CHARLIE REDMOND DOESN’T think he can remember his free-taking routine for Dublin. But then he starts to talk his way through the process and instantly finds his flow. It’s all there still.
The seven steps back. The three to the side. The lick of the fingers on his right hand and the few glances at the posts. One more shuffle out to the left to widen the angle of attack before putting boot to ball.
And that’s just what we got to see. There was so much more to how he put the fig in the fig rolls.
The muscle memory is still sharp in Redmond, a Hill 16 hero of the 1980s and 1990s. The reason behind every movement remains just as clear. The intricacy of his routine made him a memorable character of that era. People would often lick their fingers at him in public, mimicking the most striking part of the whole ensemble.
No one ever complained about the time he spent on it though. At least, not to him. Only one referee punished Redmond over his process during a league game with Dublin, and he was unfazed by the experience.
“You’re taking too long,” the referee explained before withdrawing the free and throwing the ball up.
“Well, you’re the only one ever to pull me up about it,” was Redmond’s response.
All told, he reckons the routine took around 25 seconds to complete. And years to perfect.
****
Redmond doesn’t expect that Tipperary’s Darragh McCarthy will compromise on the time he takes over his frees. Not even if Cork manager Ben O’Connor suggests introducing a shot clock. Or if the crowds start to boo when he bends over the ball.
The reigning Young Hurler of the Year has a similarly unique approach to the craft, using slow, deliberate movements to ease himself into the moment. It’s intriguing to watch. More importantly, it’s effective too. In his debut season for Tipperary, McCarthy scored 3-77 from placed balls on the way to lifting the Liam MacCarthy.
The average time over his frees is estimated at around 24 seconds. And although he’s caused some frustration lately, Redmond can appreciate why he needs all that time to settle into the task in front of him.
“When you’re focused on what you’re doing,” Redmond begins, “it takes your mind a little bit away from the occasion that you’re in, or the pressure of the game. You go back into a robotic routine that you’ve done so many times.”
Advertisement
The minutiae of Redmond’s routine is a fascinating study. When placing the ball on the ground to take a free, he always ensured that the air valve on the O’Neill’s ball was pointed at a 45-degree angle to the centre of the goal. Those first seven steps would get wider as he reversed further back from the ball. And he always licked his fingers twice.
Redmond got that idea from former All Blacks out-half Grant Fox who used to shake his fingers before kicking from the tee, and from Scotland football great Davie Dodds who tugged at his shorts.
Former All Blacks out-half Grant Fox. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
“And the most important frees to me were the first free and the last free,” Redmond continues, referring to his practice sessions at his club pitch in Erin’s Isle.
“The first free was to show that I could move to a different spot and find the angle. And the last one was always to draw a match. That was always my mindset when I was taking those frees in Erin’s Isle.”
****
Former Fermanagh footballer Tomás Corrigan was about to take a 21-yard free against Tyrone, when Richie Donnelly said something to make him laugh.
Corrigan’s routine included a squat just before the kick. He’s not sure why. Similar to Charlie Redmond taking inspiration from rugby, he reckons Jonny Wilkinson’s bowed stance before taking kicks for England planted a seed somewhere for him. Ducking down into a lower centre of gravity allowed him to dial into his thoughts and remove himself from the chaos around him.
But he couldn’t block out Donnelly on this occasion.
“Do we need to get him a wee chair here for sitting down?” the 2021 All-Ireland winner quipped as Corrigan attempted to strike the ball from the squat position. Naturally, his concentration dropped and the kick went way off target.
Corrigan and Donnelly are lifelong friends who both attended St Michael’s College in Enniskillen, so there were no hard feelings over the jibe. But the incident did get him to thinking that his routine needed some tweaking.
“I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to need to develop some technique to block out people saying stuff.’ That’s when I started with the verbal cues and saying them out loud.”
After some thought, Corrigan came up with a few calming phrases.
There was “Clean, relax, strike.” This was something he said to himself roughly 10 times before kicking a free. And there was “There’s your point. Pass the ball over”. He had a cue for the frees he missed too: “Next ball.” And he repeated it 20 times to let the moment pass and redirect himself back to the game.
Corrigan’s meditative approach to free-taking can be traced back to a MacRory Cup final with St Michael’s. He didn’t feel he played well and he wanted to know why. A journey of introspection followed, and he discovered a box breathing technique which the US Marines used to help them relax.
A breath in for four seconds followed by a breath out for eight soon became part of his free-taking routine.
To help improve accuracy, Corrigan picked targets behind the goals. An advertising board or even a supporter wearing a brightly coloured jacket would suffice as a spot to narrow the focus. That was easy to implement for the home games as Corrigan already knew “every block behind the posts”. On away days, he would head out to the pitch ahead of throw-in and start identifying points to aim at.
Donegal manager Jim McGuinness. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Corrigan also took advice from Donegal manager Jim McGuinness. He was 16 at the time and playing for the Fermanagh minors when McGuinness was invited in to take a few sessions. Like Corrigan, McGuinness was starting out on his own path that would lead him to becoming a revolutionary coach in Gaelic football, and an All-Ireland-winning manager.
“He actually introduced me to visualisation and breathing and the power of those techniques to help with performance.
“Then I started to read into meditation and practice it. I found that it was something that you could just do because you don’t have that long to get your breathing under control. I found that was just a quick technique to sort of relax the vagus nerve through that technique.”
****
Both Redmond and Corrigan needed privacy to practice their frees. Corrigan didn’t kick frees during the team’s collective training sessions. His father was involved with St Michael’s in Enniskillen and would use their pitch for his own private free-taking time.
“I would practice technique, just hitting the ball over the bar and getting a feel for kicking the ball on the sweet spot with right and left. And then I would practice about five frees from the right side, left side and in the centre. The important point was that I would go through the exact same routine for each free and just drill it over and over in my head.”
Corrigan was a key player for Fermanagh in their run to the All-Ireland quarter-final in 2015. But he feels 2016 was his best season when he finished as the fourth-highest scorer in the championship with a tally of 0-29. Retirement from Fermanagh followed during the Covid pandemic.
Fermangh's Tomás Corrigan on the ball against Dublin in the 2015 All-Ireland quarter-final. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
But for every matchday free, Corrigan would rely on all that psychology work to transport himself back to the pitch in St Michael’s. That’s where everything came together for him.
“When I was visualising at the start of the routine, I would actually visualise being up at the St Michael’s pitch practising the free. And there was obviously no one else there. So, that helped if there was a big crowd at the match.”
Redmond preferred the quiet isolation he got at his club pitch in Erin’s Isle for shooting at the posts.
He always kicked frees for his club but didn’t assume that role with the Dublin footballers until around 1990 when Barney Rock picked up an injury. A talented soccer player, he had a natural flair for striking the ball cleanly off the ground. And to become more proficient with his place-kicking, he found his retreat in Erin’s Isle.
He always brought a bag filled with eight balls for his practice sessions, and former Dublin footballer Wayne McCarthy would come along to retrieve the balls after every shot.
But no-one else was permitted to watch. Redmond didn’t like it if anyone saw him behind the curtain, putting in the work to assemble his production.
Related Reads
7 games to be broadcast as part of GAA league schedule next weekend
All-Star Casey putting injury horrors behind him to fight for more central Limerick role
“I hated anybody watching me taking the frees in Erin’s Isle because I was always trying to develop things.
“I remember one particular day there were building houses beside Erin’s Isle. One of the builders started looking at me and roared over to say hi. But it just completely threw me and I had to just put all the balls together and I left.
“I had no problem doing it in Croke Park [for games], but one person [watching] when I was practicing could completely upset me.”
****
Redmond never felt rushed to kick a free before he was ready. He always ran by his own clock. He never missed a step and was never out of sync with himself throughout a career that yielded All-Ireland medals in 1983 and 1995.
That one incident in the league game for Dublin didn’t discourage him. And his advice to Darragh McCarthy is to stay unbothered, and keep committing to his technique.
“I don’t think the Tipperary lads are going to change their routine for the Cork lads. In fact, they might even make it a little bit longer.”
Darragh McCarthy taking a free for Tipperary during the league. James Lawlor / INPHO
James Lawlor / INPHO / INPHO
Corrigan has some concerns for McCarthy that the ongoing attention could result in the intervention of a referee. He had to deal with that danger at times in his career too.
“The odd referee would tell me to hurry up, which would throw me, but I then learned to just sort of treat that as just another extra bit of noise that you just had to block out. I was never reprimanded.”
McCarthy is adamant that he won’t change. He’s unmoved by the recent buzz. And as Limerick roll into town later this evening for their next league outing, his meticulous method will surely cause another stir.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
The art of patient free-taking: 'The odd referee would tell me to hurry up'
CHARLIE REDMOND DOESN’T think he can remember his free-taking routine for Dublin. But then he starts to talk his way through the process and instantly finds his flow. It’s all there still.
The seven steps back. The three to the side. The lick of the fingers on his right hand and the few glances at the posts. One more shuffle out to the left to widen the angle of attack before putting boot to ball.
And that’s just what we got to see. There was so much more to how he put the fig in the fig rolls.
The muscle memory is still sharp in Redmond, a Hill 16 hero of the 1980s and 1990s. The reason behind every movement remains just as clear. The intricacy of his routine made him a memorable character of that era. People would often lick their fingers at him in public, mimicking the most striking part of the whole ensemble.
No one ever complained about the time he spent on it though. At least, not to him. Only one referee punished Redmond over his process during a league game with Dublin, and he was unfazed by the experience.
“You’re taking too long,” the referee explained before withdrawing the free and throwing the ball up.
“Well, you’re the only one ever to pull me up about it,” was Redmond’s response.
All told, he reckons the routine took around 25 seconds to complete. And years to perfect.
****
Redmond doesn’t expect that Tipperary’s Darragh McCarthy will compromise on the time he takes over his frees. Not even if Cork manager Ben O’Connor suggests introducing a shot clock. Or if the crowds start to boo when he bends over the ball.
The reigning Young Hurler of the Year has a similarly unique approach to the craft, using slow, deliberate movements to ease himself into the moment. It’s intriguing to watch. More importantly, it’s effective too. In his debut season for Tipperary, McCarthy scored 3-77 from placed balls on the way to lifting the Liam MacCarthy.
The average time over his frees is estimated at around 24 seconds. And although he’s caused some frustration lately, Redmond can appreciate why he needs all that time to settle into the task in front of him.
“When you’re focused on what you’re doing,” Redmond begins, “it takes your mind a little bit away from the occasion that you’re in, or the pressure of the game. You go back into a robotic routine that you’ve done so many times.”
The minutiae of Redmond’s routine is a fascinating study. When placing the ball on the ground to take a free, he always ensured that the air valve on the O’Neill’s ball was pointed at a 45-degree angle to the centre of the goal. Those first seven steps would get wider as he reversed further back from the ball. And he always licked his fingers twice.
Redmond got that idea from former All Blacks out-half Grant Fox who used to shake his fingers before kicking from the tee, and from Scotland football great Davie Dodds who tugged at his shorts.
“And the most important frees to me were the first free and the last free,” Redmond continues, referring to his practice sessions at his club pitch in Erin’s Isle.
“The first free was to show that I could move to a different spot and find the angle. And the last one was always to draw a match. That was always my mindset when I was taking those frees in Erin’s Isle.”
****
Former Fermanagh footballer Tomás Corrigan was about to take a 21-yard free against Tyrone, when Richie Donnelly said something to make him laugh.
Corrigan’s routine included a squat just before the kick. He’s not sure why. Similar to Charlie Redmond taking inspiration from rugby, he reckons Jonny Wilkinson’s bowed stance before taking kicks for England planted a seed somewhere for him. Ducking down into a lower centre of gravity allowed him to dial into his thoughts and remove himself from the chaos around him.
But he couldn’t block out Donnelly on this occasion.
“Do we need to get him a wee chair here for sitting down?” the 2021 All-Ireland winner quipped as Corrigan attempted to strike the ball from the squat position. Naturally, his concentration dropped and the kick went way off target.
Corrigan and Donnelly are lifelong friends who both attended St Michael’s College in Enniskillen, so there were no hard feelings over the jibe. But the incident did get him to thinking that his routine needed some tweaking.
“I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to need to develop some technique to block out people saying stuff.’ That’s when I started with the verbal cues and saying them out loud.”
After some thought, Corrigan came up with a few calming phrases.
There was “Clean, relax, strike.” This was something he said to himself roughly 10 times before kicking a free. And there was “There’s your point. Pass the ball over”. He had a cue for the frees he missed too: “Next ball.” And he repeated it 20 times to let the moment pass and redirect himself back to the game.
Corrigan’s meditative approach to free-taking can be traced back to a MacRory Cup final with St Michael’s. He didn’t feel he played well and he wanted to know why. A journey of introspection followed, and he discovered a box breathing technique which the US Marines used to help them relax.
A breath in for four seconds followed by a breath out for eight soon became part of his free-taking routine.
To help improve accuracy, Corrigan picked targets behind the goals. An advertising board or even a supporter wearing a brightly coloured jacket would suffice as a spot to narrow the focus. That was easy to implement for the home games as Corrigan already knew “every block behind the posts”. On away days, he would head out to the pitch ahead of throw-in and start identifying points to aim at.
Corrigan also took advice from Donegal manager Jim McGuinness. He was 16 at the time and playing for the Fermanagh minors when McGuinness was invited in to take a few sessions. Like Corrigan, McGuinness was starting out on his own path that would lead him to becoming a revolutionary coach in Gaelic football, and an All-Ireland-winning manager.
“He actually introduced me to visualisation and breathing and the power of those techniques to help with performance.
“Then I started to read into meditation and practice it. I found that it was something that you could just do because you don’t have that long to get your breathing under control. I found that was just a quick technique to sort of relax the vagus nerve through that technique.”
****
Both Redmond and Corrigan needed privacy to practice their frees. Corrigan didn’t kick frees during the team’s collective training sessions. His father was involved with St Michael’s in Enniskillen and would use their pitch for his own private free-taking time.
“I would practice technique, just hitting the ball over the bar and getting a feel for kicking the ball on the sweet spot with right and left. And then I would practice about five frees from the right side, left side and in the centre. The important point was that I would go through the exact same routine for each free and just drill it over and over in my head.”
Corrigan was a key player for Fermanagh in their run to the All-Ireland quarter-final in 2015. But he feels 2016 was his best season when he finished as the fourth-highest scorer in the championship with a tally of 0-29. Retirement from Fermanagh followed during the Covid pandemic.
But for every matchday free, Corrigan would rely on all that psychology work to transport himself back to the pitch in St Michael’s. That’s where everything came together for him.
“When I was visualising at the start of the routine, I would actually visualise being up at the St Michael’s pitch practising the free. And there was obviously no one else there. So, that helped if there was a big crowd at the match.”
Redmond preferred the quiet isolation he got at his club pitch in Erin’s Isle for shooting at the posts.
He always kicked frees for his club but didn’t assume that role with the Dublin footballers until around 1990 when Barney Rock picked up an injury. A talented soccer player, he had a natural flair for striking the ball cleanly off the ground. And to become more proficient with his place-kicking, he found his retreat in Erin’s Isle.
He always brought a bag filled with eight balls for his practice sessions, and former Dublin footballer Wayne McCarthy would come along to retrieve the balls after every shot.
But no-one else was permitted to watch. Redmond didn’t like it if anyone saw him behind the curtain, putting in the work to assemble his production.
“I hated anybody watching me taking the frees in Erin’s Isle because I was always trying to develop things.
“I remember one particular day there were building houses beside Erin’s Isle. One of the builders started looking at me and roared over to say hi. But it just completely threw me and I had to just put all the balls together and I left.
“I had no problem doing it in Croke Park [for games], but one person [watching] when I was practicing could completely upset me.”
****
Redmond never felt rushed to kick a free before he was ready. He always ran by his own clock. He never missed a step and was never out of sync with himself throughout a career that yielded All-Ireland medals in 1983 and 1995.
That one incident in the league game for Dublin didn’t discourage him. And his advice to Darragh McCarthy is to stay unbothered, and keep committing to his technique.
“I don’t think the Tipperary lads are going to change their routine for the Cork lads. In fact, they might even make it a little bit longer.”
Corrigan has some concerns for McCarthy that the ongoing attention could result in the intervention of a referee. He had to deal with that danger at times in his career too.
“The odd referee would tell me to hurry up, which would throw me, but I then learned to just sort of treat that as just another extra bit of noise that you just had to block out. I was never reprimanded.”
McCarthy is adamant that he won’t change. He’s unmoved by the recent buzz. And as Limerick roll into town later this evening for their next league outing, his meticulous method will surely cause another stir.
The stage awaits in Semple Stadium.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
charlie redmond Dublin GAA Fermanagh GAA GAA Gaelic Football Hurling The Process Tomas Corrigan