Since the appointment of Cathal Cregg as Strength and Conditioning Officer by Connacht GAA, a Level 1 Strength & Conditioning Course has been developed. Up to the present time Cathal & the staff at the centre have worked closely with schools, clubs and academy squads throughout Connacht providing assistance in areas such as fitness testing, screening for injury prevention, program design and video analysis.

This course has been developed in order to give coaches an opportunity to gain greater knowledge in the area of physical fitness, or as it has become more commonly known in recent years as strength and conditioning. It allows coaches to increase their understanding of the many aspects associated with strength and conditioning and to be able to safely and correctly implement programs designed from the Connacht GAA Strength and Conditioning staff. A follow on course which is in the process of being developed will allow coaches to develop and safely implement programs.

The first pilot of the course was rolled out in January 2015 with a group of 25 academy coaches from each of the provincial counties in both hurling and football. This course was reviewed and ran again over the past couple of months with another group of academy coaches. We are now offering this course to all clubs in Connacht.

The course is the first of its kind in the GAA in terms of Strength and Conditioning. All the theoretical learning is provided on-line through a specially designed interactive SCORM used through the new GAA e-learning website. This is allowing us to make the most of the coaches’ time and moving away from the traditional gathering to watch a tutor give presentations. The theory side of the course can be done through the GAA e-learning portal at any stage over the designated period of time which can accommodate coaches personal schedules. For the practical side of the course the coaches come together for practicals on the various modules and group led discussion. Once the process has been completed the coach must demonstrate competency in the areas covered during the practical sessions.

Modules include:

1. Demands of Gaelic Games (Football and Hurling)
2. Basic Science Theory of Gaelic Games
3. Fitness Testing and Functional Assessment
4. Warm Up and The Recovery Process
5. Conditioning for Gaelic Games
6. Supervision of a Body Weight Resistance Training Program

To Apply:

• Coaches must have completed an Award 1 GAA Coach Education coaching course
• Must be coaching in their own club
• Applicant must be nominated by the club coaching officer who then puts them forward for consideration to the county games manager.
• Closing date for applications is January 15th

For more information email

Galway:                                Tom McManus tom.mcmanus.gm.galway@gaa.ie

Leitrim:                                 Thomas Keenan “thomas.keenan.gm.leitrim@gaa.ie”
Mayo:                                   Billy McNicholas “billy.mcnicholas.gm.mayo@gaa.ie”
Roscommon:                     Willie Hegarty “willie.hegarty.gm.roscommon@gaa.ie”
Sligo:                                     Liam Og Gormley “liamog.gormley.gm.sligo@gaa.ie”