When I was teaching, I had the lads out hurling probably 4 lunchtimes per week. The other day was PE day! I’m sure other lads on here did/do the same. When the lads hurl that often, they get good- or most do. It is impossible for a club to replicate that, in my view. Therefore it becomes essential to get someone into your local primary school who is hurling-mad!
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This for me is the most important thing. If you are hurling before school and at lunch. You cant do much else. Young lads have hurls in their hands every day at that rate and probably when they go home then too. That is exact replication of whats going on down the country. If young lads are at that they develop a real love of the game. Secondary school is where we lose out. Unless your in the like of Colaiste Eoin.
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So is it fair to say this is where the dreaded drop off starts to happen?
Wexford have hurling 365. @LiamMac mentioned it some time back here for some dublin GPO’s.
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I think so. We always do well at u14 feile and the standard is really high. Then it drops in my opinion. I think up to u14 we match other counties because in a lot of primary schools lads have hurls with them all the time…there is no soccer in most traditional gaa primary schools either…so you have everyone hurling. Then they go to secondary and bar a few places hurling is not even on the radar. Lads are not bringing hurls to school with them. Like training is important obviously but you cant beat young lads walking around with hurls all the time. If you have a secondary where lads are bringing in their hurls they are pucking at lunch a bit maybe in the evening.
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No argument there. I think Clubs need to do more and ring fence hurling folks to coach. No disrespect intended to GPO’s but some of them have never played hurling and are as good as some parents. Great organisation skills etc, however……
I see an approach where sessions between both codes are almost the same. As in what is designed out for football, apply it to hurling. I guess that’s what I’m trying to see here from folks
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As I mentioned previously run an extra session a week for those who are particularly interested in hurling. Mix of ages. Could be a puck around or with a bit of structure. Just get the hurls in the hand more. As regards training speed speed speed. Show lads how to catch a ball from in front and behind(no batting). Awards scores in training for lads catching. Drills that replicate matches…taking lads on…shortening the grip etc. Drills where you have to pick it and score with lads chasing you. Tackling and when to get the flick in(christ how good are kilkenny at this) All that kind of stuff.
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Needs to be done across the board as well, not just in pockets.
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While I think there is another thread for actual skill drills, there are a few rules of thumb, imho. Lots of this, I eventually picked up from repeatedly failing and doing the wrong thing! Coaching is a learning curve that never ends!
I would never line kids up behind cones, in training like the GPOs used to back in the 90s! Six kids behind a cone means each gets a sixth of the session. There should be a ball per child. Aim for a minimum of 200 contacts with the ball, per session, per child. Use cones to mark out the pitch but not for much more than that. Vary it up. Don’t let training be predictable. Praise is your friend and their’s too. Make sure they enjoy the session. Let them play games/matches. Never let kids pick teams. Match them off according to size/ability as opposed to age. A wise teacher once said to me ‘They may not remember much of what was in the books but they will remember how we made them feel about themselves!’ Hindsight is easy though!
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The Snig, for sure. I used to run a shooting puc around on a Monday evening across two age groups. Football crowd got the hump and wanted to do alternate weeks after that once they seen that lads were enjoying it and it was working for us.
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200 ball contacts? Are you training for 20 mins 
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I meant for younger kids!! I didn’t want to scare anyone off!! Tough crowd on here😅
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You point on the balls is a good one. I’d have 60/80 balls per session. Tough ask with club execs and chair folks who don’t know why that is.
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Hurling 365 is a great idea, for Wexford Hurling, I could see it being adopted by some Clubs here in Dublin, but, not a County roll out from DCB.
We’re a Football County who plays Hurling.
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What about Cuman the numbskulls? Could they have a go at it?
Coaches who want to know what to work on, here’s the Bible, Martin Fogarty’s Magnificent 7.
“Coaching at a Pitch Near You”
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Could do, however, from what I’ve heard from some schools, they played 2 CnaB games last year for Junior Teams.
No Shooting in there…bleedin Kilkenny lads, sure what would they know anyway!!!
His “3 and in” games are very good.
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Part of Striking Skill.
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No sense of humour you GPO’s 
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I blame football 
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