Spot and Fix

Hurling
Skill	Common Faults	Common Causes	Corrections & Adjustments
Ground Strike	Not striking the sliotar	Lifting the head up to follow the ball	Keep the head down, looking at the original position until the follow through
Ground Strike	Not striking the sliotar	Not stand close enough to the ball	Hold the Hurl at the top with the dominant hand, place the bas of the hurl beside the ball, while standing upright
Pick Up (jab lift/ roll lift)	Player isn’t rising the ball. Sliotar is moving away from the player	Hurl is being held at too great an angle	Make sure the Hurl is being held level/ parallel with the ground
		Catching the ball in the dominant hand; this may lead to difficulty when attempting to strike the ball	To correct, ensure that the non-dominant hand is released to catch the ball
		Holding the hurl with the ‘toe’ facing inwards; this may lead to difficulty in sliding the hurl under the ball	To correct, the hurl is turned to face the ‘toe’ away from the body
The Dribble	Player loses control of the sliotar	The toe of the hurl is facing towards the ground	Place the heel of the hurl on the ground
		Player has one hand on the hurl	Ensure player always has two hands on the hurl
		The player is holding the hurl with both hands at the top	Make sure the dominant hand is at the top of the stick, and the other half way down the hurl for controlled possession
Striking from the hand	Missing the ball completely	Holding the hurl at too long at the grip	Hold the hurl short initially before gradually moving to hold it at full length
		Placing the non-dominant hand above the dominant hand on the hurl; this may limit their ability to adapt the strike in a game situation	Place the non-dominant hand below the dominant hand (close to the butt of the hurl) in the lock position
		Tossing the ball up too high or too far in front	Practice simply tossing the ball up to shoulder height and catching it
Ground Flick	Missing the ball	Not getting close enough to the opponent; may be exposed to being struck during the follow through	Make shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip contact.
		Taking the eyes off the ball, this may mean missing the ball entirely	Keep the head down and eyes on the ball until the flick is complete
		Performing the swing too slowly.	Use a quick, wristy action to swing for the ball
Controlling a moving ball	Failing to stop or control the ball	Holding the hurl at full length	Shorten the grip by holding the hurl further down the handle with both hands
Controlling a moving ball	Failing to stop or control the ball	Not getting your body behind the ball	Make sure you are in a strong position with body behind the ball, and be on your toes
Hand pass	Player seems to get little or no distance or accuracy when hand passing	Player may be throwing the sliotar too high into the air	Coach how to hand pass the ball off the other hand while it rests there.
		Player’s arm may be pointing away from the intended target/ teammate	Coach how to finish your arm pointing in the direction you want the sliotar to go to
		Player may be striking the sliotar off their fingertips or palm of their hand	Coach how to hand pass where your fingers and palm of your hand meet, for best accuracy
Solo	Sliotar keeps falling off the players hurl	Player is trying to solo holding the hurl at the end of the hurl	Coach player to hold the hurl with dominant hand, half way up the hurl
Solo	Sliotar keeps falling off the players hurl	Player is holding the hurl at an angle, sliotar keeps rolling off	Player should be holding the hurl at parallel. Use a beanbag to grow confidence first if need
Frontal Ground Block	Missing the ball, producing a weak tackle	Not extending the dominant arm. The opponent’s hurl may slide up and injure the tackling player	Extend the dominant arm fully, placing the hurl perpendicular to the ground
Hook	Missing the hook tackle/ sliotar	Attempting to Hook from the front	take up position behind the opponent
		Trying to do a timed flick	Hold the hurl out on the path of the swing
		Not striding into the tackle and extending the arm	Take up position an appropriate distance behind the opponent
Frontal Block	Missing the tackle	Dropping the hurl below the striking hurl, the opponent’s hurl may follow through and strike the blocking player	block down firmly on both the ball and the opponent’s hurl as the ball is about to be struck
Frontal Block	The tackler getting hurl	The holding the hurl with the dominant hand at the top, the other hand half way up the hurl	Ensure both hands are held at the top of the hurl, so the tackler doesn’t get hurl

Football
Skill	Common Faults	Common Causes	Corrections & Adjustments
Kick	Football is kicked high into the air instead of over a distance.	Player has his/her ‘toe up’ when kicking; i.e. using a ‘soft foot’ Player is leaning back as he/she kicks the ball. Player is holding the ball too far from his/her body [long arms]	Coach the player the ‘toe down’ / ‘hard foot’ method of kicking Coach how to watch the ball all the way down to the point where it strikes his/her foot [better balance] Coach how to carry the ball closer and let it drop rather than throw it out.
Kick	Poorly directed kick – skews off target	Player is kicking with the outside edge of his/her boot Player’s standing foot is planted away from the target	Coach how to kick ‘off the laces’ and follow the kicking foot through towards the target [e.g. teammate or posts] Coach how to plant the standing foot [non-kicking foot] directly at the target [e.g. a team-mate, the goals]
Overhead Catch	Player makes ground to catch the ball but always seems to reach and miss	Arms too wide and ball drops through Poor timing – player leans forward to catch with long arms	Coach the player how to ‘make the butterfly hands’ for the overhead catch. Coach how to take an extra step towards the flight of the ball – stops player having to lean forward for the catch
Overhead Catch	Player tends to pat the ball down rather than attempt an overhead catch	Player is keen to take the ‘sting’ out of a ball in flight.	Coach how to make the ‘W’ shape with fingers of two hands and practise with a lobbed ball first. Soft Hands
Crouch Lift	Player slows up and appears awkward or unsure when approaching the ball	Player shortens stride in an attempt to get feet in the right position for the lift.	Coach player how to make the last stride into the ball a long one. This will help maintain speed and give a solid base from which to drive off.
Crouch Lift	Player gets in position but misses the first attempt at the lift.	Hands are too far apart or by the side of the ball.	Coach how to reach in front of the ball and make a scoop with hands tight together and fingers spread.
Solo Run	Player drops ball to foot but kicks it ahead rather than back to hand	Player is using a ‘hard foot’ to kick the ball – toe down method Player is holding the ball too far from his/her body	Coach the player how to kick with a ‘soft foot’ – toe pointed up. Coach the player to hold the ball closer to body [a bent elbow helps]
Solo Run	Player seems to skip or hop when toe tapping on the move	Check to see if the player is throwing the ball into the air and waiting for it to drop to his/her foot. Player may be trying to return the ball from foot to hand by bending the knee and hopping to help his/her kicking foot reach the ball	Coach how to let the ball roll off the fingers to the foot. Controlling it will then be easier. Coach how to keep the kicking leg straight as it strikes the ball [locked knee, no bend].
Hand Pass	Player seems to get little or no distance or accuracy when attempting the fist pass or fisted score	Check the football size and weight? Player may be striking the ball off his/her fingers or knuckles. Player may be swinging his arm in a ‘roundhouse’ fashion. Player may be throwing the ball into the air before striking it.	Use Size 2 for U6, Size 3 for U8 and Size 4 for U10 players. Coach how to fist using the fleshy part of the fist at the base of the thumb and near the wrist. Coach how to swing arm close to side of body and through the ball. Coach how to fist the ball off the other hand while it rests there.
Block Down	Player shying away from contact	Player may be afraid of getting injured	Coach how to stand in close to the kicker and to approach from the side
Block Down	Missing the ball as it passes though the outstretched arms	Hands are too far apart	Coach how to reach forward with the hands together and eyes on the ball
Tackling	Tackling opponent from behind	Player may be unsure of body position before making the tackle	Coach how to move alongside opponent and keep eyes focussed on the ball
Tackling	Tackling with the outside hand	Easier for the player to slap the ball from opponent, giving away a free	Coach how to flick the ball away with the near hand when the opponents far leg is forward
Body Catch	Leaning backwards as the ball approaches	Player waiting stationary for the ball	Coach moving forward to receive the ball
Body Catch	Ball bouncing off the chest	Players elbows and arms are too far apart	Coach extending the arms in front of the chest with elbows close together and palms facing up

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Spot and Fix

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