Hurling/Football Coaching Notes

 

Technical –Skill Development

There are 5 Elements in Skill Development

• Gaining Possession
• Maintaining Possession
• Releasing Possession
• Contesting Possession
• Other Skills

 

 

Gaining Possession	Maintaining Possession	Releasing Possession	Contesting Possession	Other Skills
The Ground Block	The Dribble	Striking a Stationary Ball	The Frontal Air Block	The Grip
Controlling a Moving Ball	The Solo Run	Ground Strike on the Run	The Hook	The Swing
Blocking a Ball Overhead	Evasion/Roll Off	Doubling Back	Shoulder to Shoulder Clash
The Chest Catch	The Feint/Side Step	Striking from the Hand	Shoulder to Shoulder Charge
The Jab Lift		The Overhead Strike	The Frontal Ground Block
The Roll Lift		The Hand Pass	The Ground Flick
The Overhead Catch			Batting a Ball Overhead
			Checking

 

• Skill development is a hugely important part of hurling as we have to learn and
  develop all of the skills to become better players
• All of these skills should be addressed while you are coaching
• While you will need to spend dedicated time on specific skills (especially depending
  on the age level) and this may have to be done in drill format a lot of skills
  can and will be covered in games or conditioned games
• As well
  as doing specific drills skill development can also be done as part of your
  warm up

 

Team Play – Through Games

• Developing team play is a vital element of hurling and it is where we will see all the
  technical skills being used, the higher the level of technical skill a team
  have the better and faster their team play will be
• We develop team play through games, small sided games, conditioned games etc
• In these games we have to make decisions as what to do next with the ball or where
  is the ball coming from and we have to use our team mates to help us to score,
  defend etc
• In drills that we use to develop our technical skill we do not need to make these
  decisions
• The games are very useful to us as coaches to see which skills players are strong
  or weak at
• The coach should always be looking at the game to see which skills are being
  performed poorly and then work on these skills in there next skill development
  session

 

 

Tactical Awareness – Decision Making

• A player has to make hundreds of decisions in every game and training session
• Them difference between players can often be the speed each player makes that
  decision and if it is the right one
• As coaches we have to develop decision makers in the players we coach
• As said above this is done through games, small sided games and conditioned games etc
• Straight line drills while very good for skill development will not develop decision
  makers
• We could give players a drill or a game with only one rule and let them figure out
  the rest – this will force them to make a decision how best to do the drill or
  win the game
• Another way to develop decision making is to have 3 teams play a small sided or
  conditioned game – 2 teams play at any one time with the other team watching –
  the coach should ask the players to watch out for the thing that the two teams
  are doing well and the things the two teams are doing poorly – this will help
  them to learn a better way to score or win the game and make them make
  decisions as how best to do this
• Like we did with the skill development we as coaches should be watching the games to
  see if the decision making is good or poor and then we can work on poor aspects

 

Very Important Things to look out for and correct

• The Grip– The way players hold the hurley
  • Ask players which is the hand they write
    with (this will be their strong hand)
  • This hand is to be at the top of the hurley
    at all times
  • This is the hand that does all the work and
    is used for all of the control
• Ready Position
  • Players to be aware that all movements come
    from the ready position
  • Players should be in this position when they
    don’t have the ball
• The Swing
  • Watch for players swings
  • Players should be making a C with their
    hurley when they swing
• The way the toe of the hurley is turned
  • The toe of the hurley is always to be turned
    out away from the body when picking the ball, soloing etc
• Striking Left and Right
  • Get players to perform skills using both sides as they will only
    develop one side if we let them

 

It is very important that we watch out for technique when players are performing all skills.  It is our responsibility as Coaches to correct poor technique in a positive way and we have to keep doing this until the player improves.  All skills and
aspects of hurling are important but for younger players we really need to watch out for the 5 points listed above as these are the fundamentals of hurling.