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Darragh Egan: played in goal and out the field for the Premier. Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
How To Win At Dominoes

'The main element is fun' - the key to coaching kids successfully

Tipp selector Darragh Egan is Shane Keegan’s guest on this week’s coaching podcast.

FUN, RATHER THAN anything more technical is the most important aspect of mentoring young athletes, according to one of hurling’s most forward-thinking coaches.

“You’d hear the ABCs; ability, balance, coordination are the fundamental things and they are the key principles,” Tipperary senior hurling selector, Darragh Egan tells Shane Keegan on this week’s episode of How To Win At Dominoes, The42‘s coaching podcast.  

“But the absolute key principle is fun and enjoyment. I know it’s a cliche and it’s constantly spoken about but it is the general principle. You have got to bring fun.

“I have a five-year-old there myself and he’s playing U6. The set-up in clubs now is unbelievable, the amount of coaches that are there but how much fun they get out of four minutes, be it indoor or outdoor. So it is all based around the fun. 

“Yes of course we have to look at the running, jumping, throwing — the fundamentals — the hooking, blocking, striking and so on. But the main element is fun.”  

Egan, an All-Ireland winner as a player in 2010, is a school principal in Tipperary. He was involved in underage Premier County sides, forging a strong reputation as a coach, before Liam Sheedy drafted him into the senior backroom set-up ahead of last year. 

The season worked out well with Egan on the sideline for an All-Ireland title victory this time. 

He joins the likes of Gary Keegan, Billy Walsh, Stuart Lancaster and Pádraig Harrington in sharing his coaching wisdom with us. 


The42 Podcasts / SoundCloud

You can get access to this and other member-only podcasts like Behind The Lines: the sportswriting podcast by joining The42. 

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