ARMAGH SENIOR FOOTBALL manager Kieran McGeeney has been training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu ever since he brought the Kildare team to Straight Blast Gym in Dublin for some pre-season training during his time in charge of the Lilywhites.
SBG, which is home to top Irish UFC fighters such as Conor McGregor, is a regular training haunt for McGeeney, who is now one of several BJJ coaches at the Naas Road facility, which is owned and run by John Kavanagh.
McGeeney’s involvement at SBG will be profiled in this week’s episode of Thank GAA It’s Friday, which will air on RTÉ 2 this Friday evening at 7pm.
“I’m probably coming here for six or seven years,” McGeeney explains. “I was looking for something for the Kildare boys to do in pre-season. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a big fan of the gym and weights and stuff like that. I can bore you to tears.
“I came here and some wee small fella basically handed my ass to me over an hour. I was just fascinated by the whole idea that somebody could just dominate you like that.
“I suppose the biggest thing you learn when you come here is that you might have thought you were good, that you could look after yourself, but you soon find out that you can’t.”
