Coaches Corner | Delco Gaels GAC

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The Coaches Corner is a resource center for
training manuals, coaching models, skills
and drills, etc.

See the index below to review the
available Coaches Documents and/or
upcoming Clinic information.

Then click here to download from the
Coaches Document folder.

INDEX

Important Guidelines for Coaches

Code of Behavior Working with Underage Players

Code of Best Practice in Sport

Go Games

Fun Do – Coaching Packs

Fun Do Passports

Go Games Football – First Touch (7 – 8 yr olds)

Go Games Football – Quick Touch (9 – 10 yr olds)

Go Games Football – Smart Touch (11 – 12 yr olds)

Go Games Hurling – First Touch (7 – 8 yr olds)

Go Games Hurling – Quick Touch (9 – 10 yr olds)

Go Games Hurling – Smart Touch (11 – 12 yr olds)

Introduction to Go Games

Playing Go Games

Refereeing Go Games

GAA Initiatives

Inclusion & Integration Strategy

Tackling Bullying

Respect Initiative Booklet

Dublin Coaching Conference

Building a Platform for Lifelong Involvement in Gaelic

Children’s Officer Role

Developing Healthy Habits in Young Adults

Gaelic Games – Its All Childs Play

Games in Developing the Whole Player

Go Games – Learning as We Go

Identifying & Assessing Game Based Skills

Incorporating Gaelic Games into Elementary Schools

OTu Coaching Model

Play the Game & Let it be your Master

Why Go Games?

CLINIC INFORMATION

Coming Soon!

Other valuable resources, publications and videos
can be located on the GAA official website and the
Total GAA Coach.

CHILDREN & SPORT

For coaches of kids, there must be a balance between the need to win games and trophies versus the need to develop players and recognize the importance of fair play - provide full participation within an environment where players are encouraged to achieve their full potential. If you consider the reasons that children participate in sport, and the reasons that we as adults want them to participate in sport, you can see that there is a lot of common ground for coaches to work in:

Why do children take part in sport?

There are many reasons that children take part in sport, but research has shown that children primarily participate to:

Learn new skills
Make friends
See new places – and have new experiences
To be part of a team
For the competitive challenge/winning
Improve their self worth
To have fun

When children do not experience these feelings, they drop out from sport. Some will drop out in favor of other activities where they feel that these needs are being met, while others will simply drop out of sporting activities altogether. It is the role of the coach to create the environment for children to experience these.

Why should children take part in sport?

It may be obvious that children play to enjoy themselves and have fun, but there are many more reasons why you as a parent or coach should encourage children to participate:

Increased confidence – playing sport will provide each participant with confidence, and allow them to develop a real sense of achievement
Becoming part of a team – children like to feel as though they are part of a team or group. It also challenges them to work as part of a group and to think of others
Improved skills – participating in sport helps children develop a range of skills including balance, coordination and agility
Children that participate in sports are less likely to be overweight and suffer health problems

How are children different from adults?

Children are physically developing from early childhood to late adolescence. This means they have different capabilities for exercise and exercise affects them in different ways. For this reason training programs for children should not be just scaled down versions of adult training programs. There are many ways in which children differ from adults:

Technical

- Children have limited co-ordination, agility and balance

Tactical

- Children have poor positional awareness (we have all seen children playing where all players follow the ball – ‘beehive play’)

Team Play

- Children play for themselves
- Children have limited communication skills

Physical

- Children have limited strength
- Endurance – children have lots of energy but need frequent breaks
- Speed - their speed tends to be reactive. There is a window of opportunity to develop speed amongst children
- Children have a poor response to heat and cold

Psychological

- Children can lack confidence
- Children can be emotionally immature – moody/lose self control
- Children can be very choosy about friends & who they play with
- Children tend to lose concentration quickly or be easily led
- Children's decision making ability is poor and slow
- Children may not know how to react to different personalities

Playing Facts

- Children need numbers to learn, and to benchmark their level against others

"All children are individuals – the rate at which they develop in each of these areas will be different"

Emphasis should be put on the child's own progress, and not on comparing their achievements with those of others. This means that where possible individual instruction and challenges should be provided and a broad range of activities should be planned and presented.

Activities should develop to be of an increasingly complex nature and be challenging but 'doable'. Where possible children of approximately the same skill levels should be grouped together for coaching. Also take care to note which children work well together.