THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE is an extract from The Players’ Advice – Tips and Tactics from GAA Stars by Sean O’Sullivan.
I had the idea to put this book together during a double physics class about three weeks before my Leaving Cert back in 2019. I started scribbling down names of players I felt I could get to contribute at the time; I had no idea it would grow into this.
I contacted top footballers, hurlers and camogie players from all over the country, asking for any advice they have for players. Topics such as gym, nutrition, routine, lifestyle, skills, mindset and preparation. All players have taken different paths and journeys to get where they are, using different approaches and methods in developing their game. The purpose of this book is to help you get from where you are, to where you want to be.
Whether it’s out onto the pitch in Croke Park or into your team’s starting XV, the priceless advice throughout will surely give you a chance to reach your full potential. Here are just a few great tips from The Players’ Advice:
Brendan Kealy (Kerry)
One of the most common questions I get asked by young ’keepers is ‘How can I make my kickout better/longer?’ My answer is always the same – focus on technique rather than length. If you can get your kicking technique right, then the rest will follow and as you get older the length and power of your kick will naturally increase.
In terms of perfecting your technique, begin by kicking off the grass in an unstructured type of way.
For example, just kicking around with a friend, ‘soccer style’, and not placing the ball deliberately before each kick.
This helps to train the body and brain to work out different ways of manipulating the ball for different types of kicks (i.e. hooking, curling, slicing, drilling, chipping etc.) as it is not always going to be lying perfectly on the grass. Being able to kick the ball cleanly off the grass is very important as it allows for a wider variety of kicks, including free-kicks and 45s, and if you do choose to use a tee you are then more likely to use a lower tee.
I feel I have greater control over the ball when I kick off the grass or use a low tee.
Another positive thing about this approach is that you don’t always need somebody with you to practise it and you don’t have to be running around the field chasing footballs. Kicking into a net is ideal for improving technique, such as the large net behind the goals or else into the goal itself.
Why? Well, if we are kicking to a target out the pitch we naturally tend to focus on reaching that target, whereabouts on the field has the ball landed – 45-yard line, halfway line… By removing this it allows us to focus on things like hitting the sweet spot on the ball, keeping your head up to see what’s on, what type of run-up suits best (ideally a two or three step run so it is difficult for opposition to read your kick and you can get it out there quicker) and a punchy, driven type of strike.
Over time you will know by the connection when you strike the ball if it is an acceptable kick or not. Then progress it onto the pitch where you introduce a target out the field. They can be stationary or moving, or even boxes marked out with cones.
As with any skill, repetition is key and it’s the work you do outside of the days you train with your team that will make the difference.
Leah Caffrey (Dublin)
What advice would you give to your younger self? Keep practising, use your instep and appreciate the support your coaches and parents offer.
Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny)
It is important to enjoy your sport. Keep this at the back of your mind at all times. Focus on the areas you enjoy and work and work and work to improve those areas. You will find as you work hard on an area and if you see improvement, great feelings of satisfaction will follow. It is hugely rewarding to throw yourself into a team environment.
When you play with a group of your teammates, you win some and you lose some, but if you do your best to focus on a spirit that brings you all together, the times you play and train will be some of the most enjoyable days of your life.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Whatever your chosen sport, you will need to learn the basics, but after acquiring the basics you should work hard on your own strengths. Yes, it will be natural you want to be the best and if that is your goal don’t let anybody change your mind. Focus on what you are good at and work your socks off to become better.
Enjoy the wins. I often hear people at the end of their careers discuss how they regret not enjoying their wins more. When you practise and train hard, it is a great feeling when you win and you deserve to enjoy it.
Tiernan McCann (Tyrone)
We all encounter setbacks in our lives, whether they arise in our sporting, educational, professional or personal life. They can hit when you least expect it and for many they come at the worst times.
With any setback there may be an array of emotional states associated. Why me? Why now? What did I do to deserve this? The initial period of suffering a bump in the road may leave us feeling fragile, alone, dejected, demotivated, worried, and afraid. I would encourage people to focus on positive thinking.
Use the setback as a springboard to propel yourself forward. Use it as a motivating tool for yourself: ‘I can come back stronger from this; I will come back stronger than ever before.’ Fall down seven times stand up eight.
Vikki Wall (Meath)
Trial and error for what works for you before a match is key. I always feel less pressure playing matches where I know I’ve trained well and know I’ve put everything into the process. Don’t be so hard on yourself – and practise on your ‘other’ foot sooner, could save you a lot of trouble.
Tom Parsons (Mayo)
You had a very serious knee injury in May of 2018 – how did you recover from that? Many said I wouldn’t return to play for Mayo. But determination, hard work and belief meant I did. For anybody struggling with injury, my advice is be patient, listen to your body, trust the professionals, and get to work. Your body will respond and heal when given the right environment, sleep, good food, de-stress and consistent rehab, I believe we can overcome all injuries. Final advice in life is a quote I often read, ‘Do what is hard and life will be easy, but do what is easy and life will be hard’. Never underestimate the power of hard work, positive mental attitude and trust in others.
John Mullane (Waterford)
What’s the best piece of advice you received during your career? To keep going to the end. It’s something that was drilled in from when I was younger right through to adult, to keep going to the final whistle, no matter what the scoreboard was, never drop the head, always play to the final whistle. It was probably the best advice I ever got, regardless of what the scoreline was on the day of a match, whether you’re ahead or behind or getting well beaten in a match.
You don’t down the tools, you just keep going; if other lads are being beaten around you, you just keep going to the end. It’s a good trait to have, to build up that way in your mindset that no matter what happens today, no matter what the scoreboard is, I’m just going to keep hurling until the end.
Kieran Donaghy (Kerry)
What’s the best advice you were given during your career? It was when I wasn’t enjoying football. When Aidan O’Connor took over the Junior C team in Austin Stacks, he asked me into the squad. I said, ‘No, I’m playing basketball with the Irish u17s at the moment, I’m not enjoying football.’
He said he’d make sure I enjoyed it and that they always had the craic at training. ‘Come up, if you’re having fun keep playing, if you come up and you don’t have fun, don’t play.’ There’s no point in doing something if you’re not having fun. Of course, there’ll be tough times when you lose, but in general, you must enjoy what you’re doing.
Alan O’Mara (Cavan)
Managing my mindset and lifestyle has made me a better, more resilient person. Life challenges us all in many different ways as we get older – exams, sport, bullies, family, relationships and financial pressures to name just a few.
You will have good days and bad days and that is okay. If a bad day ever becomes a bad week or a bad week becomes a bad month, know that help can come in many different forms. If you ever feel like I did, you don’t have to tell everyone.
Just tell one person. Open up to a parent, a friend, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a brother, a sister, a teacher or a coach.
Depression tries to make you feel like you are the only person in the world to feel that way but it is simply not the case. That is why wonderful organisations like Pieta House, Samaritans and SpunOut.ie exist.
Mind yourself, look out for others and help build more compassionate communities throughout Ireland.
Eoin Murchan (Dublin)
There are going to be as many setbacks as high points. There are always going to be losses that stick with you and injury setbacks, but it’s about learning from these experiences to better yourself.
Bríd Stack (Cork)
I understand there are more distractions nowadays; YouTubers weren’t really big when I was in secondary school. Instagram scrolling didn’t cost you a day of your life, but I still had to make choices for what I valued most. I valued my family, my friends, my sport and doing well in the Leaving.
Time management, organisation and good sleep patterns were vital for me and they will be vital for you if you want to find balance. Keep asking yourself, what is it you really want to achieve and work towards that.
An extract from The Players’ Advice – Tips and Tactics from GAA Stars by Sean O’Sullivan. Published by The O’Brien Press. Available from all good bookshops now priced €16.99
