MODERN Gaelic football is faster, more physical and more demanding than ever. Between league, championship, travel, work and training, players need a strong engine just to cope with the season. And from a coaching point of view, nothing matters more than availability. A team only has real options on match day when the best players are healthy, fit and […]
By Patrick Morrison AS a coach, our top motivation will always be to pass on our coaching knowledge to help improve our players. Our players trust us to have the knowledge they need as well as the systems and methods to help and implement that knowledge. Gaelic games are constantly evolving both internally and externally […]
By Patrick Morrison DURING the Korean War in November 1950, the 1st Marine Division of the US Army were surrounded by 120,000 soldiers of the Chinese Army at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. They were led by Major General O.P. Smith, a native of Texas with 33 years’ experience in military combat. The Battle […]
AS a former PE teacher, youth development has always been both an area of interest and vast experience. Youth athletic development is now common practice across many clubs and county set-ups. However, my observations do raise concerns for me. Below are some fundamental key considerations when working with youth athletes. Youth athletes are at a […]
By Patrick Morrison WITH the inter-county season in full flow but breaking for two weeks and the club season drawing ever closer, it may be prudent for goalkeepers to focus their attentions on what areas of their game they may or wish to improve upon for the coming season. Breaking them down into three main […]
IN the GAA, we all notice the obvious moments: winning a high catch, exploding out of a tackle, rising for a block or getting that first step to break a line. Underneath all of that is one big physical quality: how well an athlete can produce force fast. That’s why many strength and conditioning coaches, especially in […]
By Patrick Morrison IN Gaelic football, the situation that possibly has the highest amount of pressure for the goalkeeper would be that of the one v one situation. In this event you are in direct combat with a goal-bound opponent and there can only be one winner. Them or you. During this situation, time can […]
DO you know how to plan effectively for your GAA teams? The High Low System Popularized by Sprint Coach Charlie Francis, the terms “High” and “Low” refer to the intensity of demand on the nervous system from the training done. The HighLow Model is a way to organize the stress and demand of the training to […]
By Patrick Morrison SUNDAY, June 1 1997, the Chicago Bulls are hosting the Utah Jazz in Game One of the NBA Finals. The Jazz are appearing in their first ever NBA finals whereas the Bulls are going for their fifth title in seven years. Game one is a pivotal game especially for the team that […]
EVERY winter, Gaelic football teams hit preseason with the same problem: everyone knows conditioning matters, but not everyone agrees what conditioning should look like. Some coaches love long steady runs. Others want to do everything through small-sided games. And then there’s the tempo crowd, 100–200m reps on a whistle because it feels like proper work. Here’s the […]
