Coaching Tips By Philip Kerr - Tip 2

Drills v Games
As players develop, their technique improves more rapidly than any other part of their game. They can usually learn to kick, catch, fist,block, solo etc. with a fair degree of comfort. The better players often practise these skills at home and come on faster than those who only rely on drills in coaching sessions once or twice a week.

What they find more difficult is to develop the ability to make the right decision in a game - when to pass, who to pass to, where to run, how to pass. A coach who prepares a squad through sessions filled with drills, is only working at one part of the game.

How can a drill solve problems like 'forwards bunching' or 'lack of midfield support' or 'no width' or 'poor use of quick frees'? The answer is...it CAN'T!

If a player is a poor kicker of the ball, there is work done to solve that problem. What are we doing to help the player who takes the wrong option more often than the right one in a game?
Get working at games. Remember...Games = Problems. Start solving the problems!

Good Practice Award Week 1

Each week I am going to have a Good Practice Award.

There will be no fancy presentations or trophies, the only privledge if you could call it that will be a slot on the Coaching and Games Blog. The award will be given out for examples of good practice that may come from within a club, a coach, a school etc. It's pretty broad but it will be given to something that catch's the eye. Hopefully others will pick up on the good practice and implement it.

The Award for Week 1 goes to: St. Mary's Primary School, Draperstown.

Every morning I drive past the school I am delighted with what I see. The school playground is awash with pupils. So is every playground I suppose, so why have I chosen St. Mary's for this award?

On closer inspection within their playground ladders,skipping ropes, hurdles, balance boards, volleyball nets etc are found scattered around and the children are going through them with much enjoyment. Every morning they are laid out in the same place, I am sure there is a playground supervisor mingling about, but there certainly isn't a coach or teacher organising the activity. I have recently heard Terence McWilliams mention a notion of "Free Play" I thought this was a pretty good example of it, where equipment was left out and the children devised their own games etc and played freely. The primary school coaches deployed around the County have school yard games and literature for teachers to use and implement at break and lunch times also.

In an age where children lead sedentary lifestyles and have a lack of fundamental movement skills this I feel is a great example of good practice.

Coaching Tips By Philip Kerr - Tip 1

The Four Storey Coaching Model

Each player aspires to be the best. Each coach tries to bring the best out in players. One of the better ways to do this is to check for ways to improve individual players.
A top player should have four main qualities:
Superb Technique / Athleticism / Speed of Thought / Ability to be a Teamplayer

Think about your coaching sessions. In every session you should be working to develop at least three of these qualities, one on top of the other. If not, you're not really coaching. If you need to change, do it now!

A group of five year-olds might practise bouncing [technique], running and dodging [atleticism], tag-belt tig [speed of thought] and relays [teamplay].

A group of eight year-olds may work on kicking with either foot [technique], races [athleticism], two-touch football [speed of thought] and a 7 a-side game [teamplay]

A squad of senior players may work on various drills [technique], sprints [athleticism], conditioned games [speed of thought] and backs v forwards [teamplay].

Derry City P.S. Gaelic Football Blitz

Templemore Sports Complex was the venue on Wednesday for the feeder schools of Doire Trasna and Ardmore (Good Shepherd, Chapel Road, Trench Road, Glendermott) to attended a Gaelic Football Blitz. There were 182 children in total, using 4 pitches the children played a hand-pass game scoring into a zone based on the last six weeks coaching programme at their schools. The event organised by Paul Simpson was supported by NWIFE who brought 26 of their Sports students along to help co-ordinate and referee the games and gain valuable experience of working with a large group of children. The feedback from the teachers was excellent.

Communication, Communication, Communication

As the title would suggest this post is about communication! We have run quite a few coaching events so far this season already and we are entering an extremely busy time of year. This year we will use the Teamer service to update coaches what's going on by sending them text messages. It is also of critical importance that when we send out an email it goes to the intended people.

I am updating my email circulation list. If you would like to receice emails from me about what's going on in coaching and games please send an email to ccollins@derry.gaa.ie to get on the circulation list. On the other hand if your on my list and would like to be removed from it send me an email to ask to remove your email address.

I will resend the club contact sheet for 2009, if your club has not completed the form please do so and return as it is very important for teams organising their Lynco Go Games.

Year 9 Football Coaching Day

Following from the success of last years Year 9 Coaching Day, we have decided to run the same event on Wednesday 6th May for Year 9 students in Derry at Derry's Centre of Excellence, Owenbeg. 25 schools have been invited to attend. Last year we had Tony Scullion, Gary Mallon, Paul Callaghan, Nicholas Walsh, Ryan Mellon and Paul Rouse among others all in giving the lads a few pointers.



The Coaching Day will be followed up with a Year 9 seven aside blitz on Wednesday 25th May which should be an excellent opportunity for the players to demonstrate their skills.

New Foundation Coaches @ St. Mary's Magherafelt

11 Lower Sixth St. Mary's students have been working hard over the past 7 weeks to gain their child protection and new foundation awards. They will deliver a coaching day for the schools feeder primary schools later in the year to put into practice what they have learnt.

Cross Community Hurling Team

It is hoped that a Cross Community School Hurling Team will be established in the Limavady area to take part in a Year 11 Hurling Competition planned for the 29th April in Cookstown. The team will be know as the Roe-Valley Learning Community Cuchullains, it will consist of five boys from each of the following Schools, St. Mary’s Limavady, St. Patrick’s Dungiven, Limavady High and Limavady Grammar School.

Kevin Hinphey will coach the team once or twice a week after school on Wednesday afternoons, hoping to begin on Wednesday 25th March. The Blitz will take place on April 29th in Cookstown with teams from Armagh, Enniskillen, Belfast and Limavady. The winning team will represent Ulster in the American GAA Youth Games on the first week in August. (Five boys and one teacher from each school plus the manager). An Ulster Select will also be chosen from the four teams to play a challenge match against Scotland in Shinty.

GAA STATS SOFTWARE

This software has been created by a local Lavey man. Ryan was at Derry's Coaching Conference last year displaying his device and he has been spending the last year or so marketing his software throughout Ireland.

The website is http://www.gaastats.com/

I have been personally using the software for the past 6 month's and I find it excellent. It's very easy to use and the feedback it generates for coaches and players is invaluable. Here are some testimonials from people who have used this device:

"GAASTATS software provides our players and management with an insight into aspects of skill execution that we could not even dream of getting with pen and paper. We believe that the personalised software that GAAstats.com provide will benefit each of our players and make them even more aware of their performance levels. All players want feedback, this is a fast easy to use tool that does not require any specialist training or IT skills. Feedback for the players is clear, concise and to the point, numbers never lie. The fact that the software can be adapted to suit the needs of the team is a massive bonus. I feel the software would benefit a team in any sport"

- Jason Ryan, Wexford Senior football manager.

"I know the new stats device is a big help to us. Not only does it give us instant information on match days but also shows you exactly what you need to work on in training, as a team and individually"

- John Mullane, All-Star Waterford Corner forward and De La Salle Captain.

Log onto the website to get more information. The software and device is not extremely expensive and it can be used for numerous teams within the club not just senior teams.

Adapting Fun Games for Hurling - Wednesday 25th March @ Owenbeg 7.30pm

Practical outdoor Session with Kevin Kelly.
The course will include games to enhance the skills required to play Hurling and Camogie and idea's on how to keep every player involved during your session. Kevin will be working with the County Minor Squad. All club coaches are welcome to attend this course. The games used can be adapted to suit players from 12 years old up.