By Patrick Morrison JANUARY is the time of year whenever teams and players come out of their Growth Season by moving into their Pre-season training regimes. These usually include methods to improve a player’s stamina with the majority of this time spent completing various running programs; to increase a player’s strength with specifically individualised S&C […]
By Patrick Morrison THE evolution of re-starts has been paramount to the success of teams over the past 20 to 30 years. They have evolved in their nature, their purpose, and their principles. Even the jargon used has evolved through time (kick-outs to re-starts). The humble kick-out has grown from second thought set play into […]
I WAS chatting to an old friend recently who is now coaching in a club side in Ulster. After a short spell in another club as manager, he said he thoroughly enjoys the coaching so much more than the managing. He said some nights after training, there was a queue waiting to speak to him […]
CHRISTMAS can be the time of the year when the retired player and the active player sometimes can blend into one. The thing about the active player is that they know they’ll be going back out to training in January, burning off whatever excess calories they’ve consumed over the festive period.Pauric Treanor, Paureic In contrast, […]
AS soon as the page turns on the calendar at the end of November I get the fear. December is staring me in the face and that means the imminent return of one of the toughest sessions of the year. The 12 Rounds of Christmas. If you’ve never done it before, time to dig out your […]
By Patrick Morrison AS a goalkeeper, it is necessary to have a solid set of reasons as to why you play the position. With the levels of skill and abilities a goalkeeper needs to hold ever-increasing and the weight of expectation to reproduce those skills to the highest of standards on a consistent basis, having […]
THE provincial club finals have begun and it’s a great time to be involved as a club player, mentor or supporter. I have fond memories of my sole provincial journey back in 2013 when my club Clyda Rovers won Munster Intermediate honours. There can be massive expectation or pressure to win a county title. On […]
I WAS first made aware of the term ‘The Dark Arts’ in sport in a post-game interview given by Paul O’Connell. I was in my teens and was fascinated by his summation of an international defeat being down to Ireland’s inability to match the opposition in the dark arts. And from then, I’ve watched sport […]
I WAS listening to a podcast recently centring around a debate on coach education qualifications within the GAA. I have all my awards, including foundation award, one and two, but I must be honest, I don’t think I have gained more knowledge, experience or skills through these awards. That knowledge, in my opinion, has come […]
By Patrick Morrison “THIS compass does not point north… It points to the thing you want most in this world.” – Captain Jack Sparrow. This is a quote from Hollywood blockbuster movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ starring Johnny Depp as the flamboyant and estranged pirate Captain Jack Sparrow. The film follows the serendipitous antihero as […]
