Introduction to coaching (Gaelic Games)

Recently I have gotten the opportunity to deliver and co-deliver the Introduction to Gaelic Games (ICGG) coaching course in Townsville and Tasmania. The course is aimed to support coaches of all ages (nursery to adults) in delivering both Gaelic football and hurling coaching, but I think much of the content is useful for all coaches in all sports. There are a number of modules on the course (a full outline can be found here), but I will focus on one activity that I run to illustrate the value.

Essentially, the tasks illustrate the flexibility in the STEP-R model that is presented on the course. Not to be confused with the modified STEP model I have written about previously (which I use quite a lot). STEP-R is an acronym to support game design:

• Space – area for the activity.

• Time – length of time players are working for. One could experiment with work:rest ratios depending on the desired training stimulus. A conversation for another day, but Paul Laursen and Martin Bucheitt’s book on HIIT, particularly around game-based intervals is a great read here.

• Equipment – Size of footballs; sliothars v tennis balls v bean bags; size of goals etc.

• Players – number of players; number of teams.

• Rules – rules of the game depending on the desired outcome.

  
  

As I have written a lot about games and game design, I really like the model, and I think it can help coaches to think about how they design their practice. Of course, it takes practice to design games and improve in this area. But to illustrate the value I take coaches through a couple of activities. Depending on the aim of the session for which training activities are designed, tactical aspects can be incorporated into the game design, so that the warm-up and all subsequent games include some kind of learning or performance stimulus related to the learning intention of the session. For an example of a range of tactical focus points for individual sessions, see Kinnerk et al. (2025).

Task 1 – Warm-up progression

The first task I take participants through is around a game-based warm-up, where we incorporate traditional warm up exercises (think about the RAMP protocol, the GAA15 warm up, or FIFA 11 warm up). This is a warm-up I have done with adult players (male and female) across 3 different sports, slightly adapting the specific game rules, but keeping the same principles. The main aim behind the progressions in this activity is to start with low intensity and minimising movement, progressing through to higher intensity movements.

• Game 1: 5v5 Gaelic netball – two teams, small area (e.g., 20m x 20m). Aim is to receive a pass in the end zone. Like netball rules, players cannot travel with the ball. Can play for time or first to three scores.

• Athletic development block 1: dynamic movements including lunge, squat, RDL, push up etc.

• Game 2: 5v5 two handed touch – bigger space (e.g., 50m x 20m), same scoring system. Players can move with the ball. However, if an opposition player touches them with both hands, the player in possession must drop the ball.

• Athletic development block 2: hops, jumps, skips etc.

• Game 3: 4-way attack. 5v5, big space (50m x 50m). Coach calls a goal, throws the ball out and the team that collects possession attacks towards the goal. If a turnover, the opposition attack the opposite goals.

  
  

The specific space dimensions may vary depending on the number, age, or skill level of players - I am not encouraging a copy and paste coaching or coach development task! (O'Sullivan et al., 2023) However, a crucial point to note is that although I want to minimize high speed running and high intensity actions in the first game, I don’t need to tell players not to run fast. The way the game is designed doesn’t allow players to move fast. As the progressions come, so too does the higher intensity activity. Similarly, I don’t need to put any rules in place to prevent certain skills (handpassing only, no kicking). The design of the game ensures that these actions are unlikely to happen anyway.

Task 2 – tag progression:

This task is an example of the flexibility that comes with a game-based approach. Starting with a game of tag, within a few “STEP-R” changes, I can get to a modified game of gaelic football. I elected to make one change at a time to illustrate the impact that different constraints/conditions have on skill performance and physical output, to illustrate to coaches how powerful this form of coaching can be. One caveat I must offer however is this – I present changes to the game for the sake of education, rather than having a specific purpose or desired outcome. If I was designing a session with a specific focus, I would aim to be much more intentional with the changes I make, and I would make them in response to what is going on rather than having a preplanned script.

1. Starting point: Tag - 8 evaders and 2 taggers.

2. Make the space smaller (Space – STEP-R)

3. Increase the number of defenders - 6 attackers v 4 defenders. (Players -STEP-R)

4. Add a direction - instead of tag, the game is now bulldog/red rover. (Direction – task design model)

5. Give all attackers a ball each (Equipment – STEP-R; Ball – task design model)

6. All players (attackers and defenders) now have a ball. Defenders are looking to successfully dispossess the attackers, without losing control of their own ball (same as previous)

7. Add a consequence. If an attacker is dispossessed, they become a defender. For the remaining attackers, they now have an ever-increasing challenge (more defenders). (Consequence – task design model)

8. If a defender successfully dispossesses an attacker, they become an attacker. (same as previous)

9. Attackers have 1 ball between them. They must work as a team to move the ball from one end of the court to the other. The defending team must prevent them from doing so. If the defending team wins possession, the defending team become the attacking team (consequences – see below for the task design model (O'Sullivan et al., 2021).

10. Change the scoring system. Instead of just working the ball to the end line, the attacking team must score in the goals (Rules – STEP-R)

11. Make the teams even - instead of 6 v 4, create a 5v5 bigger playing area (Players – STEP-R)

    
    

In one of the workshops I delivered, the rain trapped us inside a small room. I had to adapt. Again, I tried to minimise their movements by asking them (initially in the tag version) to pretend their right hand was glued to the left knee. Eventually though, I brought in a walking-only rule for the indoor tasks.

The small indoor room we weee resigned to!

Task design model (O'Sullivan et al., 2021)

One thing I refer to throughout that can support coaches is the task design model. This is included within my own modified STEP model for practice design. Components that coaches could consider including in their game designs: a ball, opponent, a direction of play (rather than possession games), and consequences (NOT physical punishments, but if an attacker loses the ball, his/her team are defending as a consequence).

Practicing coaching for skill development

Following on from this task (typically on day 1), I ask coaches to coach a particular skill on day 2. I ask them to introduce (when this skill is important) and demonstrate it. This particularly important for coaches who are new to the game. From there I challenge them to design a game to develop the particular skill they have been given. This is a challenging task, especially if the coaches have never considered games as skill development, only skill execution, and skill development occurs through drills. I am by no means against the use of drills (see here), but (I feel) it is important for coaches to have literacy in how they design games and activities to develop skills too.

A default position that coaches take is that to develop their chosen skill, they must ONLY practice that skill. For example, a game to develop handpassing means that players can only handpass. However, something I try to get across to coaches is that you can develop one skill while still practicing others - skills do not (and arguably should not) be isolated from each other; and b) you can use the same game to develop multiple skills - depending on the core focus you may modify the parameters (thing STEP-R model) to encourage more of one thing. A couple of recurring examples:

• When designing a game to develop kick passing, the key variable to manipulate is space.

• When working on picking the ball off the ground, it may be useful to use a futsal (ball barely bounces) and as a coach have two footballs and roll a new one in whenever you see fit.

• Be intentional about how you pick teams, and who is marking who. In a group of large skill-level disparity (the biggest challenge in coaching, IMO), can you match players up reasonably evenly, and only allow direct markers to tackle each other. This ensures that each player will be able to practice in a direct 1v1 that is fairly appropriate for their skill level. This idea may not be suitable for all groups, and is almost not suitable for any group all of the time.

• Random shot clocks are a great tool to challenge players to execute under a bit of pressure. A coach can randomly count down from any number, and by the time they have got to zero, the team in possession must have had a shot.

Final thoughts

I know there are plenty of people who may (or may not) read this who have their own ideas and thoughts around the ICGG, or practice design in general. If anything resonates, great. If anything is questionable, I would be keen to hear how so, and how you would modify.

One question I have received about this task and my approach in general: Is this approach more suitable for more experienced coaches? For novice coaches, am I asking them to do too much? I can certainly see how challenging it is for novices, especially considering I have had some coaches who have never played or coached Gaelic football or hurling previously. But I would try to avoid overly simple solutions, like “to develop skill x, you do drill a, which you can progress to drill b, and then to drill c.” While I accept it is challenging to coach using this kind of approach, I think supporting coaches with a model to think about their design (like the STEP-R model) supports them in navigating the complexity. Combined with the task design model, I think that is a useful starting point for even novices, provided they understand all aspects of each model, and they have a basic understanding of the sport (this is another key aspect of the course, which I have barely touched on).

But it is important to be clear – coach development, high performance, community, or anything in between, is a wicked problem, albeit all for slightly different reasons! There is no clear and obvious way to approach it! (Parkes & Mallett, 2024)

Sean Dempsey (middle) - Coach Development Assessor. Kevin Muldoon (right) - Coach Developer

References

• Kinnerk, P., E., K. P., Stephen, H., & Lyons, M. (2025). Gaelic Football Coaches’ Use of a Game-Based Approach Impacts Game Performance, Session Characteristics, and Player Perceptions. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2025.2496263

• O’Sullivan, M., Vaughan, J., Woods, C. T., & Davids, K. (2023). There is no copy and paste, but there is resonation and inhabitation: Integrating a contemporary player development framework in football from a complexity sciences perspective. Journal of Sports Sciences, 1-10.

• O'Sullivan, M., Woods, C. T., Vaughan, J., & Davids, K. (2021). Towards a contemporary player learning in development framework for sports practitioners. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16(5), 1214-1222. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541211002335

• Parkes, J., & Mallett, C. J. (2024). High-Performance Coach Development: A Wicked Problem. In S. B. Rynne & C. J. Mallett (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Coach Development in Sport (1st ed., pp. 434-443). Routledge.