday night and Ben McGuckin and Clare Leahy delivered the Foundation Football and Hurling course on the Saturday. Watty Grahams now have an additional 15 coaches with Child Protection Certificates and 12 Coaches with the Foundation certification. Which will hopefully give them some new ideas and increased confidence to use in 2011. Well done to everyone involved.

Ballerin Gaelic Start

2011-01-20T14:50:00.001Z

Ballerin GAC Gaelic Start has been successfully running for a number of weeks and has continued to run in 2011. It was introduced by DENI Coaches Ben McGuckin and Clare Leahy and the Balerin Club coaches. On average 20 Boys and Girls from nursery to P2 take part every Tuesday night. Anyone interesting joining should come to the club on Tuesday nights between 7pm - 8pm. All the children found it brilliant fun and they all seemed to be buzzing about it. Thanks to the parents and club coaches for making the programme successful.

Claudy Gaelic Start Programme

2011-01-20T14:42:00.001Z

The Gaelic Start programme co-ordinated by two Ulster Department of Education GAA coaches Colum Tracey and Ben McGuckin has proved to be a huge success in John Mitchell’s Claudy with over 40 children enjoying the fun activities and games in the Diamond Centre. It attracted many new young players and volunteers within the club. The club would like to thank the parents and coaches for their participation in supervising and coaching at the activity stations as this is key to the continued success of the programme throughout the year.

Foundation and Child Protection Course

2011-01-03T09:17:00.003Z

Day / Date

Programme

Workshop

Title Venue

Cost

Fri 21 Jan

GAA Coaching Awards

Child Protection

Roe Valley L.C.

Sat 22 Jan

GAA Coaching Awards

Foundation Course

Roe Valley L.C.

Free to Limavady Council District Clubs

See above foundation coaching course, Free to clubs within the Limavady Borough council area. £25 to anyone from outside the Borough.

Please forward names to Richard Ferris before Monday 17th January.

Please pass this information on to potential coaches within your club.

Last year we had a great course a wide variety of coaches some great ideas with plenty of craic so don't miss out this time around.

It is now a legal requirement to be certified when working with youth teams and players under the age of 18. This course ensures you are!

Times...

Friday 21st Jan 7pm to 10pm Tutor Child Protection Richard Ferris,

Saturday 22nd Jan 9.30am to 4pm Practical modules Tutors Richard Ferris & Paul Simpson.

Both to be held at Roe Valley Leisure Centre

Richard Ferris

Gaelic Games Development Officer

Limavady Borough Council/Derry GAA

07870988138

Sport and Alcohol

2010-12-31T09:30:00.005Z

Alcohol enjoys a strong association with sport in Ireland at all levels. Players, coaches and fans are often captured in the media celebrating a win with alcohol. For a variety of reasons there is a strong tie between alcohol and sport in this country. The issue at hand is whether or not this association creates an environment where players disproportionately misuse alcohol and other social drugs compared with their non-player counterparts.

So what does the research say?

Much of the research investigating the relationship between sport and social drug (including alcohol) use has shown that when young adolescents are involved in organised sports, sport has a positive influence on an individual’s use of alcohol and other social drugs. That is, adolescents involved in organised sport are less likely to use alcohol and other social drugs. However, other studies have shown that being involved in sport as an adult may actually encourage greater intake of alcohol compared with non-athlete peers, and that players are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviours such as driving. It appears that athletes involved in team sports may be at greater risk of excessive drinking compared with individual athletes, with the main explanation from team players being that “drinking is important to develop a bond with other players”. Further to this, research indicates that for many GAA players, alcohol is only consumed in binges and that these binges occur mostly after competition and frequently exceed recommended levels for safe drinking. In 1991 a study investigating the dietary habits of male athletes, food diaries collected from elite-level Australian Rules Football players revealed that the athletes consumed virtually no alcohol during their regular training week. However, on the evening following the game, alcohol intake varied from no alcohol consumed up to as much as 350 g of alcohol in that evening. To give you an idea of how much alcohol that represents, there is 15 g of alcohol in a full-strength stubby of beer, so 350 g of alcohol is equivalent to one slab of beer. Some would say that athletes have become more professional about their behaviour since 1991, however the recent spate of headlines regarding the misuse of alcohol and other social drugs would suggest otherwise. So, although sport is about fitness and health, playing elite sport may not necessarily create an environment that automatically develops healthy behaviours and attitudes towards the use of social drugs.

Alcohol and Exercise

Alcohol is a depressant drug, not a stimulant as many people think. It slows down activity in the central nervous system, including the brain. Depressants affect concentration and coordination, and slow the response time to unexpected situations. Alcohol is an ergolytic aid to sports performance. This means that alcohol will detract from, not improve, exercise performance. Alcohol intake negatively impacts on a variety of psychomotor skills essential for successful exercise performance, including reaction time, balance and hand–eye coordination. Studies have also shown that drinking alcohol does not improve power, strength or endurance. It is important to note that alcohol is banned in some sports during competition. Although most players do not use alcohol immediately before exercise, consuming alcohol in binges during the week or on weekends, is likely to affect recovery from exercise and exercise performance on subsequent days. The impact of consuming alcohol in binges has a variety of short-term and long-term effects for the athlete:

Short-term Effects

• Alcohol causes dehydration — Alcohol is widely reported as causing dehydration. This statement is true to a point, however it is largely dependent on the concentration of the alcoholic drink being consumed. Concentrated drinks such as spirits consumed in small glasses or shots, full-strength beers and wine will result in a net fluid loss. However low-alcohol choices such as mid-strength beers and spirits served in large glasses with a non-alcoholic mixer may actually assist athletes to rehydrate following exercise.

• Binge drinking exacerbates soft tissue injury — Soft tissue injury management requires reducing blood flow to the area in order to contain the injury. Consuming alcohol has the opposite effect. It increases blood flow to the area, which is likely to extend recovery time following injury.

• Slower decision-making — It becomes fairly obvious that after a few drinks your ability to react and make correct decisions is impaired. This may increase your risk of serious injury from an accident or being involved in a brawl.

Long-term Effects

In the long term, regular binge drinking can add significant kilojoules. People talk a lot about the carbohydrate in beer as the reason for men putting on weight. Beer contains very little carbohydrate, as the sugar in beer is converted into alcohol. It is the alcohol in beer, not the carbohydrate, that is responsible for weight gain. Alcohol has also been shown to increase fat deposition, as the body prefers to use alcohol as a fuel source when consumed. If you eat high-fat foods when you are drinking alcohol, the fat in these foods is directed to storage as opposed to being used as a fuel source. So, if athletes go out and have half-a-dozen drinks, their kilojoule intake can increase more quickly than they bargained for. This is particularly important for athletes aiming to maintain low body-fat levels and/or a low body weight. Outside of these direct physical effects, binge drinking following exercise has numerous indirect effects in delaying the recovery process. Some of the indirect effects of binge drinking following exercise include:

• the player being distracted from carrying out appropriate recovery strategies to help the body refuel, rehydrate and facilitate muscular repair

• players may relax their attitudes towards certain foods they usually may not eat

• players may fail to follow-up appropriate injury rehabilitation and management

• players might place themselves at an increased risk of violence or being involved in a brawl, leading to serious injury and/or adverse publicity.

The combined direct and indirect effects of binge drinking may seriously affect the recovery of athletes from exercise, their subsequent exercise performance, and potentially their sporting career.

Guidelines for surviving a night out with team mates?

As highlighted above, alcohol WILL have a negative effect on your sporting performance. Some people however will still drink, here are a few practical suggestions that will assist in managing alcohol intake when out with friends and team mates. Importantly, athletes need to control their own intake, rather than the team environment dictating their alcohol intake. Athletes should:

• Plan in advance — Think about where you are going, who you will be with and how much you are going to drink. Plan ahead. What do you need to do the next day?

• Eat before or while you are drinking — Eating carbohydrate-rich foods following exercise helps replenish muscle fuel stores. Furthermore, food in the stomach slows down the rate at which alcohol can be absorbed into the blood stream. Eating slows down your drinking pace and fills you up.

• Pace yourself — Space alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic drinks. You could even start with a water, juice or soft drink. You will drink much faster if you are thirsty, so having a non-alcoholic drink to quench your thirst before you start drinking alcohol is a good idea, particularly after playing sport.

• Drink slowly — Sip your drink, do not down it in gulps. Put your glass down between sips.

• Select low-alcoholic drinks — Low-alcoholic beers or spirits in large glasses of juice or soft drink.

• Be the designated driver — If you have made the decision not to drink and are worried that there might be pressure from your friends or team mates to have a few, let them know that you are the designated driver. They will respect that decision and it will save them money in cab fares.

• Drink one drink at a time — Do not let people top up your drink if you have not finished it — it is a lot harder to keep track of how much you have drunk.

• Keep yourself busy — If you are occupied you tend to drink less. Have a dance or play pool, do not just sit and drink.

• Avoid rounds — Drinking in a round with team mates encourages you to drink at someone else’s pace. If you do get stuck in this situation, buy a non-alcoholic drink for yourself when it is your turn.

• Do not take any substances you are not sure of and do not leave your drinks unattended — There are increased reports of ‘drink spiking’ across Ireland so always watch your drink and do not accept drinks from strangers.

• Look out for your friends and team mates — Always watch out for your friends or team mates. If you got into trouble you would expect them to watch out for you. Do not be afraid to let them know that they have had too much. They may not be too impressed when you let them know, but they will most probably thank you the next day.

• Make sure you rehydrate before you go to bed — One of the best ways to prevent a hangover is to make sure you drink water before you go to sleep. Drinking water throughout the evening is also a good option.

The Club GAA Manual

2010-12-30T08:51:00.001Z

The GAA Club Manual is a resource for clubs to help club officers with general administration in the club. It contains advice and ideas on all aspects of club activity. The manual is only available online and will be updated regularly as required. It has a section on Coaching and Games Development which clubs may find beneficial by following the link

http://www.gaa.ie/content/documents/publications/club_documents/manual/Coaching_and_Games_Development_in_the_Club.pdf

Roe Valley Christmas Cracker

2010-12-30T08:36:00.006Z

Derry Coaching and Games celebrated their Roe Valley Christmas Cracker at Roe Valley leisure centre on Wednesday 29th December!

A feast of Gaelic Football is what we aimed for and that is exactly what we got. Their were some great games, tackling, blocking, foot passing, high fielding, team play, vision, players wanting to win, we had it all. An absolutely brilliant day, thank you for everyone who made it happen in particular Limavady GPO Richard Ferris for organising the event, all the players who competed, their coaches for making a huge effort over Christmas and the staff at the leisure centre for opening up.

Finally to the referees a big THANK YOU Eunan, Daryl and Mervin!