Just putting this thread up here as I believe we have a lot of coaches on the board and not just GAA coaches. So it's just an opportunity to share ideas and opinions.
My own background is that I have coached rugby for the last 10 years, I am level II (highest amateur level) qualified and have coached underage (16s-20s) club and rep and have coached club senior men's club and rep. Next year though I will be coaching boys u6s rugby and hopefully girls u8 football and maybe boys u6 football. That will be an interesting transition for me but I already have ideas formed and hopefully I can develop a philosophy that ensures everyone has fun but learn new skills as well.
I am a firm believer in a multi-sports approach for kids, and they should be at least 16 before specialising in one sport. Studies have shown that kids who play multiple sports staying playing sport longer into their adulthood, get injured less and have a wider skill base.
A bone of contention for me is the length of season for all sports. For u6-u12 I would limit a season length to 4 months and for u13-u18 6 months maximum. Of course this would be a Utopian dream as it would involve respective sporting bodies sitting down and working on a calendar that fits all, considering most struggle to get any kind of calendar out at all it would probably take divine intervention.
Also if anyone is thinking of coaching stick to underage, to coach adult men not sure about women you need a Phd in Psychology, ironically I have more success in terms of winning trophies at this level but find it the most demanding and least rewarding. Most players at that level at times are quite simply selfish c**nts. Excuse my language.
My own background is that I have coached rugby for the last 10 years, I am level II (highest amateur level) qualified and have coached underage (16s-20s) club and rep and have coached club senior men's club and rep. Next year though I will be coaching boys u6s rugby and hopefully girls u8 football and maybe boys u6 football. That will be an interesting transition for me but I already have ideas formed and hopefully I can develop a philosophy that ensures everyone has fun but learn new skills as well.
I am a firm believer in a multi-sports approach for kids, and they should be at least 16 before specialising in one sport. Studies have shown that kids who play multiple sports staying playing sport longer into their adulthood, get injured less and have a wider skill base.
A bone of contention for me is the length of season for all sports. For u6-u12 I would limit a season length to 4 months and for u13-u18 6 months maximum. Of course this would be a Utopian dream as it would involve respective sporting bodies sitting down and working on a calendar that fits all, considering most struggle to get any kind of calendar out at all it would probably take divine intervention.
Also if anyone is thinking of coaching stick to underage, to coach adult men not sure about women you need a Phd in Psychology, ironically I have more success in terms of winning trophies at this level but find it the most demanding and least rewarding. Most players at that level at times are quite simply selfish c**nts. Excuse my language.