Mental Recovery

Recurring injury can be fairly depressing. You take your rest, do your exercises but when you get back into your chosen sport fully, you break down. In some ways, if you have to be injured, it's better to have one that is more clear cut i.e. cruciate or whatever. Of course, you'd rather not have any injury but the procedure to repair a cruciate and the programme of recovery are so well defined that you know exactly what you are getting into and most people make a full recovery with no recurrences.

I injured my back in early 2006 and I'd say I've been conscious of it 75% of the time I've trained or played since. Maybe 25% of the time it impacted my performance and often any further impact was cancelled out by nurofen. The inability to shake the injury would get on top of me from time to time. When I went back training last Thursday, the warning signs were there from the off. Both hamstrings felt they would go at the slightest sprint or twist and towards the end, the lower back started to stiffen.

For the following days, my whole back was sore enough to head for the nurofen box again and my flexibility was seriously reduced. You'd be thinking to yourself that it's hardly worth your while to be even trying to play and you’d be feeling sorry for yourself. Self-pity gets you nowhere though. Instead, it's better to think about the positives. For instance, the injury has been this bad before and I have recovered to the point where I could play again. So that's what I drill into my head. There was a way before so there can be a way again.

It boils down to positive attitude and discipline. I was reading about sports psychology and its link to injury recovery during the week. They say you should educate yourself fully about an injury and that's something I've found very good. The internet is an unlimited resource so finding the desired content is easy. For instance, I could read about my injury but also about people's experiences recovering from it. They'll have gone through the same process, got the same feedback from doctors etc but will have found a way. And it always comes back to attitude and discipline. I think most people underestimate the power of those two traits. The most successful people in any walk of live have them in abundance. It's a winner’s mentality and we must remember that it's a controllable; we can decide our own attitude and application.

Paddy Tiedt is an acupuncture guy that we use in Kinsale. He's immensely positive and a great guy to see when you have an injury for that reason. Of course, the question you'd always ask him is what can I do and how much? He'd stand facing the wall with his palms facing it. He'd tell you to treat the injury like a fire and he'd move his hands towards the wall (or imaginary fire in this case) but when he got too close he'd pull them back saying it was too hot. Sounds like a stupid story but I keep it in my mind now. The message is yes, by all means train, but when you are feeling the injury step back from the fire.

Today, the back has eased out again but I'm not naive enough to think that I'm ready to participate fully in training. So now it's a case of changing the approach. The gym work is grand but it's not helping my fitness for hurling and football so I need to run. But I can't run the way you do at training where you must twist and turn and ship challenges. I'll devise a little programme for myself and train away at the end of the pitch tomorrow night. It’s not ideal but if I can eliminate the things that aggravate it then at least I can make up some of the lost ground.

And I couldn't miss the opportunity to show off my latest fashion item to complement the yellow boots.

Fostering Spirit

One thing you'd always try to tell a fella is that when you feel absolutely wrecked in a match, the guy alongside you is probably feeling the same. It then becomes a question of who has the greater resolve to go deeper into their reservoir.

Now, training was by no means barbaric last night but there were a few sprints at the beginning and the end which got the chest pounding. I certainly felt it both in my chest and legs. A session in the gym the night before involving squats and lunges was still lingering in my muscles and I was struggling to separate whether it was a low level of fitness or those exercises which were causing the tiredness. Mentally, I was prepared for a bit of ball so that may have been another contributing factor! Eoin was back in Ireland and Conan was in charge and from chatting to him over the years, I should have known there would have been more physical stuff.

I was talking to Condon over Christmas about the difficulties of moving from trainer to player, especially when you have so many of your own ideas on training. He trains the Intermediates at home but plays with the Juniors and said often there may be things you would do differently (not necessarily better or worse) but ultimately you would enjoy it. I kept that in mind and enjoyed the session.

One comment from last night is how we continue to be such a quiet group. Naturally players won't be dishing out instructions at training but still they should be heard and in a positive way i.e. always encouraging guys during the running drills. I say it all the time, while you are recovering your team-mate is suffering and you should be there for him. As a small example, I was in the first group of the shuttles last night which meant I finished first. As everyone finished, we went straight for water. That meant the last group completed the exercise in isolation, with no support or encouragement. In the final running exercise, I was again in the first group and started to walk away when I was finished. Then it clicked with me and I returned to make sure someone in Johnny P's group was there to encourage him across the line.

It's a subtle thing but one of the important elements in fostering a bond between team-mates and it gives you a more collective drive when you are on the pitch.

Time to get back on the bike…

…or off it as the case may be. Some sporadic spinning classes and less than enthusiastic little sessions on the bike have been the extent of my cardio work for the last five months.

It’s time to return to training. The back is a good bit better, if not totally recovered. It doesn’t look like it will get back to perfect but I could play with it in its current state without issue. It’s just a case of how it reacts to the twisting and turning and all that comes with playing hurling and football.

The lads have been back training a month but I haven’t missed it at all, not even just being out training. I’ve actually enjoyed the free time, going to the gym and generally not having any commitment. There is one big thing I notice though – life goes on without you!!

For the last three years I was one of the main focal points of the whole thing which means you are deeply involved and everyone has something to say to you about it. Now I’m on the outside looking in and you realise your revised role in the bigger picture. You are truly just another cog in the wheel. It leaves a certain gap but it’s more a case of being conscious of it than missing it.

By all accounts training has been going well. Eoin’s style is different in that he isn’t doing any heavy fitness work now. Instead it’s all ball related stuff. Hopefully that will mean my lack of fitness will be exposed less in the coming weeks.

The lads head to Dublin this weekend to join up with some of our former players for a tournament against Kilmacud, Peregrines and Cuala. The former two have visited us in the past so it is good to return the gesture.

I’m not travelling, partly because of injury but as much because I simply want to travel less and spend less money on G.A.A. trips this year.

Temperatures will get down to zero tonight so it’s going to be cold out there. I may have said I didn't miss it but I know the minute I get the ball in my hands that the enjoyment will become apparent immediately. Six weeks to the first tournament and you have to start somewhere!

Learning From O'Gara

Every opportunity you have to learn, you should grasp. When it comes to training, that means attending courses, conferences, club/county sessions etc. There are also other opportunities though. With little interest in the rugby last weekend, I spent most of the game watching the subs warm-up, observing the different stretches etc. You will always pick one or two things up and can then easily incorporate them into your sessions to bring some variety.

However, what was most interesting was what I saw after the game. We were all loitering around just outside the stadium and while the lads were waiting for the jacks, I went back in for a look at the pitch with Timmy. The Irish subs, including those who had come on, were playing a game of touch rugby across the field. Funnily enough, three of the Italians players had also joined in.

O'Gara stood out though. Now, being from Cork and a non-rugby orientated background, I would not be overly enamoured with Pres and Christians folk. They carried a ridiculous clannish confidence around College with them and liked to do a bit of huffing and puffing in the pubs and clubs. O'Gara being ex-Pres could naturally be tarnished with that brush and probably over the years has done one or two things to make it stick.

However, you can't but admire the guys' resilience. From reading his book, you certainly don't get the impression that he was the type of guy earmarked as a future Lion from day one. He worked extremely hard at his game though. Despite this, he has faced ridicule time and time again, especially for supposedly being the weak tackler in the back line. Still, he has stepped up time and again and done the business. At 34, his resilience is undiminished and he showed it again in Rome last week.

Usually, we get very little first hand insight into these guys’ approach to the game. O'Gara stood out in the touch game on Saturday though. He was bringing an intensity to it far above the rest, constantly looking for the ball and making the runs. I know it's not much but it is indicative of his approach to training and the game himself. After kicking the winning score, probably being pissed off with not starting, this was his attitude. When the opposition had the ball he was just as intense and I'd say the rest thought he was a complete pain in the arse. It's the kind of approach all of us should bring to training. If I learned nothing about Ireland's supposedly improved patterns of play last weekend, I can at least try and take a leaf out of O'Gara's book when I’m on the training pitch.

36hrs in Rome

Note; If you were not in Rome on this trip, you may want to stop reading now as you will not be able to relate to, or find very little of what follows to be funny. I make no apologies, it is my blog.

Purpose – Italy v Ireland, Six Nations Rugby match & a few pints. Tourist activities a bonus.

Touring Party – Alec, Timmy, Ross, Ollie, Ross, myself and newly appointed Belgium GAA tour leader Paul Hagan. Johnny Phelan was a late withdrawal after being denied boarding, illegally, to a Ryanair flight.

Accommodation – Hostel close to Termini (?) station. Ticked all the boxes. Only disappointment was that the Brazilian on reception only arrived on Sunday morning. She seemed very helpful.

Top 5 Highlights
1) Paul Hagan’s ‘Guide to Rome’ – Lonely Planet isn’t a scratch on it.
2) Corkman saves the day
3) Ollie buying 7 American girls a drink...and all for what?
4) Ross Church, Tourism Ireland
5) Scrum v’s Amsterdam GAA in Campo de Fiore
6) Pulling it out of the bag with the priests

Top 5 Disappointments
1) Ollie’s form
2) €5 cans of Peroni
3) The fact there is only one toilet in any restaurant/bar in Rome – not easy when drinking
4) So many half finished buildings and random pieces of wall scattered around the place
5) General desire of Italians to rob you
6) Undoing all the good work with the priests

Roman Quotes

Ross - I wonder will there be alot of Irish on the flight from Brussels?
Various - Yes, becaus you'd fly via Brussels to get to Rome?!

Whilst waiting for Ollie in the airport in Rome.
Ross - 90% of those people look like they are Irish.
Dave - That's probably because it's the Dublin flight.

Ollie - What's Italian for Pizza?
Paul - Pizza.

Ollie - I sold my soul to the devil for these good looks.
Priest - You should try and get your money back.

American girl to Ollie - You are like a pigeon.
Ollie - ...................

Eanna - How do you eat an olive?
Tim - You just it it, like.

Moments prior to Ronan O'Gara kicking the winning score
Paul - Earn your f*****g living 'ROG' (in aggressive Nordie accent)
'ROG' kicks score
Paul - That's what you are paid to do

American girl – I’m from D.C.
Ollie – That’s in the south isn’t it?
American girl – Wow, how did you know?
Ollie – Everyone knows that – the Mason Dixon line.

Ross – Who is that actor in the Pete Postlethwaite documentary?
Assortment – Eh, Pete Postlethwaite?

Drinking in a pub watching Scotland game. Paul disappears to check the street name and returns 20mins later.
Dave - You were gone long enough
Paul – Aye, I snuck out and went to Mass

Moving From Generic To Innovative

In the Pharmaceutical Industry, companies like Pfizer, Eli Lilly etc spend billions of dollars developing new products. When they finally get the product to the market, they are protected by patents (which means others can't reproduce the same product for a defined period of time). This allows them to charge a premium price to recoup the R&D costs and also to turn a profit to reward their innovation. Once the patent expires, companies can replicate their product, without incurring any of the development costs and sell on the market for a fraction of the price. These products become known as generic drugs.
 
The coaching world is not that different in many ways, excluding the monetary element. You will find very innovative coaches, developing new methods. Soon, these methods will be observed by the masses and replicated on fields all over the place. What you have then are innovative coaches and generic coaches. At the beginning of your career it is ok to be a generic coach but you should remember, if you  follow the generic model, the best you can hope to achieve are the same results as everyone else. This works in the pharmaceutical industry because the goal is to make people better. You can't really make someone better than better so each drug's endpoint is the same.
 
However, when coaching, you must have a different end point to the competitor or else every game, in theory at least, would end in a draw. For a certain period of time and at a certain level, generic will work because maybe you have better players or have just mastered the generic model better than others. To progress beyond that and ensure you have an edge on opponents, you must go a step further than the generic drug companies and become innovative yourself.
 
Here we arrive at a potential blocking point for us Irish. It is something I have observed through my work. When I was in Graduate Recruitment I interviewed candidates from all over Europe and beyond. We also attended University fairs across Europe. This experience highlighted a major contrast between the education systems in Ireland and those in countries like Holland, Germany or the US.
 
The Irish student, allowing for generalisation, is one who likes to cram. In the days up to an exam they will overload on facts and figures and then on the day, they will transfer these from their brain through their pen and onto the paper. The bell will signal the end of the exam and with it, the student will head for the bar and never give the content a second thought again. When they present themselves at interviews or job fairs, they haven't thought out the career which they want to pursue. It is as if they are coming to you looking for guidance.
 
The US student, as an example, will have been educated in an environment where they are encouraged to think, allowed scope and expected to have their own opinions and develop their own philosophies. They have also a clear image of where they want to go after study. This is the key difference - they are taught and encouraged to think. With this skill you can transform yourself from a generic coach to an innovative coach.
 
I've been reading a lot of material about training lately and the one thing that you never hear top coaches or coaching tutors give to developing coaches, especially in the area of strength and conditioning, is criticism. They always encourage the coach and will offer advice on how to develop their methods. This advice will revolve around principles. We can call these the ‘’what’’. Defining the “how” cannot be done in a one size fits all manner and shouldn't be approached in that way, otherwise you remain generic. It should also be said that these experienced coaches are very much interested in two way communication so that they can take every opportunity to learn themselves.
 
So a coach should understand they have a freedom to think and use the principles as the road map. Systems and styles of play should be built in consideration of the talent you have available. Drills should be focused on developing the skills required to execute within the chosen system. Drills practice skills or patterns. How they are structured is totally up to the coach. How you place your cones or organise your drills is up to you and you should have the courage to experiment and not be afraid to make a balls of it.
 
Often, practically all the time in fact, the best learning comes through your failures. This learning will only come about through thought and reflection and this is the key to becoming an innovator.

January Review

With January traditionally being the most miserable of months I made a plan to keep busy and keep the post Christmas homesickness and general depression at bay. As reviewed a couple of weeks ago, this was proceeding with varying degrees of success.

1 Training

I followed a five times a week routine along these general lines;

Monday; Spinning, core, flexibility
Tuesday; Day off
Wednesday; 'Dynamic' weights circuit, core, flexibility
Thursday; Day off
Friday; 'Dynamic' weights circuit, core class, flexibility
Saturday; 2*15mins on the bike, 2*15mins on the cross trainer, core express, flexibility
Sunday; Weights - strength focus, core, flexibility

It made for a busy month and you'd really look forward to a Tuesday / Thursday off. Of course, you must be careful not to overdo it so you can let the body recover and maximise the benefit of your work. Also, in the sessions themselves, you should be upping the weight or intensity of the cardio a notch as you go and I probably didn't do that enough.

To make a routine like this work, you need to do it with someone else. Generally, I'd go with Collins but Collie B, Crusher and Hudson all joined on occasion. You might get away with one or two sessions a week on your own but maintaining the motivation over a period of time would be a challenge. Also, routine is everything, even the nights you don't want to go, you must push yourself because once you skip the first one, you can be sure your discipline will break again. I missed the Monday session last week and I was p1ssed off for a few days about it. That’s the kind of effect it has when you buy into it.

There was no pitch session in above plan and I only have a few tentative ones scheduled for February. I don't think Hudson can understand how I can do the gym work but not the field training. I see his point but the minute I start twisting or turning and kicking and pucking ball, the pain in the back gets worse. So I follow Paddy Tiedt’s advice go up to the pain barrier and when you get to it, step back.

2 Eating

The main thing to tackle this month was the pizza. I set the target of one a week with Sunday being the breakout day!! Actually, this proved to be much easier than I thought. Previously my dependence on it was down to laziness, a dispute with vegetables and the bland nature of my food preparation. I started to do a proper food shop once or twice a week and made sure I always had enough food in the house. Peppers, pepper, herbs, oregano, carrots, soya sauce and a selection of other ingredients started to become regulars in the shopping basket.

The result was a much more varied and tasty menu and a knock-on effect to my eating habits. I actually look forward to cooking now and the temptation for pizza is virtually gone. I had been looking forward to having one in Dublin last weekend but when I got it, I didn't even finish it. Still, that's not to say I've gone off it totally. Those two Sundays in January I skipped were very much in preparation for this weekend’s trip to Rome!! You can bank credits right?

Sweets remain an issue and will be the next thing on the list to tackle.

3 Drinking

Out went the fizzy drinks and they stayed out. Only last weekend did I come close to blinking. Also out was beer. No problem there (but a seriously reduced amount of craic as a result). I stayed solely on water for virtually the entire month. Last Sunday I had fresh orange juice and a hot chocolate at breakfast and that was the only time I deviated.

4 The Results

Physically and mentally I feel in good shape. My weight is stable but as I said previously keeping it at that level or increasing slightly was ok. The body fat % is coming down slower than I had expected. I must check it today but I'd say I've gone from around 20% to 18/19%. Not such good progress but I think I know the countermeasure for that. The back is marginally better. I'd hoped to be in a bit better shape but I think a slightly more focused approach to this will help.

5 February Targets

> Training - I need to incorporate more lower back exercises into my routine and start to up the intensity of the sessions.
> Eating - Maintain current improvements, reduce carb intake after 18h, no more chocolate/biscuits on weekdays in the evening.
> Drinking - Green tea will be added to the water and alcohol will come back into the fray. This isn't such an issue as I don't drink that frequently anyway. It’s the fizzy drinks that need to be kept in check.
> Body Fat % reduction - Direct link to the sweet intake!!