Coaching Missionary Visits Brussels

Eamonn Ryan is highly regarded coach in G.A.A. circles and his name would be known throughout Ireland. His credentials are impressive having played inter-county football for Cork in the sixties and then gone on to coach Cork teams in virtually every code at every level. His most recent successes came with the Cork Ladies Footballers with whom he won five consecutive All-Irelands. Other clubs he would be strongly associated with would be Glenville, Watergrasshill, Na Piarsaigh and UCC to name just a few.

It is to his credit that he has kept up to date with all the latest coaching innovations, when many of his contemporaries have lost their jobs and credibility for not doing likewise. Mick O'Dywer is of the same vintage and much heralded but has not won an All-Ireland in donkeys years whereas Eamonn is still achieving great successes.

On Friday, I picked Eamonn up at the airport and we headed for a pre-arranged talk. There, he spoke to a group of forty club members for nearly two hours. Much of it focused on demonstrating what he wanted to do during the pitch sessions. A couple of points he made stood out though. One was relating to ownership and the player's role in develop their skills. When I was thinking about what to say to the Ladies at the 7's, one of the points I made was that as a coach, I'm only a facilitator. They are the players and they must make the decisions on the pitch. Eamonn also linked this to skill development and it is an important point for us all to remember.

He talked about a study he did on hurley size and his evidence and argument were very convincing. So many of the older generations live in the past and refuse to embrace the changes in modern hurling. Eamonn bucks the trend and he talked of how a shorter hurley is more relevant for the modern 'pick and strike' game. He had done a study of inter-county hurlers and listed off the names of top hurlers and the size of their hurleys. By the end of it, I think he had us convinced and most will seek a shorter caman for 2010.

On Saturday, he got rolling at 10h00 with the Ladies footballers and followed up with a session with the men. Many of the drills were the same and very simple in nature. In different ways, he pressurised and tired us but always kept the focus on the skill element. His explanations were clear and concise and he had many of us kicking points with our weaker foot by the end of it. I tend to cram too much into each drill and try and short-cut things a bit. I'd be paranoid about training lacking intensity and all that. From that point of view, how Eamonn goes about his business is a good learning.

On Sunday morning he was out with the Hurlers and again, we had a very worthwhile skill based session. Whatever about football, we especially need to work on our basic skills in hurling so his guidance was very relevant. His patient but firm approach works well and keeps you focused during the session.

A late addition to his itinerary was to train the kids out in Tervuren. The kids club have remained very separate to us since our re-formation and I thought it may be a good opportunity to start some strengthening of the link. With Fergal, Sean and Conor M playing with us but also having kids out at these trainings, the timing is good. Eamonn was excellent with the kids and his structured way of teaching the skills should be a great learning for the coaches. Eamonn himself felt it topped off the weekend very well.

He told me that when he used to first hear about European G.A.A. he wouldn't have taken it very seriously. Since then he has the opportunity to travel to Holland, France and Spain coaching teams and it has heightened his respect for the games on the Continent. At the weekend, he attended sessions in four different locations across the city. When you see his energy, enthusiasm and knowledge, it’s easy to understand why he remains such a respected coach.