Jim Collins said in his book good to great, that most great managers come from within, and rarely come form being dropped into the middle of an organisation. Who was the last “outside” manager to win an All-Ireland…..John o Mahony?

Anyway, the simple solution to the “Payments problem” is to only allow managers from inside a county to manage their own county. This will force county boards and clubs for that matter to look for sustainable ways to develop managers and expertise from within. Imagine investing €5,000 in 5 individuals to upskill them. Send them to work with top coaches for a month or a year, from outside and inside the GAA. What an asset these people would be if each of them trained 5 more people……

The only problem is that most county boards(or clubs) will see money saved by using somebody from inside as money saved. They rarely see it as on opportunity to invest in other assets for longer term security. Sounds like the good old days of the Celtic Tiger.

This is the Dilemma.

What type of player should we be?

Should we spend time in training trying to become better at things we are average at?

Should we spend time in training becoming world class in the 1 thing we are really good at?

Perhaps this is the reason “Man Marking” is so easy. You have to become brilliant at 1 thing- stopping your opponent from playing. You dont have to support the play, kick the ball, you dont even have to touch the ball……

The answer has to be somewhere in between, BUT all the great players have 1 thing that identifies them….What is your ” He was a great man to…….”

Does your team suffer from excusitus?

This is a terrible disease that affects many athletes daily. Many extremely

talented players are performing well below their potential because of

excusitis!  They are getting fewer results than they should and probably not

even getting to reach the goals they set because of it.

This condition is where the player finds all sorts of excuses to defend their

poor performance and results or lack of training. Do you recognize some of

the symptoms of this disease in some of your team?  

People that suffer from excusitus usually have a book of excuses they can

pull from which can include everything from “If only I had the time to train”, “If

only I had more energy” or “I’d do that training if only I had…” etc..

One thing you might notice is that all the above statements are self-inflicted

negative thoughts. The excuses made are so powerful that the player who

makes them tends to believe that they are true.

Remember, your belief in something determines your thoughts and in turn,

your reality. If you believe you don’t have the time, talent or ability to complete

the goals, then guess what? You’re right!

“Whether You Believe You Can, Or You Can’t, You Are Right” – Henry Ford

As a coach you want your players to believe that they have the ability to

succeed and exclude any excuses. As a result of building confidence and

belief while reducing excuses they will begin to reach your goals.

Once you change their thinking and determine how they can make the time,

train smarter, or boost their energy, then you are on your way to curing them

of this terrible disease.

Sooooooo to cure excusitis: have them CHOOSE to take responsibility for

their own performance. Help them develop a ‘can-do’ attitude when it comes

to all their goals.

Refuse to entertain negative thoughts and instead of thinking “I can’t do it”

replace it with a reason why they CAN do it! Get them to ask themselves –

What CAN I do today to reach my targets?

Cure your team of excusitis today!

Let your opponents worst defenders have possession of the ball, do not tackle them, let them run blindly into huge open spaces. Let them scare themselves when they realise where they are on the pitch. Apply a little pressure. Smile as the ball comes back to you.

The Path of Least Resistance     Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

We all love this path, we all follow this path at some stage in our lives. This path is ever present at our sides. This path leads to  short term gain, it pulls the wool over even our own eyes, but ultimately leads to unfulfillment or failure.

We often hear winners do this, losers do that.

In summary, winners avoid the path of least resistance most days of their lives, losers take the path of least resistance most days of their lives.

   Confidence can be grown     Posted on May 12, 2011 by admin

Confidence is a product of or grown from positive self-talk, positive use of emotions, positive experiences and the control of emotions.
We were all born ‘problem-solvers’ – I call it ‘challenge-solvers’ – to help us survive.
So learning lessons from good and bad experiences is another way to grow confidence.

 Make the most of what you have     Posted on May 4, 2011 by admin

“I told myself, I may not be as gifted a hurler as Henry Shefflin, as natural a goal scorer as Eoin Kelly, but I can work harder than both of them. I can be the best I can be.” – Tony Griffin

 Posted in    Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »  Oh, the mini trampoline….     Posted on May 3, 2011 by admin

Simple little piece of equipment that can be used for running on while injured, or if you are  just looking to train at home, or for warming up before training and matches

Its very easy on the joints and great for ankle stability.

Try using it with only nasal breathing and see what intensity you can reach. See how long you can hold your breath for while bouncing.

 Facebook and Gaelic Games     Posted on May 1, 2011 by admin

We are now fully in the midst of the Facebook age, where instead of players meeting players from other clubs once in a blue moon, at nightclubs or during and after club matches, players get to meet and chat with their opponents everyday.

What impact has this had on Gaelic Games? It is certainly harder to be physical( what ever that means) with somebody you have a “connection” with. Players are now playing against their Facebook “Friends” , every day they step onto the pitch. In fact it is quite possible that these players have been chatting about “your one” , hours before big club matches.

It is certainly harder to ” hate these B$%^&$ds”,  the goto team talk of 1000s of managers every week.

Facebook has certainly changed how managers and coaches need to look at motivating their players. Its time managers started talking the language that their player now understand.

Somethings never change.

 Defending from the front, the side or behind     Posted on Apr 30, 2011 by admin

We often hear coaches shout from the sidelines push up on your man, play side by side, play in front. Every coach has their preferred method for defenders to defend. But can they all be right?

If we coach forwards , we tell them to vary their runs, we try to encourage them to be unpredictable in the way they get free. Is defending the same? Should we encourage our defenders to be unpredictable when they are marking a man? Maybe not?

But one thing is for sure, it is impossible to mark every forward in the same way. But an even more important point is, when you discover the best way to mark a particular player, this does not mean that it is always the best way.

When the ball is not within kicking distance, you should have a way to mark. When the ballis within kicking distance, you should have a way to mark, when the ball is within fist pass distance you should have a way to mark, when your opponent makes a run off the shoulder, you should have a way to mark ,etc ,etc

We could talk about this all day, but the main point is that there is more than 1 way that each player needs to be marked, and it depends on whats happening with the ball. The best players intuitively know this, and the best coaches intuitively coach this.

 I don’t doubt myself     Posted on Apr 27, 2011 by admin

Do you have ever doubt yourself?  NO….Well dont be a liar…..Your brain wants you to have doubts, and encourages you to have doubts. Doubts generally cause you to take the path of least resistance, to stay within your comfort zone. your brain like this.

Don’t pretend you have no doubts, there is nothing macho or helpful in that.  Admit your doubts to yourself, recognise your doubts, even give them a name,  and then tell them to F%$K off, as they serve you no good, justified or not.

Practice this skill, as it is as  important as every other skill you have.

 What motivates winners     Posted on Apr 26, 2011 by admin

Enthusiasim motivates winners. Enthusiasm is infectious; it gives confidence to those around us as well as yourself.
Enthusiasm comes from the heart and engages our commitment and commitment creates personal power.
If you are committed you will keep your word – perhaps the finest trait of winners – you know they will deliver.

 »  Definition:Prowler     Posted on Apr 21, 2011 by admin

Very useful piece of equipment, that can take you to places that allows one to get truly fit, both physically and mentally.

coaches is can I     Posted on Apr 19, 2011 by admin

ATTITUDE and CONFIDENCE are the key factors in being able to perform under pressure.

Confidence can only be developed  by having the attitude that winning is the only option available.  Players must believe their opponents are there to beat them, not the other way about.

Players must be exposed to training and competition situations where it is not so much a recognition of talent and training but more a celebration of courage that will be the deciding factor in determining success or failure.

This is just warming things up for 2012, and it seems to be working well.