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MEMORIES – MAKE THE MOST OF THEM

Ten years ago – Sunday 8th September 2013. A famous victory was recorded by a Piltown hurling team in Mullinavat as the Under-16 team recorded a 0-16 to 0-11 win over the fancied Thomastown in the Roinn B Championship Final. A decade has past since that glorious day which will remain in the memory of all those involved. The players, team management, club administrators, parents, grandparents and supporters of Piltown GAA.  Many will never forget while they are of sound mind, the joyous scenes on the pitch afterwards as the community came together to celebrate.  But how many will remember the details of the match and the run to the final?

The results can be researched.  A first round win versus Erins Own in Clara by 2-13 to 1-13.  Then a quarter final win by 4-14 to 1-11 against Tullaroan in Callan CBS. A Tullaroan team that featured two current Kilkenny senior players, Tommy Walsh and Martin Keoghan.  The Semi-Final victory by the narrowest of margins 1-10 to 2-6 over St. Lachtains of Freshford in John Locke Park, Callan.  Then then that final against a Thomastown team led by another current Kilkenny senior player, John Donnelly.

Then how many remember the details of the final?  Very few I would say. Some would probably say it doesn’t matter.   They won. However, as time goes by the memory will inevitably fade. The joy will dwindle without the availability of a match report to jog that memory. Yes, all our memories will eventually fade.  Fortunately, for that game, I was still the PRO for the juvenile club and produced a match report that will help preserve those wonderful memories longer into the future.  It was originally posted on the old Piltown GAA website.  Unfortunately no longer accessible. But it has been preserved. Read below for the memories of that great ay and championship campaign.

After reading the report, I expect almost everyone will be amazed about how much they had forgotten about that game and that campaign. They were boys then. They are all men now.  Some still playing, some not. But they all have that glorious victory in common.  They may not have pushed on in the last decade, but that is something for another day. For now, it’s the memory and the importance of the wonderful victory.  Of course, its not the most important thing in their lives but it is definitely a cherished moment in their lives and the lives of those closely connected.

STERILE

Life has changed in the decade that has passed.  Now it is frowned upon to produce a detailed report of a juvenile match.  Now PR of juvenile GAA matches consists of social media posts, which to be fair are very professionally produced by enthusiastic and technically skilled PRO’s. This is followed up by loads of pictures and a sterile match report with little or no detail. The nature of social media means that in a few months anything that has been posted is impossible to find. The mind becomes the only repository of the moment and those who have the photos. Do the photos even tell the story?  They say a picture paints a thousand words. How many times have you seen a photo of player hitting a ball which may be the only ball that was hit in the match by that player? Or on the other hand no picture of a player who hit an ocean of ball and even scored the winning goal.  The picture may paint a thousand words but is it always the right words?

CENSORSHIP

Society has become overprotective of young people images in a sports context.  It’s debatable if this is good in the long term.  Not every photo or report is a crime nor should it be considered a crime.  The memories that have been censored by society will be lost to people in the future. I wonder how things would have worked out if the writers of the Book of Kells censored themselves likewise. How much history would have been lost? 

Society needs these memories preserved. We look back at films that were censored years ago and “laugh” at how they could have been censored. Yet we have the current generation censoring reporting and photography of innocent pastimes. Will future generations “laugh” at us for hiding what will be their past and history?

In the 1970’s cameras were scarce and so were PRO’s. Hence match reports were rare, but the ones that did exist always make interesting reading. All this changed and peaked in the early noughties as cameras became common and clubs all had a PRO, only for the reverse to commence. Take for example the Kilkenny GAA Yearbook.  A publication I have been purchasing since the seventies and a massively important part of my huge GAA memorabilia collection. A must have, every Christmas!  It used to be a great production with some brilliant articles and match reports combined with results recording.  There would be photos that you could see the players faces and the names printed to easily identify the young players for many years to come as they grow into men and women and old men and old women. A wonderful resource 50 years later when trying to identify who played in that famous game five decades ago. 

Jump forward fifty years.  Now the team photos are so small you cannot make the players out, let alone in fifty years’ time.  The names are not printed. You have no idea who would have been on the 2022 Roinn B Championship winning team or if any of them will go on to play senior for Kilkenny when looking back in a few years time.  I personally believe the publication needs a massive review and revamp and I am a long-term reader/viewer.  The current format has become tired.  It serves neither as a historical record nor a point in time broadcast. However, current society thinking will hinder progress there.  Current generational thinking is more in line with the thinking of the early 1900’s where everything is a secret and controlling censorship is key.  Society doesn’t realise what wonderful artefacts or stories are been buried and hidden from future generations. Many because of the sensitivity of insecure adults.

TRUTH

We need to become more open, but we (those who write reports) must have integrity and honesty as paramount.  [Not that I write reports anymore]. There should be some protections there, but not to the point of complete censorship.  Any negativity (and in sport not everything is positive – There are losers too) should not be shouldered by the young players. The adults are better positioned to take responsibility there. Or should be.  Experience though tells me that is not always the case, and some adults can never accept it is them and not the young players. In my experience most adults cry more than the young player. When I was reporting for the Kilkenny People, and on the former Piltown GAA website you would be amazed how many young players asked me to mention them in a match report and were very grateful when they were. The young players said thank you a lot more than the adults. Unfortunately, the current crop of young players do not look at match reports or read newspapers. All they want to see is the pictures on social media. Does anyone else think that is part of the problem with the society we are developing?  Will the skill of reading and understanding reports disappear for future generations and be led by uncontrolled social media. Where understanding the words behind the picture is not important to them. 

The boys of 2013 are now all men.  In a short space of time the boys and girls of 2023 will be men and women. Will they have wonderful memories of matches recorded? In years to come will they be able to look at a team picture and name everyone of their teammates? Will the memory fade with time? Of course, it will.  Will the present which is set to history be completely wiped in a hundred years’ time or portrayed by unregulated medium and in the main untruthful social media posts? Make the most of your good memories.  Hopefully the mind will remain clear for decades. Leave something positive for your children and your grandchildren. You are the current keeper of their history. Keep it safe and treat it wisely.

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BUILDING THE FOUNDATION OF SUCCESS

As mentioned in my June blog, during Covid, I developed a workshop BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS. I recently delivered it to Piltown Ladies Gaelic Football club as a pilot and the feedback has been positive. It is designed to set your own creative minds flowing because everyone is the master of their own destiny.  Arousing thoughts that will lead your club up the pathway for success by creating an underlying culture suitable for a foundation of that success.  It aims to help you find that special something/ingredient that helps your club or team attain success on a continuous level.  It does require a level of honesty to yourself, like the addict overcoming their addiction. It remembers, GAA is your sport and hobby. Something you should love and be passionate about. It is aimed at coaches, administrators, adult players, parents and is suitable for all codes and grades. Please feel free to Share.

BACKGROUND
I Managed/Coached my first team when I was 17 years old.  (Read LEADERSHIP SEEDS blog here) So have been doing this with the best part of 5 decades. I have experience in all codes across all grades at both club and county level.  Below are some of the highlights.

HURLING

  • Kilkenny Hurling Under-14 to Under-17
  • Windgap Hurling – Under-16 to Minor
  • Piltown Hurling – Under-8 to Under-14

GAELIC FOOTBALL

  • Kilkenny Gaelic Football Under-14 to Minor
  • Windgap Gaelic Football – Minor
  • Piltown Gaelic Football – Under-14 & Intermediate to Senior

CAMOGIE

  • Piltown Camogie – Junior

LADIES GAELIC FOOTBALL

  • Kilkenny Ladies Gaelic Football – Under-12 to Minor
  • Piltown Ladies Gaelic Football – Under-12 to Minor & G4M

WORKSHOP AGENDA

  • WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN?
  • WHY – WHO – HOW
  • THE GAA COMMUNITY
  • TIME MANAGEMENT
  • COMMUNICATION
  • OBSERVATION
  • COACHING FUNDAMENTALS
  • THE END OF THE RAINBOW

FAQ

Q. What qualifies you to do this?
A. I love the games and have participated as a player, including a substitute, coach, administrator, match official and a supporter over many decades. Does your S&C coaching course make your more qualified? It certainly won’t be more varied.

Q. Will it help my team/club win a championship this year?
A. If you were already going to win one, it will not stop you. If you are already winning on a regular basis, why do you need anyone to open your mind to cultural changes? If you feel you were unlikely to win one, then what have you got to lose? Other than that championship that you have already lost in your head.

Q. What do I need to provide?
A. A room to hold a maximum of 20 people. A large screen or TV to display a presentation. Some background on your club including past successes. A maximum of 20 people (minimum 10) who fit the criteria and are enthusiastic and passionate about their hobby and open to new ways and cultural change.

Q. What will it cost?
A. I will deliver free of charge to any Kilkenny club. If it fails to give satisfaction, your money will be returned. For clubs outside Kilkenny, I’m sure we can come to some agreement on non-refundable travel expenses.

Q. Why do would you do this?
A. As already said, I love being involved in the games as my direct coaching roles have come to an end, I would like to put all I’ve learned over the years and al that I has given me so much enjoyment back into the games. I can’t bring my knowledge and experience with me when that final whistle sounds!

Please use the Contact Form or share this blog with others.

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HISTORY OF BELIEF PART THREE

Belief must have intelligence substance to support it. It was Albert Einstein who coined the phrases “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new” and “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.  For those of you who missed HISTORY OF BELIEF PART ONE, click HERE and HISTORY OF BELIEF PART TWO, Click HERE. You will need the background in advance of…

STUDY CONCLUSION

Any study of success can be emotive as some will feel they are being undermined if part of the past. Paranoia and insecurity are symptoms of the lack of belief. Embracing change can be a challenge. Belief itself is almost impossible to measure.  For my part the belief is concrete and steadfast.  The case studies are ones that I am very familiar with (Windgap and Piltown). In reality, the ones I am most qualified to analyse. No point in talking about things you don’t really know, unless you admit that you don’t really know. Honesty is the always the first step. I will always believe unwaveringly that both clubs have the ability to challenge competitively at the highest level for sustained periods of time and not just in the short terms of the past.  However, the study results can be applied to any club in any county or even any team sport where success has been sparse at the highest levels.

Firstly, it is important to rule out some myths given as reasons for the lack of sustained success by using as much science or maths as is possible. Let’s first of all recall the figures. Windgap was formed in 1954 (70th year in existence) 54 years of those have been spent in the Junior grade (77%). Piltown was formed in 1953 (71st year in existence) 55 years of those have been spent in the Junior grade (77.5%). It is clear and beyond doubt both clubs have a pretty much identical record.

POPULATION

Windgap will often refer to population. There is no doubt Windgap is a small parish population wise. In the 2022 census the population was stated as 475. The 33rd highest in Kilkenny. Only Conahy [Shamrocks] and Glenmore have less.
[Note: Mooncoin, Graignamanagh and Freshford all have two clubs in their parish so cannot be spilt using the Census]
In contrast Piltown lie 7th overall after the 2022 census with a population of 4139, 9 times more than Windgap.  Just the City clubs, Slieverue, John Lockes and Thomastown have more. The most successful club in Kilkenny in modern times, Ballyhale [Shamrocks] have 1329 (3 times more than Windgap and 3 times less than Piltown).  It is very clear considering the difference in populations that population is not a factor unless you wanted to make the unscientific suggestion that one has too many and the other too little. Population factor is the first myth.

UNDERAGE SUCCESS

Both clubs have had random well celebrated and worthy juvenile successes. Over the years Windgap have generally completed the lower Roinn’s, C, D and even E. Most recently winning a primary schools title. In latter years they have competed at higher levels including Roinn A thanks to their amalgamation with Galmoy [population 779]. Without Galmoy they would still be at the lower levels and history is hard to argue against in that respect. On the other hand, Piltown have at least been very competitive in Roinn B, with a few Roinn A successes as well. Competing competitively at Roinn B juvenile over a number of years should translate into similar at adult Intermediate level. Bar a period in the 80’s, this has not been the case. Again, it is clear that both clubs compete in contrasting juvenile and development competitions. It is very hard to say with any conviction that is a common factor in their subsequent adult competition level.

POST PRIMARY SCHOOLS

When it comes to Post Primary, a key component of any player development, the vast majority of Piltown players leave the county for schools in Carrick-On-Suir and Waterford. On the other hand, Windgap have a split between Carrick-On-Suir and Kilkenny schools including Callan and the famed St. Kierans College that has almost always been the dominant post primary school (23 All-Ireland senior titles). Piltown have had very few attend the great alma mater over the years while Windgap past and present have had many more. The Post Primary school profile for the clubs again differs considerably. The adult profile, very similar.

DEVELOPMENT SQUADS

Developments Squads are seen by many as a huge ground for developing young players in Kilkenny over the years. Between 2007 and 2022 (the years I spent as a development squad coach), Windgap had 29 players involved in various levels of development squads from Under-14 upwards. For the same period Piltown have had 43 players, almost 50% more.  In that period no Piltown player and only one Windgap player went on to play a competitive game for Kilkenny Senior hurlers. We clearly cannot use development squad involvement as a factor. Yet another myth.

FITNESS

How many times have you heard when the last knockout match is played and your team is finished, “they weren’t fit enough!”? I am sure almost every year unless the title has been won.  Going back to the 80’s, Windgap and Piltown have brought in fitness trainers mainly from outside the parish.  They were once known as fitness trainers or physical trainers, some just as Coach. Now commonly referred to as S&C (Strength and Conditioning) coaches. The term doesn’t make them any different to the many who went before them. They are no better or no worse than the lads that went before them, despite the courses and education. It would be wrong to suggest otherwise. The thing is then and now, the guy in the next club is most likely doing exactly the same “programmes” as they are now known as. The big difference today is the monetary cost to the club volunteers fundraising. A lot of coaches now see these as a nice side earner rather than a hobby. Very few are concerned with the long-term development within the clubs. Their main concern is potential CV growth rather than the love of the club and the game.

Over the last four decades, since outside coaches became a common thing, Piltown and Windgap probably have had a combined total fitness coaches numbering about forty. I dread to think of the total cost, but that is irrelevant to this case study.  I have no doubt there has been a wide variety, all genuinely trying to achieve victory even if the end game was their own personal ego. Over the years Windgap have won two junior titles (1 in the last 40 years) and Piltown won three (2 in the last 40 years).  The combined county title total is small, (5 in 149 completed campaigns – 2 before the era of outside coaches and 3 afterwards). To blame fitness is an insult to the many fitness trainers over the years, many of whom who have spent a lot of effort on education and many who have had some success elsewhere. It is the lazy man’s excuse for the lack of success at a point in time. They used the best fitness methods at the time. Every team was as well-prepared fitness wise as is possible, but the silver was rarely attained. There have been so many of them since the 80’s and so many different teams, therefore the fitness excuse is clearly a myth. The club administrators couldn’t have got it wrong so many times, that the fitness or S&C coaches weren’t good enough, could they?

MYTHS

Population, underage success, post-primary success, development squad involvement and fitness all debunked as reasons for the lack of success based on indisputable numbers and facts. Yet, instinct says they must be factors. For example, doing no fitness training will certainly not change history and win you anything.  I suppose its like making that special cake for that special occasion.  The best cake will always have that very special ingredient which makes all the others become special when mixed. You can buy the one in the supermarket, but it will not have that special ingredient. If you always have being buying the one from the supermarket and you like it, fair enough but it will never win you the baking competition. Change is required “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. 70 years should be an indicator of what is required.  Something different needs to be tried. It may not work but remember, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new”.

BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS

No matter what you do in life, for it to be successful, you must have a solid foundation. That is my belief. They are lots of varying factors in a club or community situation starting with the meaning of success, what it is to the how, who and why. My experience in clubs and communities over the years has given me an ever-expending knowledge of what is required.

During Covid, I developed a workshop BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS. I recently delivered it to Piltown Ladies Gaelic Football club as a pilot and the feedback has been positive. It is designed to set your own creative minds flowing because everyone is the master of their own destiny.  Arousing thoughts that will lead your club up the pathway for success, creating an underlying culture suitable for a foundation of that success.  It is aimed at coaches, administrators, adult players, parents and is suitable for all codes and grades. Please feel free to Share.

In the bible, Jesus said, “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his hometown and with his own people and in his own home.” [Mark 6:4]. This is something I am well aware of. However, if you see something of merit in what is written here and in some of my other blogs, please feel free to contact me and I can compile and facilitate a version personalised for your club. Unlike many other coaching workshops or anything coaching for that matter, I will deliver and facilitate free to any club in any code in Kilkenny. Please feel free to check out my own COACHING credentials, though this is very different to what you would normally associate with physical coaching workshops.  There will be no cones. [Max 20 per session]

The question should always be asked, what qualifies you to do this? It’s a fair question. The only answer, is that I love the games and have participated as a player, including a substitute, coach, administrator, match official and a supporter over many decades.  Does your S&C coaching course make your more qualified? It certainly won’t be more varied.

This is the final instalment of my HISTORY OF BELIEF blog.  Hopefully it will bring purposeful thought and debate which will help your club or community in achieving success.  Not just the ones I have had the experience of. As always, I welcome comment. Remember no one person has all the answers. I certainly don’t. Maybe YOU have solutions of your own. Maybe YOU disagree and can offer alternative explanations for the factual figures.

Posted on No Comments on HISTORY OF BELIEF PART TWO

HISTORY OF BELIEF PART TWO

You believe something is right, you must have substance and facts behind it, to support it. James Bond creator Ian Fleming is credited with the phrase; “Once Is Chance, Twice is Coincidence, Third Time’s A Pattern”.   For those of you who missed HISTORY OF BELIEF PART ONE, click HERE. You made need the background.

CASE STUDY 2

In 1992, having come back from Dublin, I got married and moved to Fiddown, I became a Piltown player, (The parish of my wife and my mother). I did not break into the Piltown main team other than for challenges and tournament games over the couple of years I wore the amber jersey.  Disappointing but life is not a fairy-tale or the fiction I write as a writer (that has happy endings!). However, those games I did play, my scoring average record was second to none. It did not match my senior championship record of a goal a game with Windgap, but it was on average a goal or the equivalent in points every second game. All from play. However, it never lured the attention of a number of Piltown selection committees. 

Piltown were an Intermediate team when I came back from Dublin, having lost three Intermediate County finals in the eighties. In 1992, that was all about to change. Piltown had a poor run in the League with defeats to John Lockes, Carrickshock, Young Irelands and O’Loughlin Gaels.  They had a lone but impressive win against Bennettsbridge by 6-13 to 2-12.  Following the inter county championships, Piltown were to play John Lockes again in the knockout championships.  Piltown did not fulfil the fixture.  A decision made in a Piltown meeting room. Unlike Windgap, I was not there and do not know the scientific thinking behind the decision which I did for the Windgap decision. It was believed to be due to injury of a player on inter-county duty. I wasn’t involved, so cannot be sure of the validity of the cases being made. Hard to believe, a team could not be fielded with all the hurlers in Piltown. I would have played.  However, it was too early in my Piltown career to be involved in the politics. Though from the outside and with my Windgap experience as that stage over a decade old, I did not believe it was the correct decision, so let’s examine what has happened in the meantime.

Subsequently, the County Board awarded the game to John Lockes despite an appeal from Piltown and so began the relegation fight.  The semi-final was lost to Glenmore comprehensively. Then Piltown faced Bennettsbridge in the relegation final, the team that they had easily beaten in the league. The board room decision though had changed the culture of confidence and belief.  Piltown lost the relegation final by 1-6 to 2-17 and the junior ranks beckoned for 1993. Although it could be argued in Piltown’s case it was not the relegation final itself that was lost off the field, results highlighted the affect. It was still a coincidence that just as I was about to start with a new first team (although history showed it never materialised), the team lost a match in a meeting room and long term affects reverberate to this day.  Is the coincidence that I was a jinx?  There is no real science in that, is there?

The science is looking at results in the intervening 30 years. Like Windgap, Piltown got a short-term bounce when they won the junior in 1996, beating Dicksboro 0-11 to 1-3. This was followed by three consecutive appearances in the Intermediate Relegation Final, losing the third in 1999 to Rower Inistioge by 1-10 to 2-15 and hence a return to the Junior ranks.  Another bounce came in 2003 when the Junior was won again, after two attempts they beat St. Patricks, Ballyragget.  It went on to be a springboard for Piltown’s greatest hurling day on the field of play when they beat St. Vincent’s of Dublin in the Leinster Junior Club Final (the first Kilkenny club to do so) a competition that did not progress to an All-Ireland series at that stage. However, again it was a short-term bounce with Piltown losing the 2005 Intermediate relegation final to James Stephens’ second team by 0-9 to 2-11.  Piltown have been junior ever since. 

In the 30 years since Piltown conceded a vital game, they have spent 24 years (80%) in the junior ranks.  Windgap in the 43 years since they conceded a vital match, have spent 37 years (86%) in the junior ranks.  An additional statistic of interest is related to the great Brian Cody and his unprecedented 22-year reign as Kilkenny Senior Hurling manager winning 11 All-Ireland titles. Nine (9) Kilkenny clubs did not provide a player to those victorious teams.  Windgap and Piltown are two! The others for the anoraks, are Cloneen, Carrigeen, Threecastles (all parish subsets), Graignamanagh another of a similar disposition. Lisdowney (possibly a surprise), and other long term junior clubs, Galmoy and Slieverue.

The club meeting room decisions maybe a coincidence but is there a pattern?  Some might argue that both Windgap and Piltown would have been relegated anyway and in Piltown’s case they had two chances to rectify it. Obviously from a science, we will never know. In psychology, a “trigger” is a stimulus that causes a painful memory to resurface. A trigger can be any sensory reminder of the traumatic event: a sound, sight, smell, physical sensation, or even a time of day or season.  Is the concession of a game the scientific trigger that affects the cultural and inherited confidence required to compete successfully at the top level?  Here we are more interested in an establishment of a pattern because of a past event.

So, is there a pattern using the Ian Fleming adage? Between, the foundation of the GAA and up to and including 1920, Tipperary won 4 Senior Football All-Ireland Championships.  They were considered a very strong football county at the time. In 1921, they gave Mayo a walkover in the All-Ireland Semi-Final.  They have NOT won a Senior Football All-Ireland Championship since! Over 100 years ago! A century plus! Now that’s 3! There’s a pattern. Tipperary too have had a couple of bounces to compete including a recent semi-final appearance, but nothing of great significance.  The thesis now has supporting evidence at inter-county level.  There is a pattern. A pattern of culture. Easy submission becomes part of what you are.

The conclusion is that easy concession leads to a long-term culture of acceptance of your place in the roll of honour.  No matter who it is, it is not easy to fix or break the cycle. Those involved will always deny that it is there, but just because you can not see the wind, it does not mean it does not exist or can have a major effect.

Human nature, means that in many cases the highlighting of such thinking, is negative despite representing the facts in numbers to support.  The first step in recovery for any addict is to admit there is a problem. This is the hardest part of recovery.  Next is to believe in a higher power (in whatever form) can help.

So, in HISTORY OF BELIEF PART THREE (next month’s blog), I will try to come up with some scientifically based reasons for the longevity of the culture and maybe offer some solutions.   Everybody wants solutions and ways to break the cycle. Feel free to post your suggestions in the meantime or any other examples. There are lots of teams that might benefit, not just the ones mentioned here. Maybe YOU have solutions of your own. Maybe YOU disagree and can offer alternative explanations for the factual figures.  Whatever, feel free to comment.

Posted on No Comments on HISTORY OF BELIEF PART ONE

HISTORY OF BELIEF PART ONE

You stick your neck out and make a prediction. The truth is only history will confirm if you are right or wrong.  Even then, you can never really prove your point of view beyond all doubt as due to circumstances beyond your control, the thesis was never tested. However, having the belief, the firm belief, in the first place and with the benefit of history, there can be a substantial support for your viewpoint.  Things would have been better had your opinion prevailed.  Strong belief in anything is a culture, but only has value if it has integrity. High standards are also a culture. Belief in high standards is a massive culture which undermined at any point in history can have lasting repercussions.

CASE STUDY 1

24th August 1980, I made my Senior hurling championship debut in Piltown for Windgap.  It was the relegation play off final versus Mooncoin.  I got my opportunity as a number of the senior squad members didn’t want to play the game and wanted to demote the club down to the Intermediate grade. Reasons will follow. Regardless, I was excited for the opportunity to start at midfield (later moving to corner forward) and was planning to derail any thoughts of easy surrender on the field of play, the day after my first shave. My father and my sister were there to support. Despite what would have been considered an understrength Windgap team, we were only three points down entering the dying stages. I had worked hard but with very little reward. However, I had the belief I could do something to turn the game. Time was running out though. The final whistled beckoned when the ball broke to me just include the “21” as it was known in those days. (21 yards now known as 20 metres). The ball came to hand. I rounded the defender and facing me was the Mooncoin goalkeeper, Ned Quinn (Later to become a very successful chairman of Kilkenny County Board). I took aim and with a rocket of a shot hit the back of the net.  Ned pucked out the ball and the final whistle was blown. A draw, Windgap 3-7, Mooncoin 2-10.  No extra time. A replay would be required.  I was elated, my senior championship debut and a relegation saving goal. The future looked bright for me.  It felt good. The man or more appropriately, the boy who saved Windgap from Senior relegation!

The debate between the senior members who were very surprised we got a draw, and those who wanted to fight to remain senior status continued.  They were very concerned we would win the replay. My personal belief, now looking forward to an illustrious senior hurling career, was that we had to fight to stay senior, Play the games to the best of our ability on the pitch, not off the pitch. Maybe at some stage ability will see us intermediate or worse, but let’s have a culture that does not involve defeatism and easy surrender. The opposite view was that we have some very good young players coming through the ranks and it would be better to develop them at Intermediate level and then get back up to be competitive at senior level. Especially as it was now an aging senior team who were struggling to be competitive at the top table of Kilkenny hurling. On Monday 20th October 1980 in Piltown National School, a meeting took place. Thirteen people were in attendance including myself. The topic, simple, should we play the upcoming relegation playoff replay against Mooncoin. The result was a resounding 12-1 in favour of conceding the match and opting to go back Intermediate. I was the lone dissenting voice.  It serves no purpose to identify the others.  Some have passed, some still very much involved, some no longer involved.  It was democracy. Can’t really argue with it. When you are competitive and lose, it always hurts. Hindsight though, says I was given a very special opportunity. As a young fresh faced 17-year-old, I was allowed the floor to make a case. I wonder how many clubs allow their young lads that sort of platform? How many clubs give their young people the confidence to speak and forward argument? Even today when society, talks so much how they value the input of young people.  How many young people are really listened to? I may not have been heeded, but at least I was given the opportunity by the elders of the day. For every negative there is always a positive. This for me was one, the main one with the value of hindsight. That and the fact that my senior club championship goal scoring records stands at an average of a goal a game, probably one of the best in Kilkenny hurling, if not the best!

Was it the right choice for Windgap looking back with the benefit of hindsight?  Four years later in 1984, Windgap lost the Intermediate relegation final to Young Irelands by 4-2 to 2-14.  However, in 1986, Windgap won the junior final county final in Nowlan Park beating Danesfort by 1-11 to 2-1. This was probably Windgap’s greatest ever day as it was the only main adult final Windgap have ever won on the field of play having been awarded the 1970 final in the board room. The second stint in Intermediate lasted two years until they lost the 1988 relegation final to St. Lachtains of Freshford by 0-8 to 1-7. They have been junior since. So, in the 43 years since that meeting in Windgap National School, they have spent 37 in junior, six in Intermediate, none in senior.  That statistic would have read at least one more in senior had my belief been heeded. I’m sure there will be varied views as to what would have happened. 

Check in next month for HISTORY OF BELIEF PART TWO when another case study might enlighten further.

Posted on No Comments on ADULT CLUB COACHING SESSIONS – PART 1

ADULT CLUB COACHING SESSIONS – PART 1

Coaching GAA is infinite learning process. Be it hurling, football or Camogie, like the top players, the top coaches or managers are always striving for perfection. Having coached and managed in all codes, club and county at all levels over the years, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that things are entirely different now to be successful as compared to even a decade ago. Everyone is looking for that little edge. That slight advantage that will tilt the balance of success in favour of their team. In this first GAA coaching blog, I open up for discussion what has evolved over the last four decades in club coaching with a key focus on what I believe in principle are the ingredients of a good adult club “training” session.

Back In the seventies, a typical club training session consisted of lads hitting the ball (often just A ball) to each other until everyone was ready. Then two lads would pick teams for a match or something unscientific like throw the hurl’s in and randomly divide, often ending up with two crazy uneven teams. Play continued until lads got tired of it and then headed to the pub if it was open.  If fitness was required, a few laps of the field. The more fitness needed, the more laps. It was rare that science was used. Over the years the concept of drills, drills with cones, drills with more cones, warm ups and warm downs, stretching exercises, core stability building and nutrition added to the evolving science of the club training session. Science and now mental preparation are the main advantages pursued.  The better you are at these the better your chances of success.

Now the majority of club players who are serious about their sport put in the time and they have to if they want to be part of a successful team. Each individual is an important cog in a team and indeed a squad as the more lads pushing hard in the squad, the greater the encouragement from within. They practice the skills on their own. They go to the gym or do their own fitness training. They take care of their own nutrition.  The top players even at club level are way more educated on what is required than their predecessors.  Therefore, as a coach or manager you have to decide how best to make use of the short time you have with the players. And it is short. At best you will do two training sessions a week of about 90 minutes. When you take out the mandatory warm up and cool down, that leaves at best, 2 hours per week or 1% of the week to work with the players themselves as a group. Very little when you consider it is a team sport. So as coach/manager you have to use that time efficiently for the greatest gain of the team in a competitive sport.  That means trusting your players to do the individual work themselves. That is the culture than underpins success.

The themes of Team, Enjoyment and Competitive are key. Those 2 hours must be about the team, must be competitive and must be enjoyable. It is their hobby too. Therefore, there is little or no room for the circus act of cone to cone drills in group sessions for adults. Anyone could take part in these, even me!  They are adults and need to be treated as such.  Surely they all know how to rise the ball, catch it and strike it, etc. at this stage.  If you are still teaching adults the basics, you are in real big trouble. The level of how good depends on their own commitment to their own practice and each will be different so a general drill rarely helps the majority of players. You would be lucky if 2 or 3 gain from any single general drill.

The focus of the group session must be about how the team works together, the game plans (note plural), understanding what their team mate can do. Becoming aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their team mates so that together they can perform to the optimum level.  There must be enjoyment and people play the sport which they enjoy and GAA sport is in the form of team matches.  So matches must play a huge part in the group session.  Those matches should be competitive. There must be a score, a result and an aim to win. There must be an incentive to win for the individual match and for the overall. This is where Training Leagues play their part.

These are the components that make the session competitive. That’s what makes your team competitive. That’s what will bring the intensity to your training session which becomes the sandbox for your match day performances.

As an example, your 90 minute session for hurling could be something like this.

  • 20 minute warm up incorporating all the main ball skills and dynamic stretching.
  • 20 minute team play development (tactics) which covers things such as puck out strategy and includes physical replication.
  • 40 minute match – Vary teams, score matters, league points allocated.
  • 10 Minute cool down

That’s an example in its simplicity though each component does require a level of detail and planning and should not be over repetitive. The challenge is to make sure the match incorporates the team play development in practical terms. Even adults look forward to the training match. Imagine the enthusiasm of the players to turn up if they knew every session would have 50% match and that match would be competitive and matter.

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” – Babe Ruth

In general what you are doing is combining the individual skills learned by each player in their juvenile development years into more powerful concoction as a group. Putting the pieces of the jigsaw in the right places and making them perform together and better. Together Everyone Achieves More! This is just an overview at a high level but hopefully, you get the gist and understand the concept. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or just to make a comment.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on No Comments on ENDS AFTER SWEET SIXTEEN

ENDS AFTER SWEET SIXTEEN

Juvenile GAA ended for the three lads (Jennifer, Jamie & Lisa) on Sunday (13th January 2019) at John Locke Park when Lisa played in the2018 Minor Roinn A Camogie Final against Young Irelands of Gowran. It ended 16 years of juvenile GAA for our family which started when Jennifer attended her first club coaching session on Wednesday 5th February 2003 in Piltown, indoor hurling. It was a disappointing end with Piltown going down to Young Irelands but having said that there have been so many good and even great days for us as a family. Ending with a Roinn A final is more than fitting to sixteen brilliant years of sport, recreation and enjoyment.

It was 16 years of huge enjoyment for all of us. For the lads the GAA team sports allowed them the opportunity to meet friends for life and to develop positively as people. It allowed them to develop their physical skills and gave them regular participation in healthy exercise. It developed their confidence and taught them leadership skills and how to work well with others in a team scenario. It made them better communicators and taught them the importance of respect and discipline. It also helped them understand organisation and time management. So many of life skills harvested in a mostly enjoyable atmosphere. All this before I mention the huge enjoyment of the successes they have achieved in the games at club, school and county level. In fact, the Norris “children” have more winners’ medals in Piltown across All the Juvenile GAA codes than other family in Piltown (Listed at the end of this blog, just the winners and excluding tournaments). In summary, 5 All-Irelands, 6 Leinster, 7 Munster, 14 Kilkenny Championships, 3 Kilkenny Leagues, 2 Kilkenny Shields and 1 Tipperary Championship! In 2016, all three captained victorious teams across three different codes. I say this with huge pride in what they have achieved.

For Sheila and me, it has brought huge enjoyment and pride to us both. For us, it gave us a social life, gave us plenty of friends around the county and far beyond. By actively being involved ourselves in coaching and administration including setting up the first Ladies Gaelic Football club in Piltown, it gave us plenty of challenges but we felt part of something really special. Sheila has gone all the way to being the top Camogie administrator in Kilkenny by taking the role of County Chairperson. I believe she is one of the best GAA administrators in the country let alone the county. I have coached across all codes at both club and county level and notched a couple of All-Irelands along the way as well as getting to work with some of the legends of GAA. I believe my coaching and management ability has grown significantly over the years and has been helped no end by having first hand interaction with the lads in the challenges and opportunities they faced along the rocky road. Both Sheila and I have had success in our own right and that is important for us as people.

We always loved the GAA, but knew very early that we could not force our interests on the three lads. They had to grow to love and enjoy the games in their way. We did take the approach of strong encouragement, even when things go against you. However, the best encouragement was to lead by example and take on the roles that we have done with enthusiasm, vigour and originality. That way, we could be part of their social recreation and they ours. It didn’t mean that we always had to train them, but it did mean we always had to support them. But like every parent we were the initial coaches, something we both did in our own way and using our own skills, physical and mental. I’d like to say they got their GAA skills from me, but the truth is they all worked hard to develop their own skills which far outweighed that which I achieved as a player. However, I do think I have influenced their thinking and mental approach. We do take huge pride in their achievements to date. We do hope they continue to play for many more years and when the playing stops that they consider options in coaching, administration or officiating. Jennifer has already become the National Secretary of the CCAO (the body responsible for 3rd Level Camogie including the Ashbourne Cup). I believe there is so much more enjoyment for us as a family to have.

I hope this blog may be inspiration for other parents who might have dreams and ambitions for their kids but like us wanted the kids to develop their own dreams and ambitions and are worried how to achieve and encourage it. Yes, it does involve hard work, lots of time, but the rewards and enjoyment are fantastic and limitless. The proof is in the pudding after a sweet sixteen years.

LIST OF HONOURS WON BY JJL

CAMOGIE
All-Ireland Minor Championship (Kilkenny 2013)
All-Ireland Under-14 Community Games Bronze (Piltown 2009)
Leinster Minor Championship (Kilkenny 2012)
Leinster Under-14 Community Games (Piltown 2009)
Munster Senior Colleges C League (Scoil Mhuire 2013)
Kilkenny Minor Roinn B Championship (Piltown 2012)
Kilkenny Minor Roinn C Championship (Piltown 2011)
Kilkenny Minor Roinn A League (Piltown 2015/2018)
Kilkenny Under-16 Roinn B Championship (Piltown 2011)
Kilkenny Under-16 Roinn A League (Piltown 2013)
Kilkenny Under-14 Féile Na nGael (Piltown 2012)
Kilkenny Under-14 Roinn B Championship (Piltown 2009)
Kilkenny Under-14 Roinn A Shield (Piltown 2013)
Kilkenny Under-14 Community Games (Piltown 2009)
Kilkenny Primary Schools Roinn A (Piltown 2010)

HURLING
All-Ireland Under-17 (Eugene Carey) Plate (Kilkenny 2015)
Leinster Under-15 Shield (Kilkenny 2013)
Munster Senior Colleges D Championship (Carrick CBS 2013)
Kilkenny Under-16 Roinn B Championship (Piltown 2013)
Kilkenny South Under-13 Championship Roinn B (Piltown 2011)
Tipperary Post Primary Schools Under-17 “B” (Carrick CBS 2015)

GAELIC FOOTBALL
Kilkenny Under-16 Roinn B Championship (Piltown 2012)
Kilkenny Under-14 Roinn B Championship (Piltown 2012)
Kilkenny Under-14 Roinn C Championship (Piltown 2010)

LADIES GAELIC FOOTBALL
All-Ireland Senior Colleges Roinn A (Scoil Mhuire 2016)
All-Ireland Junior Colleges Roinn C (Scoil Mhuire 2014)
Leinster Under-16 Roinn C (Kilkenny 2011)
Leinster Under-16 Roinn C Shield (Kilkenny 2010)
Leinster Under-14 Blitz Division 3 (Kilkenny 2009)
Munster Senior Colleges Roinn A (Scoil Mhuire 2016)
Munster Senior Colleges Roinn B (Scoil Mhuire 2014)
Munster Senior Colleges Roinn C (Scoil Mhuire 2013)
Munster Junior Colleges Roinn C (Scoil Mhuire 2014)
Munster Junior Colleges Roinn D (Scoil Mhuire 2012)
Kilkenny Under-16 Blitz Shield (Piltown 2010)
Kilkenny Primary Schools Roinn B (Piltown 2008)
Kilkenny Under-16 Roinn B (Piltown 2016)
Kilkenny Under-14 Roinn B (Piltown 2014)

Posted on No Comments on LEADERSHIP SEEDS

LEADERSHIP SEEDS

Last month, I wrote about how I became a writer. This month I will tell you how I got into coaching and team management. It started accidentally rather than by design. As a child, I loved team ball games, be it a sliotar (that is a hurling ball for visitors who don’t know), a Gaelic Football or a soccer ball. I just love the physical activity of striking a ball combined with the camaraderie of doing it with a group of friends or teammates.  I loved the competitive aspect of team games and the aim to be the best you can, though in hindsight, I never really fulfilled my potential as a player in any sport, but that is a story for another day.

When I went to Carrick-On-Suir Vocational School (the Tech), there was always an annual soccer league usually run by the teachers.  By the time I got to sixth year, as said last month, the number of boys was low. I was the only sixth year boy and there was one fifth year boy, Wayne McNamara, the school caretaker’s son who had very little interest in soccer or in any sport.  However, we became good friends that year and I grew his knowledge and ability in sport. None of the teachers took on the organising of the soccer league, so in a crazy moment, I volunteered to organise the soccer league, thus began my organising career, a trait which I now know to be essential for good team management.

I got together a number of lads who would be team captains. The better players from the older classes. Together we used consensus to grade all the players. Then one by one the captains would pick a player from the seedings with the sequence being alternated so everyone got a chance to pick the best player in the seeding group. It was like a modern-day World Cup draw. Interestingly, half my team ended up being first years. The other captains thought I had been over hard on myself to ensure the integrity of the team selections. Integrity is huge for me in sport. I on the other hand saw the positives of everyone I picked and knew it was my job as player manager to cover up any weaknesses they had and exploit their strengths.  For example, Wayne McNamara was on my team. Even though he was a fifth year, everyone knew he wasn’t into soccer. However, I knew he would never stop trying and he would keep getting in the way.  I encouraged him to get in everyone’s way and it turned out to be a good defensive ploy because I made sure my skilful lads who were first years kept out of his way.   A defender has to get in the way and a lot of his job is done. And I loved work rate. Still do. Getting in the way doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Anyway, we went unbeaten in this six-a-side league all the way to the final where we were to meet the “favourites”, although in my mind we were the favourites. Belief was and is a huge part of my managerial philosophy.  The final took place at the pitch at the back of The Tech on 4th June 1980. It was a tight tense game and it was nil all with 2 minutes to go.  Our young first years were finding it hard to break down the opposition due to their physical limitations. However, we were solid at the back. I was defending and Wayne was doing what I asked. If the ball did get past us, our goalie, Noel Mackey was a safe pair of hands. The three first years David Tobin, John Connolly and John “Speedy” Kavanagh worked hard. “Speedy” was the class player, while the other two were work horses and I loved that trait.  With that 2 minutes left, I wanted to win the game, so both myself and Wayne pushed forward. I took a shot, their goalie saved, the ball pretty much hit off Wayne on the rebound. 1-Nil to us!  Wayne was my first lesson in there can be a place for everyone in the team jigsaw, if your open your eyes and mind and find it. A minute later, with their defence opened up, “Speedy” added a second and sealed the school league.  His son Daryl Kavanagh went on the play League of Ireland. I like to think “Speedy” learned something from me that he passed on to Daryl.  It may have just been a mini school soccer league, but the thrill of outwitting the opposition was like a drug.  I had been a very shy child (A lot of people who only know me in adult life, may not believe that, but it is true). Sport had changed that. Sport gave me confidence and the chance of leadership and the mini league had boosted my confidence no end.

A few months later, a similar opportunity arose in GAA.  Windgap’s Minor Gaelic Footballers were invited to take part in one off 7-A-Side football match against Callan’s footballers as part of the Coolagh Pattern. Windgap’s footballers at that time were known as Lamogue which was my townland. The Callan footballers were known as Coolagh. We were obviously invited not just because we were neighbours but because Coolagh felt they could beat us at their Pattern which is really a Field Day. Who would blame them? Unfortunately, nobody in Windgap wanted to manage us. Who wants a minor football team that never trained? The subsequent events inspired my play “Rathmore” later.  Together with Paddy Walsh (he was later to win a National Hurling league medal with Kilkenny and an Under-21 All-Ireland and also play in the 1987 Senior Hurling Final against Galway), we set about getting 7 lads to play. We were like “The Magnificent Seven”, the odds were stacked against us. We got seven aces, lads we grew up with. We were ready, kind of. We had no ball of our own for the warm up. No water, no first aid and barely got the jerseys. I think only some of our parents supported us in Coolagh.  The seven were Sean Kelly, Eamonn Murray, Jimmy Purcell, Denis Foley, Simon Brophy, Paddy and myself who were joint Player Managers. I was also Captain and although Paddy was joint manager, I was effectively the leader. Paddy and myself were really like Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen! I arrived in Coolagh on the back of Paddy’s Honda 50, barely room for the plastic gear bag. Some team bus all the same. I cannot recollect how the other five lads got there.

Again, I looked at our strengths and although I didn’t get it fully right starting off, I was prepared to switch lads around to get the best from the team. We trailed 1-1 to a goal at half time. Simon Brophy got our goal. The partisan crowd were delighted to be leading at the break. We even heard men from Callan laughing that we had nobody managing us except ourselves. I had started myself as a forward, but I was not making any impression. I knew Paddy who had started at midfield was sharper in front of the goal whereas I could and would run forever at midfield. We switched.

Coolagh got another early goal at the start of the second half. I still believed we could win and the partisan crowd even more excited. As Seamus the player, I worked harder. As Seamus, the Manager and Captain, I shouted louder. There was nothing in mind and body that I was going to leave on that pitch. The move of Paddy to the forwards was beginning to tell, he was in outstanding form. He set up Simon Brophy for a second goal. We were a point down. With a minute to go I won a “dirty” ball at midfield, played a quick accurate pass to Paddy. He burst through the Coolagh cover and drilled the ball to that back of the net. The partisan crowd were stunned. Lamogue won 3-0 to 2-1. It was unbelievable, but true. I have the medal to this day and it is one of my most prized medals.  The addiction to team management and leadership was going from strength to strength. That was the 14th September 1980. In 1991, that became my wedding anniversary. Two great reasons to remember the past.

In 1982 and 1983, Myself and Paddy joined up with Eamonn “Grimes” Cronin to manage the Windgap Under-16 and Minor hurling teams to a period of success, although maybe slightly under achieving too. I was learning all the time about players and their strengths and how to utilise them as best we could. We lost the South Roinn C Minor final to Carrickshock in 1982 and then Kilmacow in 1983.  In between in 1983, we beat Conahy Shamrocks in the Minor Roinn C League Final 0-11 to 1-5.  It was Windgap’s first ever minor county title. Another historic victory.  Twenty-one and I had led a team to county success.

My peers recognised my leadership qualities, though others saw them as a threat. Club politics soon saw my management roles end for a number of years. From a playing point of view, it was a blessing in disguise and club politics is also a story for another day.  However, the shoots were growing and I was now a junkie who thrived on organising and leadership, A humble plaque from a mini school soccer league and a humble medal from a once off 7-a-Side Gaelic Football match had laid the foundation for later successes such as All-Ireland success with Kilkenny Under-14 hurlers in both the Tony Forristal and Sonny Walsh tournaments.  I have managed in Hurling, Gaelic Football and Ladies Football at inter county level, the only Kilkenny person to manage in three of the four team codes for Kilkenny. I have also managed in all plus Camogie at club level.

I love the challenge of outwitting the manager of the opposition. I love the challenge of getting all the pieces of the jigsaw in the right place. I love the mental analysis of my team’s performance versus that of the opposition. I love getting to know what makes a player tick, finding their strengths and their weaknesses, looking for opportunities and reducing the threats. I love the planning and organising. I love the fruits of success. In the words of John Quincy Adams” If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”. The last chapter is not written in this story yet, by a long shot.