Having said all that, a movement assessment is girst port of call.
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The majority would be spreading themselves thinly among the usual mix of sports. If I was going to do it, it would just be to have a benchmark, something measurable.
These lads aren’t back training yet and while I won’t be involved with the team specifically I will have some input into coaching them. Sometimes people say of course they are fit, aren’t they playing sport 5 days a week, but would be handy to have something measurable to hold up against that and something to measure them against as the year goes on (and their workload with other sports increases and decreases). It wouldn’t be seeing it as a punishment exercise.
Ya and tbh i didn’t expect it was with you. Just thats my general view on it. Its coach specific.
And you are right.
A lad who plays out half in rugby, centre half in soccer and centre forward in hurling could be good but under good fitness, and probably underperforming.
I know it’s hard to do a catch all test, but if you were to do maybe two tests with a group of players at that age to gauge overall fitness what would you do?
One test I used to enjoy myself was the timed 3 lap run, as you could see your progress as the year went on. Its probably far from ideal and the idea of 3 laps is a bit arbitrary but I always found it good to see where I was at overall.
Ah here!!!
You cant be asking 15/16 year olds to run 3 laps around the field. That’s old school and they’d probably tell you to go fuck yourself and do it yourself first.
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Would most 15/16 year olds not be sufficiently naturally fit nowadays that they would need testing and plenty fitness training?
You’d be surprised - we’re talking about the Xbox/Smartphone generation here.
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We’re starting our seniors back with a 1km test next week, it’s somewhere to start from if nothing else.
You would think so, but I have me doubts. Hence I would like to have a bench mark.
Fitness specific training would be low enough on the priority and if it’s felt fitness would need to be increased there’s plenty of work that can be done with the ball that would double as fitness work.
6 min test (not too unlike 3 laps really)
Mark out 100M and have markers at 25, 50 & 75.
13 runs makes1300, if they make line 3 its 1375.
You can then make out runs that are pefectly prescribed for them as indiviuals
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Its hit and miss. 50/50 from what i see, and more and more dependant on who is coaching them, what school they go to, how many sports they are exposed to as youngsters. They all have the same lifestyle now more or less.
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I find the concept interesting and it makes sense but do you think it can potentially encourage laziness?
Would you say the average 16 yr old is less fit than when you were that age? I used to play 2 matches a week most weeks a year I’d say at that age rugby Saturday soccer Sunday all winter and football and hurling all summer. And that would have been pretty typical
Definitely far less shit food too I’d say I never ever had money to go to chipper off my own bat at that age
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It’s mental seeing these spoiled little shits crammed into Spar at lunchtime buying their disgusting hot chicken rolls and wedges for lunch. I didn’t buy my first sandwich until I was 27.
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Nope, never happened
Laziness? Not sure i’m following?
Compared to average teenager we were streets ahead. In terms of agility, movement, craft there is no comparision. Up to around people 33/34 i think it was still pretty good, after that its got progressively worse.
However the guys who go for it and are committed these days are “fitter” or more athletic (in the traditiinal view of athleticism) overall than the best guys ot my age. Thats mostly because of strength training.
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By tailored running I assume you mean that slow / less fit people are given shorter / different runs to fittest / fastest people ?
Fat lad goes in goal while the fit lads take shots on him.
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Yip.
Understand the concern of that initially. However thats down to the coach to sell it early as an individualized process which will develop the team as a whole. Once they start they realise its fitted to them and they can only do whats required they don’t complain generally. Women are different. They bitch about groupings, but ultimately it drives them to push themselves. Lads tend to do that anyway.
Maybe hold off on on the details of how it is used as some cute fuckers will under perform deliberately. But thats explanatory in itself. The majority of these will let you down when needed anyway and you are as well knowing. Same as the guys who “drop out”. The exception to this rule is your Maurice Fitz types. But where are they anymore? Who spends their lives at GAA fields anymore? Nobody. Because parents think they are incapable of getting to and from there without a lift and also that they will be abducted. Sounds mad but thats the mindset.
A test is not about taking part, its about completing to the best you can on the day. Encourage them to finish trying to make a line.
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