The annual GAA Coaching Conference was held on Friday January 6th and Saturday January 7th. A huge crowd of over 750 coaches attended this year’s conference which was once again was a great success.
The Camogie Association presented a parallel session entitled, ‘Catering for mixed abilities in a Games Based approach to training’.
This excellent parallel session was researched and presented by David Herity, former Kilkenny Senior hurling goalkeeper, 5 time Senior All-Ireland hurling winner and current Dublin Senior Camogie Manager.
This informative and entertaining presentation was also thought-provoking for the large crowd of coaches in attendance.
David outlined in his presentation the key topics and points coaches need to consider when dealing with mixed ability players in games based training such as;
– Identifying what is a Games Based approach to training
– Outlining what the key outcomes from a Games Based approach to coaching are
– Defining what mixed ability is and what types of player can a coach have on their panel
– Outlining possible problems which may arise when coaching a mixed ability team
– Catering for mixed abilities in a Games Based approach to training:
Assess the players
Become aware of the individuals
Plan effective sessions
Introduce proper communication
– Practical examples of Games Based drills
– Use of clear communication and appropriate language.
Slides from the presentation are available here
For more information on the GAA Coaching Conference, please see http://learning.gaa.ie/
