So its all novices running gga teams, quelle surprise
[quote=“chewy louie, post: 889572, member: 1137”][B][SIZE=6]‘Whole backroom team needs to be able to coach now’[/SIZE]
[SIZE=5]Following the GAA’s decision to insist coaches of inter-county teams are qualified, Damian Lawlor sought reaction from some managers[/SIZE]
DAMIAN LAWLOR[/B] – 19 JANUARY 2014
[SIZE=5]Responses ranged from the unconvinced to the uninformed. Not everybody is sold on this latest diktat from Croke Park.[/SIZE]
We contacted two managers from each province and three of the eight hadn’t even heard about the new rule. Furthermore, not alone do they not have the necessary qualification, they have no intention of attaining it either.
Four more had heard of the new directive but hadn’t yet got their Award 2 badge. They said, however, that they would have no problem doing so. Just one manager we spoke to had achieved the qualification. He joked that as he was in such a unique position he would surely be in huge demand when 2016 came around.
Five had taken foundation courses at some point in their lives, but hadn’t seen the need to go any further and none of those quizzed were aware that club-level head coaches would have to be Award 1 certified within the same time-frame.
“At club level, every second person fancies having a crack at the local senior team,” one of the managers said. "So it’s no harm in having something in place to ensure that they at least know what they are talking about.
"I would make the point, though, that it’s highly different at the level we’re at. Most of us have 20 or 30 years’ experience in the game, either as players or coaches and managers in the top flight, and you learn from that. A piece
of paper will not determine whether you are a good or bad coach."
But where is the harm in self-development?
“Are you telling me that Mickey Harte or Brian Cody who have won what they have would need to go off and do a course like this?” the manager replied. “Would you stop! Paper doesn’t mean anything – managers and coaches have to have a feel for this job and know how to handle both their players and their opponents. You can go into a room or a workshop and listen to all these talks and presentations but sometimes the only way you learn about a player is on the field, or via close contact with them.”
The GAA, however, says that only the head coach – and not necessarily the manager – would be compelled to have this qualification. And by 2018 those respective coaches must have surpassed Award 2 level and be fully qualified. It’s the first strike against the trend of parachuting in ex-county players who may not be particularly suited.
Tipperary under 21 football manager David Power is a younger breed of manager – he recently turned 30 – and says it makes sense to bring qualifications to a backroom team. While Tipperary’s development squads were training at Dr Morris Park last year, Power could be seen orchestrating drills, tactical five-a-sides and other game-related disciplines under the watchful eye of coaching officer Pat Moroney in order to reach the coaching standards required.
It’s not just those two who are equipped to coach the county under 21 team. Along with Power and Moroney, Pat Flanagan, Gerry McGill and Alan O’Connor also work with the under 21s and are all experienced coaches.
“It means that every session we have is totally different and there are some different voices at every session. The players love that,” says Power. “Sure there will be disagreements and friction from time to time but that’s part of the game in any set-up.”
But Power says raising standards is a very positive move and can see little reason why anyone would react negatively to it. "Just because you have a certificate, it doesn’t mean you will be a good manager. There are a lot of other factors to be taken into account like can you communicate? How good are your game plans? Can you delegate and trust?
"The problem is that some managers who have been there and done that wouldn’t really see the need to go down this road and fair enough, that’s up to them. I would say the vast majority of them wouldn’t have the qualification and wouldn’t be interested in getting it either.
"But while the Award 2 process is time-consuming you can get a lot out of it too. Don’t get me wrong, it will not win an All-Ireland for you but through the various workshops you pick up things and the great thing for me was that I got talking to other people and learned from them too.
“You are basically ticking a box. It’s part of what you need to do to get to where you want to go. It will not change your style of coaching but it will help you along. I don’t see it as a big deal.”
Power also stresses the rule will apply to head coaches specifically. “This is crucial because the roles of a manager and coach are completely different now. Someone mentioned recently that the GAA were also looking into running actual managerial courses as well and that would be another good development because as a manager these days you have to be a psychologist, organiser, logistics expert, communicator and tactician. You need your coach to help devise game plans and plays – all that sort of stuff – so they need to know what they are doing. But as I said I think the whole backroom needs to be able to coach now. The days of a stand-up selector are going; everyone has to be able to take a session, or part of it.”
A managerial course could help establish proper channels of communication between players and officials, and look at the importance of media relations. Such a programme would offer advice on how to set discipline charters, how to enforce rules and how to deal with controversies, both internal and external.
While there is a fear that mandatory coaching demands could diminish interest in managerial positions, especially at club level, the flip side is that there could be enhanced benefits for teams.
Many counties employ full-time games development officers and coaches who are grossly under-utilised when it comes to working with their inter-county senior – and even club – teams.
Maybe, apart from improving and streamlining the coaching process, the GAA are also keeping an eye on county boards and giving them the option of reducing associated team costs accrued from working with outside managers and coaches. If a fully-qualified games development officer is on a county’s books, why not use him or her more?
Leinster Council currently employs 38 Games Development Administrators but despite their ground-level expertise very few of these feature or appear in inter-county set-ups.
In the meantime, every aspiring manager or coach should consider taking the Award 2 qualification. There are deficits in the skill set of every manager and rather than denying that, it’s better to recognise what they are and embrace the challenge of rectifying what needs to be improved.
These coaching demands are all about working towards best practice. And more than anything else the mandatory qualifications might reduce the amount of flogging players are subjected to. In fact, it c[/quote]
The bit about the GDA’s is interesting. I know that as part of their contract some of them are not allowed get involved in coaching teams. I remember their was an issue with Pat O’Shea a few years ago.
Correct. I am told that there are only around 50 coaches in Ireland with the level 3 qualification at this moment in time
Absolutely ridiculous rule. Stop qualified coaches giving back to their clubs and counties with their experience. You couldn’t make it up.
I would be worried with the fact that away from the field he has not been himself. Sounds a bit more than burn out. One of the symptoms of depression is losing interest in things thats why id be worried about his behaviour changing outside tge pitch. Perhaps you should meet with him and see how things are in his life generally.
A keeper for a team I play with has informed us that he is walking away from the game due to burnout.
He probably got too much success too young and as a result has lost all hunger. We have told him that he doesn’t need to attend all of the squad training sessions. However, he feels that this would only lead to him lacking the required sharpness and at the top level, you get found out quickly. It’s all or nothing for him.
Would any of the experts in sports fitness, psychology and team management (@caoimhaoin[/USER], @[USER=11]Appendage[/USER], @[USER=1]Rocko, for example) have any advice on how we can get our keeper’s hunger back while maintaining his high standards?
I had hoped the rumours I saw on twitter weren’t true. Devastating news.
they can coach their own club.
[quote=“Monkey Allen, post: 892079, member: 123”]A keeper for a team I play with has informed us that he is walking away from the game due to burnout.
He probably got too much success too young and as a result has lost all hunger. We have told him that he doesn’t need to attend all of the squad training sessions. However, he feels that this would only lead to him lacking the required sharpness and at the top level, you get found out quickly. It’s all or nothing for him.
Would any of the experts in sports fitness, psychology and team management (@caoimhaoin[/USER], @[USER=11]Appendage[/USER], @[USER=1]Rocko, for example) have any advice on how we can get our keeper’s hunger back while maintaining his high standards?[/quote]
Maybe its time for the youth team keeper to step up?
[quote=“Monkey Allen, post: 892079, member: 123”]A keeper for a team I play with has informed us that he is walking away from the game due to burnout.
He probably got too much success too young and as a result has lost all hunger. We have told him that he doesn’t need to attend all of the squad training sessions. However, he feels that this would only lead to him lacking the required sharpness and at the top level, you get found out quickly. It’s all or nothing for him.
Would any of the experts in sports fitness, psychology and team management (@caoimhaoin[/USER], @[USER=11]Appendage[/USER], @[USER=1]Rocko, for example) have any advice on how we can get our keeper’s hunger back while maintaining his high standards?[/quote]
Sometimes there’s an underlying issue when lads give up donnan the jersey. Actuary there usually is.
[quote=“Monkey Allen, post: 892079, member: 123”]A keeper for a team I play with has informed us that he is walking away from the game due to burnout.
He probably got too much success too young and as a result has lost all hunger. We have told him that he doesn’t need to attend all of the squad training sessions. However, he feels that this would only lead to him lacking the required sharpness and at the top level, you get found out quickly. It’s all or nothing for him.
Would any of the experts in sports fitness, psychology and team management (@caoimhaoin[/USER], @[USER=11]Appendage[/USER], @[USER=1]Rocko, for example) have any advice on how we can get our keeper’s hunger back while maintaining his high standards?[/quote]
Tell him to fuck off. Attention seeking cunts like Bandage are more trouble than they’re worth.
[quote=“Monkey Allen, post: 892079, member: 123”]A keeper for a team I play with has informed us that he is walking away from the game due to burnout.
He probably got too much success too young and as a result has lost all hunger. We have told him that he doesn’t need to attend all of the squad training sessions. However, he feels that this would only lead to him lacking the required sharpness and at the top level, you get found out quickly. It’s all or nothing for him.
Would any of the experts in sports fitness, psychology and team management (@caoimhaoin[/USER], @[USER=11]Appendage[/USER], @[USER=1]Rocko, for example) have any advice on how we can get our keeper’s hunger back while maintaining his high standards?[/quote]
Is he a fat cunt?
Good to see. Just as long as it’s not the clubs that lose out. County training should be the first testing point as it’s the highest intensity.
[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 892233, member: 273”]http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/rebel-ogs-app-liance-of-science-to-eradicate-burnout-in-players-256404.html
Good to see. Just as long as it’s not the clubs that lose out. County training should be the first testing point as it’s the highest intensity.[/quote]
that sounds like what I was talking about with you in Australia with the system we have rolled out here and what I was checking out when I was there. We have it operational with some teams now, so it will be interesting to see the results and benefits of it.
Ya it’s the way to go. Still very reliant on young kids filling out info though.
Physically testing them thru exercises, RPE’s, heart rate monitoring/speed monitoring are all better indicators though.
[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 892264, member: 273”]Ya it’s the way to go. Still very reliant on young kids filling out info though.
Physically testing them thru exercises, RPE’s, heart rate monitoring/speed monitoring are all better indicators though.[/quote]
yeah reliant on them keeping it up to date alright, but if they want to play at elite county level, then they need to know that it is a step up in all approaches to it.
the data analysis we have keeps records of physical tests and functional ability testing too.
[quote=“Gman, post: 892296, member: 112”]yeah reliant on them keeping it up to date alright, but if they want to play at elite county level, then they need to know that it is a step up in all approaches to it.
the data analysis we have keeps records of physical tests and functional ability testing too.[/quote]
Ya but I’m on about training up coaches so they can see signs even within a warm up or training that a guys load needs to be reduced or he needs to be stopped altogether. A simple view of his balance doing basic warm up stuff could give you an idea. A drop in speed, balance or strength is a sure sign of fatigue, balance is an easy one to watch for. Then of course there is the emotional and mental fatigue. People need to be coached up on watching out for that as well.
oh absolutely agree, and it is another step again to get there. But its easier said than done these days to get volunteer coaches at all age groups to have that level of expertise. getting there where we can have at least one per squad, but its not simple. At least keeping an eye on the levels of activities players are doing is a step in the right direction. the wya it was, coaches would just whinge and moan if their players werent turning up or saying their players are just making excuses. At least now you can have full recorded details of all the activities and the intensity of them.
For a start I’m just thinking about the county coaches as they are the ones who will have all the other info as well.
so am I! thats the trouble we have with it!