Underage Coaching

[blewuporstuffed]

Lads, I'm over our U6's and we have the group split into 2 nursery and then P1s/P2s. Over the winter we've been indoors doing the fundamentals, now I'm trying to focus on the basic skills with the kids, we're still indoors so space is limited. How can I attach a session plan that I have for some feedback?

If you use some of the fundamentas stuff from the uslter council website as teh absis for what youa re doing you cant really go wrong.

[BenDover]

Yea that would be the basis for most of the stuff with some changes added to the games/drills to make it harder/easier. I've been involved with this group for 2 years now and they're mad keen to play matches against other teams - apart from just letting them loose is there any good ways to help control matches? The last few weeks of last year I setup 4 different pitches between 21 and 45 divided with cones and played 5 v 5.

[blewuporstuffed]

Yea that would be the basis for most of the stuff with some changes added to the games/drills to make it harder/easier. I've been involved with this group for 2 years now and they're mad keen to play matches against other teams - apart from just letting them loose is there any good ways to help control matches? The last few weeks of last year I setup 4 different pitches between 21 and 45 divided with cones and played 5 v 5.

Yeah, rather than one big game, you are better  spliting it into smaller sided games,(something like 5 or 7 aside if you can) If you have the manpower to do this its much better as the kids get involved far more and get more time on the ball.
I would usually mix teh abilities in teh teams rather than having A & B teams etc, it can be discouraging for kids to know that they are on the weaker team, even at that age!

[BenDover]

The way I did work it was I had our more capable players in 2 teams that played each other and then the next groups were on the same level and we tried conditioning the games so that everyone was involved. Thankfully there's 6 coaches who are there every week and some of the parents are not afraid to lend a  hand when asked. At U6 level do other clubs operate 'child plays parents stay' policy?

[AZOffaly]

Informally we do that Ben. We actively encourage our coaches and assistant coaches to involve parents in games etc, even standing in goals or whatever. We bring extra adult hurleys to the sessions for that express purpose.

On the sessions, I've sort of evolved my thinking on the sessions for these kids to be more in the line of games, with one or two teaching drills at max per session. Then have your games conditioned to work on whatever you have practiced, and to reward kids who execute the skill.

At nursery level hurling, you have an extra component you need to focus on in every session which is the grip and swing. Make sure you do that for 5-8 minutes in every session. Ready Position, Lock Position, Swing. Just to try to reinforce good habits and eliminate bad habits.

I'd do the warmup, based on FMS movements etc, followed by splitting the kids into groups of 8 max if you have the numbers in terms of coaches. Any more than 8 at that age is a nightmare, and doesn't allow you to really look at the kids as they play or practice.

Then do the grip/swing exercise in each group, and move onto a game straight away between the players in that group (i.e. 4 v 4). If you don't have 8 in a group you can combine groups for the games, but never go more than 7 v7 absolute max at that age.

Play the game for 10 minutes or so, and then move into an exercise to teach or practice 1 or 2 skills max. Whether that is ground stroke, belly catch, dribbling, ground block, whatever. Just don't try and do too much in one session, and make sure your coaches are actually looking at the skill, and teaching the technique, rather than running the drill. I've seen coaches who are more interested in making sure the drill is moving smoothly than whether the kids are actually doing the exercise correctly.

After the skills interlude, go back to another game but this time concentrate on the skill you've just done, and if possible award points or goals to kids who execute the skill correctly. If it's a ground stroke or whatever, reward kids who execute a good, strong ground stroke that travels a good distance. Things like that.

[scaldy]

Just something you might think about this is the play station era so any young lad this is his life.Now i found more so in hurling obviously, the go home could be living in a estate or what ever go out to puck around the sliothers  gone after 5 mins.this is what i came up with to try and get ball time on their own. get them in a ring together and tell them this is a new play station game with 6 levels. level 1 can be roll the ball in front of you and rise it as quick as you can for 2 mins.  level 2 run with the ball on the hurl for 2 mins, with out dropping it, level 3 throw the ball up and try to catch it for 2 mins that kinda thing. every training session then you do this at the start to check there progress. as the get better add harder levels.i found the can do this at home maybe there parents can watch lose no balls and can do it any time the have time to themselves,ideal for a young lad who lives in a area without lads around him.sorry for any probs reading this doing it on a bad phone best of luck  

[illdecide]

Had an U16 Championship game last night...one of our players text me 2 hours before game to say he wasn't playing in goals (he's the only keeper we have but he fancies himself as an out field player), one of our key players turned up with no gear saying he got hurt playing for minors on Monday night (named the team without him but he sent his mum home during the warm up for his stuff saying "well maybe I could play 20 mins or so). A lad of 15 who is 6'4" didn't bring his gear either as he said "I've a cold" WTF. The rest of the lads seen and heard what was going on and no matter what I said or done they were deflated. I knew in the warm up we were going to be beaten by their body language...

My course of action was not to play the guy who text me saying he wasn't playing in goals nor did I play the guy who said he was hurt, some of the players asked me to put those two on during the course of the game but I refused (they would have made a difference though). Some of them stormed off before game was over to get changed, I for one believe these are the ones who will fade away and not make senior football as their attitude is rotten and I think the 10 or so guys that are putting in a huge effort (some of them or way short of our best players) should be ones to concentrate on...

Would you have reacted any different in this situation...?

[AZOffaly]

I don't know that you could have done much different last night, but it sounds like you've got a problem that's probably been brewing for a while. What's training been like? This all can't have come out of the blue last night surely.

Maybe you should have a meeting, rather than training, one evening. Sit them down and ask them to say what they want to achieve from this team. You'll have to guide them to make it a useful session, but if they say they want to win the championship, or qualify for a semi final, or whatever they say and it is a viable, valuable aim, then you have to discuss what they need to do in order to achieve it.

You need attendance at training. You need them to understand why they need to fill roles, on or off the field, for the good of the team. Promise them you will do your best to make each of them better players individually, and as a team. You cannot promise them a championship (don't do that) but you can promise that if they agree to work with you, and do what is required of them, you will do your best to make it a productive experience for them.

You need to do something to get them all pulling together and playing for each other and the team. And at this stage it sounds like you need a bit of a come to Jesus meeting.

[illdecide]

The guy who does goals wants to play out but he's 10 times more valuable in goals, he does goals for his school/college and has no problem with that. Any other keeper we've tried has let in about 6 goals a game. our first two games of the season we played him out the field and lost both games heavily, I then put him in goals and we won 3 games in a row (last night was meant to be 4) why he waited to the Championship to do this I don't know but he has said he doesn't want to do goals but we don't have anyone else.

Training in fairness has been good with almost everyone attending and working hard so I have no complaints there, I have spoken with them at times asking the views on things and their aims for the season but they go all quiet and no-one speaks up...

[AZOffaly]

The goalie, do you do any specific goalie work? Is he bored in there? Make the sessions challenging and enjoying for him, and make sure he knows how valuable he is to you.

That said, at 16, I think you should allow him play out the field sometimes, maybe in league or challenge matches? It's a bit early to be pigeon holed as any position, and you shouldn't be afraid to let him play out the field sometimes, and that will also let you work with the other goalies to make them a bit better.

[brokencrossbar1]

Tell him to sort his life out, tell him he'll be like all the rest of the Francis Street Drop outs living off other peoples legacies, tell him he'l play where he's told to play or else he'll get a sharp kick in the hole!!!  Wouldn't happen in Cross I tell ye!! 

[AZOffaly]

Tell him to sort his life out, tell him he'll be like all the rest of the Francis Street Drop outs living off other peoples legacies, tell him he'l play where he's told to play or else he'll get a sharp kick in the hole!!!  Wouldn't happen in Cross I tell ye!! 

Or you could do this 😀

[Faugheen]

I was wondering what coaches thoughts are on playing outside club blitzes at u6 & u8. I wouldn't be in favour of it because; 1.I don't believe in asking children that are only learning the skills of the game to perform them under pressure. 2; You are asking them to play a game that they have no concept of (Positions etc). 3. Most of them might not get a kick of the ball for the duration of the game. I think that at this level only the more advanced players on the team will thrive while the rest will be turned off playing. I think fun games and internal conditioned games would be of more benefit to them. Any thoughts ??.

[INDIANA]

I was wondering what coaches thoughts are on playing outside club blitzes at u6 & u8. I wouldn't be in favour of it because; 1.I don't believe in asking children that are only learning the skills of the game to perform them under pressure. 2; You are asking them to play a game that they have no concept of (Positions etc). 3. Most of them might not get a kick of the ball for the duration of the game. I think that at this level only the more advanced players on the team will thrive while the rest will be turned off playing. I think fun games and internal conditioned games would be of more benefit to them. Any thoughts ??.

I don't agree. There is nothing wrong with kids starting to play opposition teams at that age on 8-9 a side small sided pitches with appropriately sized goals in my view. There should be no pressure involved- results are absolutely irrelevant at that age. On a pitch that small they'll get plenty of touches.

You need to condition the games.We've played 5 to 6 a side with rules that every player has to touch the ball before you can score for example. You can make up your own rules for GO GAMES.

I'd inform the parents beforehand of the plan and for them not to be shouting at anybody from the sideline. If they can't manage that tell them to drop the kids off and stay at home. I've done the same with a few parents.

[AZOffaly]

I was wondering what coaches thoughts are on playing outside club blitzes at u6 & u8. I wouldn't be in favour of it because; 1.I don't believe in asking children that are only learning the skills of the game to perform them under pressure. 2; You are asking them to play a game that they have no concept of (Positions etc). 3. Most of them might not get a kick of the ball for the duration of the game. I think that at this level only the more advanced players on the team will thrive while the rest will be turned off playing. I think fun games and internal conditioned games would be of more benefit to them. Any thoughts ??.

Not a fan of a load of them, but a few games every year is fine. Most of the kids really enjoy them, just make sure you play with the correct equipment, small sided games and emphasise fun.