By Patrick Morrison STEVEN Pressfield’s 2004 novel, ‘The Virtue of War’, follows the life of Alexander the Great and his story is told through the eyes of a Hellenic-Persian scribe who was serving under him during his campaigns into India. In the novel there is a quote from Alexander himself which states: “Always attack. Even […]
By Patrick Morrison THE role of the goalkeeper in Gaelic football has vastly increased over the last 25 years. The skillset of the modern-day goalkeeper has expanded exponentially as well as the levels of performance they are expected to complete their roles to. Even so, the fundamental skills and abilities that a goalkeeper is expected […]
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” This is a quotation taken […]
WHENEVER I am coaching, one of the most common questions I am asked is ‘what is the most important aspect of being a goalkeeper?’ My answer is always the same. There is no one aspect that is more significant than any other as mastery of the position needs a competent level of ability in all goalkeeping […]
By Patrick Morrison IN 2015, my first year with the Armagh team, we played a challenge game against Dublin down in the DCU sports complex. This was the first year of their five-in-a-row dominance. We had started with a strong team with a handful of our regular starters rested. Dublin on the other hand, had […]
By Patrick Morrison THE English word ‘storm’ comes from the Proto-Germanic ‘sturmaz’ which means noise or tumult (mayhem/chaos). Whenever we understand the origins of the word we can fully relate to the significance of its meaning. Being true to its name, storms are of course chaotic in nature while also having the ability to create […]
By Patrick Morrison TODAY, Friday, April 18, would have been the 76th birthday of my late father John Morrison. Much has already been told about my father and from the many tributes and stories, that followed his passing, it is easy to see how many people he inspired throughout his lifetime. For me, he was […]
By Patrick Morrison WHAT is Effective Communication? Communication is any form of information that is relayed between two interfacing entities. Whether it be audible, visual, hand signals or even just body language if it sends a message to be received it is deemed as communication. Goalkeepers are in that precarious position of play developing in […]
By Patrick Morrison CHILDREN are curious and insightful individuals who explore and learn through the process of trial and error just as nature intended. Their world is loaded with all kinds of imaginary, games and toys. All a child wants to do is explore their world through the medium of play. And what child has […]
By Patrick Morrison ALL goalkeepers want to improve. It doesn’t matter what age, level or reason for playing as a goalkeeper, we all want to feel as if we are becoming better ‘keepers week on week. That said, it is important to realise that the amount you improve, and the rate of improvement are vastly […]
