Antrim Hurling

[maxpower]

Thats was the general arguement of the confernece, kids don't have the generic movement skills nowadays because they aren't out climbing trees, doing garden runs, playing rin a tin tin etc that most previous generations where doing.

The sports professionals at the confernece felt that in as the only form of exercise the children are now getting they would be best off learning these skills than sport specific skills.  I can see arguements for and against both cases, my own personal opinion is that hurling is a very specialised sport and thus require greater attention to the skills, therefore if a player is too develop into a county standard player they need to develop these skills early.  so get a stick in the hand

[milltown row]

Yeah I firmly believe that the kids should have a hurl in their hands as early as they can, as soon as they can swing a stick the better, the early year balls they have at the minute are great not too many windows will be put in with them. They are bigger and soft so they are ideal for early starters.

Having coached kids for years, the ones that have always stuck out were the ones who were always down on the pitch for every game  (be it senior or under 12) or at the away games, they bring their sticks and constantly practice the difficult skills along with the regular ones.

In the likes of Kilkenny and Cork it's more of a religion than a sport, kids are brought up with stories of clubmen and club teams winning all Irelands. Parents are usually involved so passion and pride plays a big part. The problem that city teams have and to a smaller extent country teams is that there are too many other distractions in Kilkenny it's hurling from nursery right through till college. No football no soccer. They play a bit of handball (winter sport) name me a sports man outside of those two from Kilkenny


rin a tin tin!!!!!!! try running away from the peelers and brits during the the hunger strikes you were learning to run like Ben Johnson

[The Real Laoislad]

Yeah I firmly believe that the kids should have a hurl in their hands as early as they can, as soon as they can swing a stick the better, the early year balls they have at the minute are great not too many windows will be put in with them. They are bigger and soft so they are ideal for early starters.

Having coached kids for years, the ones that have always stuck out were the ones who were always down on the pitch for every game  (be it senior or under 12) or at the away games, they bring their sticks and constantly practice the difficult skills along with the regular ones.

In the likes of Kilkenny and Cork it's more of a religion than a sport, kids are brought up with stories of clubmen and club teams winning all Irelands. Parents are usually involved so passion and pride plays a big part. The problem that city teams have and to a smaller extent country teams is that there are too many other distractions in Kilkenny it's hurling from nursery right through till college. No football no soccer. They play a bit of handball (winter sport) name me a sports man outside of those two from Kilkenny

Micheal Reddy played soccer for Sunderland and is with Grimsey Town now.Also there is a snooker player who is only 14 and is suppose to be the next big thing,his name i can't remember at the moment.You also have the Golfer Gary Murphy

[milltown row]

EXACTLY

[The Real Laoislad]

EXACTLY

I see your point,but having grown up in Kilkenny(yes im from Laois but am nearer to Kilkenny City than Portlaoise) Hurling while yes a religion in Kilkenny is not the only sport played there.Soccer is actually massive there and they have a very competitive District League in which I played and actually marked Henry Shefflin one day as well as Ken O'Shea who also played for Kilkenny,and Pj Ryan the current Kilkenny goalkeeper  also grew up playing soccer and only turned to hurling when he was 15

[milltown row]

i'm not knocking you Laoisman. but they have less distracting sports than belfast, Derry, (which only have one gaa club, if theres more let me know)

[The Real Laoislad]

i'm not knocking you Laoisman. but they have less distracting sports than belfast, Derry, (which only have one gaa club, if theres more let me know)

Ah sure i know your not i just think its good for kids to play a lot of sports thats all

[North Antrim]

Folks you have taken me up wrong on the Pinky issue - i know he trains very hard, does extra sessions etc etc. However he like many others in antrim do not live the lives of Pro athletes.....and im not knocking them either cos yes they are amaeteurs and realistically wont won an all-ireland. My point is that the stars in Kilkenny, Waterford, Armagh, Dublin, Tyrone Kerry live very different social lives to our big players......

[theskull1]

Im pretty sure nobody on this board is too interested about the "failings" in our club, i am open to contradiction here. I think the issue of Loughguile getting to 4 finals in a row and not winning seems to be more topical.. 3 clubs have won Antrim championship since 1990 i think, and obviously Rossa was a bolt from the blue when you see the state they are in now so perhaps every other club in Antrim is failing. Its all relative Skull, in all honesty Glenariffe are not setting out to win a senior championship at the start of the year. We have only been playing Div 1 hurling for 5 yrs. 6 or 7 years ago our biggest rivals would have been Armoy  so i think we have come a fair way, and another big improvement is needed to make another step up.

Well I think its high time that alot of people started to get interested about how the likes of Glenariffe, Lamh Dearg, St Galls, Rossa, GNM, Ballycastle are doing. Until these teams start trying to climb up the ladder again instead on perennially being as bad year in year out then antrim hurling is all the worse for it. Serious structured effort needs to be put in by all clubs to ensure coaching standards are are the right level accross the boad. This obviously is not happening. Dunloy are as big a culprits and we are currently paying the price for it as our U12's & 14 are playing in Div2 for the first time in a lifetime (too may ex-players standing on the first tee in ballycastle instead of putting something back into the game). We are starting to put the right structures in place but it will take us years to recover at juvenile level. The county should be monitoring, and advising each club to ensure the efforts are being made accross the board.

Great story there Glensman...KK seems a world away when you hear that story. "The Mammy's" up here would look at you twice if you did that up here. The apathy of some people is sickening. Too much choice really is a bad thing and the kids up here are ruined by mammies who offer it all to their kids rather than getting them to commit to something. Starting to rant big time.....

[Ruairi Og exile]

You definately need to have the kids out as early as possible. We've started doing alot of work with our P3 & P4's, now they are a talented bunch but that's also of the amount of work in organising matches/extra coaching. The senior panel have been approached to help out once a week on a Monday nite for an hour each & it does make a differance. But you need to do this year in year out or like Skull says with the Dunloy U12's & U14's you will suffer. The problem is some parents treat it as babysitting service & dont encourage the kids. Alot of our younger ones are never off the pitch, be it after training or watching matches.

[NAG]

Have to say im impressed with this debate and the responses to it.

Having done some coaching I totally agree with the sentiments and echo them, get a hurl in their hand as early as possible and as often as possible. These guys getting paid big bucks at Ulster council level to come up with schemes like 'The Fundamentals' have totally missed the skilled element required in hurling. Now dont get me wrong there are some skillfull footballers around but if you get a big strong man teach him to run get him fit and he can actually catch a football then he can make it to inter county level football (Shane Ryan and countless other examples around the country). Ulster council have yet to get to the core of the hurling crisis and that is getting into the clubs and schools effectively and getting these children early.

Every club has had the kids who are always in the field with their hurl playing with the older boys because they are too good for their own age, they never put their hurl down and think on their level of skill compared to the rest of their age group.

The rest of the running and the physical element will come to them as time goes on, they dont need to be taught how to run. So for my part I would ask the Highly paid officials to get off their arse and try and get to the crux of the hurling development problem in Ulster.

[maxpower]

read alot of GAA biographies, and alot of sports biographies in general and the common theme seems to the coaching the recieved in Schools, primary and secondary level.  thats just hasn't been happening often enough here.  I think i'm right in saying the Primary Schools in the south would be (or at least where) traditionally the first place that a young boy would be introduced to coaching, and then passed onto a club, i'd say the coaching in schools is largely restricted to the odd session organised by the county board or by ulter council.

A primary school in derry has an ex derry hurling manager as principal, he takes the p6&p7 for training, derry county pay a coach to take p4/5 and he has organised lunch time tournaments for the younger ones, which the older pupils act as refs, managers etc.  seems to work well.

[North Antrim]

we beat GNM last nite 5-13 to 1-3.........seriously poor game and highlights problem with our championship........Game was scheduled for 7.15pm. At 7.20 GNM still hadnt arrived for a SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP match. Then they started to arrive and came out onto the pitch in drips and drabs and game stareted at 7.41pm!!! They hadnt to play for and there effort was zero. We were poor too although at least we had something to play for and won at a canter......but MAJOR improvement will be needed to beat ST johns.

Great debate about coaching.....I know there isnt much work done at primary school level but clubs also have an input here. Aye know some football clubs who bus the P3 & 4s one day to their pitch and have club coaches there, and p.5,6 & 7 on another day with different coaches. This has been going on for past 5 years and they are getting the rewards. Even at secondary school level not enough is being done....during 80's & 90's when i attended Cross & Passion michael dallat & Brian Thompson RIP did alot of work which we saw the dividends of in eighties and 90's. However for next 10 years nothing was done until Cassidy & Kearney arrived and they are putting in the work. But the clubs i feel have a big part to play cos primary schools are very much female teacher led hence no one with hurling experience.....

[milltown row]

this mis match last night only highlights the group games problems. gorts had nothing to play for they are in the football semi finals and have had to pull out half a team to play last night.  i noticed no nipper Quinn on the team, was he injured as he played as a sub in the football the other night.

two way league and a straight knockout game, first out of the draw home venue, till the semi finals thats plenty of games and also could through up more shocks

[Balboa]

North Antrim.......I cant understand playing these championship matches on a wednesday night, there have been plenty of free Sundays, its hard for boys to get to Belfast from North Antrim and vice versa for a match starting at 7.15pm