Coaching & Development

As part of the clubs recently launched strategic plan, a document that lays out our plans and vision for the club over the next number of years, one of our goals from the coaching and development section is to make as much information on GAA coaching as possible, available to our members. Here we will provide important documents and codes of best practice in relation to coaching at Cobh GAA. We will regularly update this page with new documents and information on coaching courses when they become available. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to get in contact with us by emailing us at secretarybng.cobh.cork@gaa.ie

Cobh GAA's Young Players Pathway 

Cobh GAA's Young Players Pathway Click Here

Coaching - Some Practical & theoretical ideas for coaches 

Cobh Gaa Young Players Pathway Sample Sessions Click Here

Coaching Teenagers Click Here

Self Evaluation Performance Checklist for Coaches Click Here

Technical & Tactical Gameplay Drills for 13 to 18 Year Olds Click Here

The O-tu Coaching Model Click Here

Useful Coaching Links 

Cork GAA Website Click Here

Munster GAA Website Click Here

Dublin GAA Website Click Here

Leinster GAA Website Click Here 

Injury Prevention Videos

Injury Prevention and Warm Up Videos Click Here 

Cobh GAA's Code of Conduct for Players/Parents/Coaches

Coaching Structure - Cobh Gaa

Games Promotion:

We have a number of actions in place to recruit and maintain our player numbers

- Schools coaching

-  Cul Camp

-  Nursery Programme

-  Street Leagues (to a lesser extent as they come as the Showpiece at the end of our coaching season)

Teams Pathway: 

Some Key Points for an effective coach:

The ages between 4yrs up to 12yrs are known as the (Sampling Years) our sessions must be Fun, Challenging & Safe to allow Gaa be at the top of the list when the sampling is over and the choosing kicks in.

ORGANISED & EARLY

Sessions are planned, area laid out before starting time of training

Training starts at the appointed time, if not players (their parents) will arrive later and later

Keep record of attendance at training & matches

CLEAR 

- in what to expect of the players (age appropriate activities)

- Clear in your instructions to the players:

 Get stuck in !! what does that mean to a 6 / 8 year old with no previous experience.

- Tell children what to do, not what they shouldn't do

Dont think of a pink elephant..

Don't play with the ball during the demonstration

COMMUNICATE

-   With parents

-   With other team managers

-   With Juvenile section Officers

DEALING WITH INDISCIPLINE  (Activity should not be used as a punishment)

-   Sit them out of the session, away from all activity, for a few minutes.

-   Sit them out of the match during the session

-   Sit them out of the next session totally if need be. Contact the Coaching Officer /Children's Officer for advice

Housekeeping

• Equipment in both pitches

         - Should not need to move equipment from one pitch to the other

         - If other / more equipment is required let us know

• All players must wear shin-pads up to & incl. U12
• All footballers from U8 up must have a gum-shield
• All players representing the club in a match must wear the club colours.
• If players are needed from a younger group to play with an older team the manager of the younger team will be consulted and will do the notifying. (Playing-Up policy applies)
• All players are expected to be members, if membership is not paid on the day of registration then the team manager is expected to collect it. 
•  Details of membership are available from the Registrar at any time for team manager.
• All coaches, assistants, managers etc.. are expected to be members.
• Cobh Gaa Coaches are Expected to have Foundation level accreditation by the end of first year involvement
• After spending some time coaching and building up a level of experience it would be good if coaches up-skilled to the Award 1 coaching level.
• If there are conflicts with training and/or games with other sports, mentors should allow some leniency where possible, to allow players an opportunity to continue to play for the club. But it is important that if a player wishes to play for the club, there must be a reasonable commitment to training with the team. No child should be excluded without all efforts being made to give that player an opportunity to play for the club. Retention of players is a lot easier task than losing them and trying to get them back sometime in the future.

Resources available to Cobh Gaa Coaches:

 Online/Twitter/Facebook¦

- GAA Fun Do Pack (available online)

- Ulster Gaa Fundamental Pack

- Young Player Pathway Document (Cobh Gaa Website)

- Cobh Gaa Website .. links to other useful sites (Cork Gaa Coaching, Leinster Coaching, etc..)

- Cork Gaa Coaching on Facebook and on Twitter

- Gaa learning Portal - Gaa learning portal on twitter @GAAlearning. Or Learning.gaa.ie
- Plan It Coach
- Cork Gaa Coaching

Books

(Give Us A Game) .. Gerard O'Connor    Club will supply a copy to each coaching team