“Coaching Children in the GAA”•Presented by Paudie Butler•Clare GAA Award 1 Child Course 2013•Wolfe Tones GAA Club

Graceful, Balanced and Economical

Deformed, Lopsided, Stunted

“People know what they do,they frequently know why they

do what they do,but what they don’t know,

is what they do does”

French Philosopher – Jean Michel Foucault

1. The Right to participate in sport.

2. The Right to participate at a level commensurate with each child’s maturity and ability.

3. The Right to have qualified adult leadership.

4. The Right to play as a child and not as an adult.

5. The Right to share in the leadership and decision-making of their sport participation.

6. The Right to participate in a safe and healthy environment.

7. The Right to proper preparation for participation in sport.

8. The right to equal opportunity for success.

9. The Right to be treated with dignity.

10. The Right to have fun in sport.

The Rights of the Child in Sport

“Movement is the Child’s First Language”

Sally Goddard Blythe – The Well Balanced Child

Primary School Curriculum

ABC - Agility Balance Coordination

R.J.T

.Running Jum

ping Throwing

CPKSCatching PassingKicking Striking

Games

Fun Fun

What is a Coach?

“A Coach is a Person who

Builds Competencies

by

Assisting and Challenging

Players and Self

to Achieve their Potential”

“The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice, and because we fail to notice,that we fail to notice

there is little that we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice has shaped out thoughts and deeds”

R.D. Laing

Failing to Notice

Trust

Reliability Competence

Success vs. FailureAssisting Challenging

The End of the Beginningor

The Beginning of the End?

“Your Children are not your ChildrenBut Life’s Longing for Itself”

Cahil Gibrain

13© GAA31 Coaching Children - Paudie Butler

So Why Do Children Play?

...to have fun

...to feel worthy

...to belong

...to be free

...to have influence

...to survive

...to be like their heroes

...to test themselves

Positive Negative Outcome

+1 : -1 > Depression+3 : -1 > Survival+5 : -1 > Growth+7 : -1 > Flourishing

Maureen Gaffney - Flourishing

The Positivity Ratio

What Great Coaches Do

1. Coach Players Values

2. Focus on Player’s Real Beliefs

3. Coach Player Habits and Behaviours

4. Focus on Player’s Resistance (Feelings & Emotions)

5. Develop Player’s Ability to Think

6. Nurture Player’s Ambition & Desire

7. Focus on Player’s Lifestyle

8. Be aware of Player’s Uniqueness & Attitude

9. Build Player’s Confidence & Calmness

10. Enhance Player’s Self-Esteem

What Coaching is NOT!When you as a coach are:• Enforcing • Controlling• Manipulating• Bullying• Insulting• Berating• Pressurising…

You are NOT Coaching and CANNOT achieve the results of Coaching

Risk

Balance

Training TimePressure

Game Time

Skill masteryFormal

Game TimeInstruction

Praise

Non-pressureSelf expression

InformalTravelActionSafety

Correction

When everyone plays, you have the balance right.

When you have the balance right, everyone stays.

BalanceWhen they have enough skill

to enjoy the game.When they have enough games

to show their skills.

7 to 12 is The Golden Age of Learning

“Education has for its objectivethe formation of character”

Herbert Spencer

Stages of DevelopmentAge 6 - 12 Play to LearnAge 13 - 17 Learn to CompeteAge 18 - 40+ Compete to Win

Acquiring Bilateral Coordination6-12 Stage 1 : Play to Learn

Games Based Coaching ModelPlay the Game

Freeze the Game

Fix the Skill

Fuel the Will

Observe Analyse

Re-Affirm Generate Feedback

Demonstrate Explain

Set Targets Encourage

Mod

ify

Chan

ge

“Tugann Dúchas Dóchas”