Laochra Gael - Back, and to the left hand on top

Sorry to disappoint you but I only have one account on here. I apologise for saying you were jealous of Paul Kimmage. You donā€™t need to reply to this

Gerald McCarthy hurled in this fashionā€¦ Weird one.

Fuck off.

Not particularly, wrists take care of most of, some lads look more awkward than others doing it. . Only found lifting a ball under pressure was an issue when playing at a half decent adult level and more to do with a lac of any real pace. Underage and junior it would never really an issue.

Does he then jab lift with the heel?

I held it the same.

Iā€™d say I was the most awkward man that ever swung timber. Iā€™m very, very right sided, even kicking ball, the left foot would only be for quenching fag butts. I held LHOT, and hit off my right, only. Jesus I was useless, I was wicked fast so I got away with primary schools etc. It wasnā€™t until I went into secondary school and went training with the rice team that I realised how shit I really was, with all the lads who held timber from the age of two coming in from around the county.

I was never coached, I taught myself up in the Barracks field with the brother

That is what he is referring to

To am impartial observer that seems unlikely and you seem ridiculously aggressive and irrational.

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Would there be a further adjustment then when striking off the right so as not to make contact whilst the heel is pointing downward?

youā€™d have to spin it the right way round Iā€™d imagine.

James Mcinerney in Clare is around my go. Think he is a year younger than me. He was a really dominant underage and schools hurler. Was played 4 years of Harty for Flannans and stood out for them as a 15 year old. Would dominate club games winning everything which would go his way. Think Newmarket contested 5 under 21A finals in a row with him in the side winning the first three and were the dominant underage side of the time with him being the key man.

Problem was that he was too dominant too young. Nobody in Flannans or Newmarket gave a shit about his grip/technique and just left him off. Rather than maybe slowing him up and trying to improve his technique they just left him off. He was for all intents and purposes he was a one sided hurler at adult club level due to his dirty hands and looked out of place with the ball at intercounty level.

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Firstly, have never heard the term ā€˜grip changersā€™ before, itā€™s cack-hand or cackhand, le fin!

Secondly I was cackhanded up to the age of around 9. The auld boy came along to see me play in a street league when I was in 4th class and saw it from a mile off. When we got home and he coached me as to why catching the hurl lhot whilst catching the ball with my left and hitting off my right was not the purest way of hurling. He spoke about how more balanced you are with rhot and catching the ball with your left and how much of a bigger arc you had and more power you got by being rhot hitting off your right.
What proceeded was a rake of practice and to let him know when I was ready for him to see the progress. Took about an hour (could have been half a day, I was 9 at the time) and he was very happy with the progress. Then he taught me how to hit of the left, hurl cocked and ready, arm extended with ball, drop and strike. Another hour or whatever of practice. I was no bother off both sides after that, was scoring points off my left in a matter of weeks.
It was the only coaching session the auld boy ever did with me, had to figure it out for myself after that.

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I think the coaching is much better all round now and the emphasis has switched from winning at all costs underrage to producing as rounded a player as possible for the county teams (in most places)

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Thats a fairly prevalent situation Iā€™d imagine - A really high profile one that irks me is the back foot striking of Richie Hogan, anything from more than 35 yeards out from him is essentially a Hail Mary shot.
A trait ignored due to his exceptional proficiency at everything else, being small in stature whilst simultaneously playing well above his age groups as a youngster.

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100%

That type of development is the best for any young player, playing with older, faster, stronger players, you need to find another way, develop new skills, learn to mind yourself, if a fella can go in 2 age grades up and stand out, then he is probably way above average and will have a good chance to go to the top of his sport

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John Conlon was under 8 when I was in my last year of under 12s. Iā€™d say John hurled on every underage side I did from that year on* and was as big as any young fell he played against despite being three or four years younger

*Aside from when I played above my age group.

A lot of underage stars were good because they were fully grown by time they were 15 or 16ā€¦ Not necessarily always in height and size but actual strengthā€¦ As someone said the lad who had to find a way to survive without having that can often be the more effective player at senior because heā€™d had to think about the game more and often understand ls a certain position more ā€¦like a cute corner forward

A grip changer switches from rhot to lhot when striking.

A cack hander is righthanded, hurls lhot and sticks with lhot (mainly off his right side) when striking.

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