1. Physical Fitness – Adult
GAA Award 1 Course

2. GAA Award 1 – Physical Fitness Outcomes
By the end of this Module participants will be able to:
Define Physical Fitness for Gaelic football
Identify the Physical Fitness demands of Gaelic football
Describe the components of Physical Fitness
Organise activities to develop the components of Physical Fitness
Tutor Notes:
Outcomes to be achieved in this module.
Will look at the physical requirements to play Gaelic football
The components of Physical Fitness
We will practice the prganisation of activities to develop the components of fitness
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3. The OTú Model – Physical Fitness
What do we mean by Physical Fitness?
Stamina
Speed
Strength
Warm Up/Cool Down
The ability to perform the underlying techniques of the game and to respond quickly to the signs, sounds and signals experienced during the game.
Tutor Notes:
Tutor to ask what we mean by Physical Fitness? Use Definition – ‘The ability to perform the underlying techniques of the game and to respond quickly to the signs, sounds and signals experienced during the game.’
Fitness is about being able to perform the various tasks repeatedly.
Tutor Further Information:
The physical demands of Gaelic games have increased dramatically in the last 15 years. On average players cover a distance of 10km per game, moving at a variety of different speeds, in numerous directions and over both long and short distances.
Skill Development

4. What are the Physical Fitness requirements to play Gaelic football?
Tutor Notes:
Need to adequately define what the physical fitness requirements to play adult Gaelic football.
Question:
Do hurlers need to have
endurance like Sonia O’Sullivan
The same speed as Usain Bolt – World Record holder for 100m
Strength like a strong man competition
These are all extremes in the different areas of fitness, Hurlers need some of each to perform at their best
Skill Development

5. Components of Physical Fitness for Gaelic Games
Sleep
Sleep
Speed
Suppleness
Tutor Notes:
The components of physical fitness for Gaelic football
Speed
Stamina – Endurance
Strength
Suppleness – Flexibility
All surrounded by Sleep – Recovery and Rest.
Portrayed as 5 S’s to help with remembering them.
To play Gaelic football, players need to have some of each of these. Too much of one to the neglect of others will result in an unbalanced player.
Further info on each of these components in the following slides.
Tutor to divide participants into groups and ask them to define one of the components of Fitness.
Stamina
Strength
Sleep
Sleep

6. Speed for Gaelic Games Is a general term to refer to quick movement
Players require many different types of speed to perform:
Reaction speed - including speed off the mark
Acceleration/Agility speed
Sprinting speed
Speed endurance
Large genetically influence: can with proper practice players can be made to realise their full potential.
Tutor Notes:
Use the flip chart to gather feedback from participants. This slide can be used to sum up.
Speed for Gaelic football.
Players need different forms of speed to perform – reactive speed (speed off the mark, to the breaking ball etc), acceleration (ability to change speed and direction), Sprinting speed (top speed over a distance), speed endurance (ability to maintain speed over a distance and time)
Its important to remember that speed is largely genetic – some people are genetically more likely to be fast than others. However through proper training players can become quicker

7. Stamina for Gaelic Games
Is often called endurance and refers to the ability to maintain performance over the duration of a game.
Developing stamina involves performing a range of different activities including:
Interval Training
Continuous movement where the players work at quicker and slower speeds and intensities. Can be:
Longer, Slower Interval Running
Shorter, Faster Interval Running
Tutor Notes:
Use the flip chart to gather feedback from participants. This slide can be used to sum up.
Stamina is often called endurance and is the ability to maintain performance
Developing stamina can involve the use of interval training (interaction of faster and slower running)
Similarly to speed, stamina can be largely genetic, but through training players can increase their stamina.

8. Suppleness for Gaelic Games
Refers to flexibility - The greater the range of motion of a joint, the greater the range over which the muscles surrounding that joint can operate and thus work more efficiently.
Developing suppleness involves performing a range of different activities including:
Static Stretching – more appropriate after training and games
Dynamic Stretching – best before training and games
Tutor Notes:
Use the flip chart to gather feedback from participants. This slide can be used to sum up.
Suppleness is referred to as flexibility and is related to the range of motion of a body joint.
Flexibility can be developed using static stretching – holding the stretch for a period of time, PNF stretching – stretching with the aid of a partner, dynamic stretching – moving the joint through its range of motion
The use of dynamic stretches, slow controlled movement through the full range of motion are the most appropriate exercises for warming-up.
By contrast, static stretches are more appropriate for the warm-down.

9. Strength for Gaelic Games
Is the ability to exert maximum force for a short period of time.
Developing Strength involves performing a range of different activities including:
Body Weight Exercises
Partner Resisted Exercises
Machine Resisted Exercises
Free Weight Resisted Exercises
Tutor Notes:
Use the flip chart to gather feedback from participants. This slide can be used to sum up.
Strength training is often thought of as simply weight training.
Strength can be developed through a range of different types of exercise, such as Body Weight Exercises – push ups, Partner Resisted Exercises – where a partner works against the working muscles, machine resisted exercises – such as the machines in a gym, which provide resistance through a pre-defined range of motion and free weight resisted exercises – which use weights, such as dumbells/barbells that can be used in any range of motion.
While strength is important, Power is the combination of speed and strength and is an essential ingredient of Gaelic football.

10. Sleep for Gaelic Games
Refers to relaxation and recovery from activity, in order to ensure that maximum effort can be exerted in subsequent exercises, and sessions.
Training in itself does not improve fitness. The body must have time to recover and repair itself for fitness to improve
Recovery activities include:
Warming Down
Suppleness/Flexibility activities
Rehydrating and Refueling
Active Recovery
Tutor Notes:
Use the flip chart to gather feedback from participants. This slide can be used to sum up.
Sleep refers to the recovery and relaxation activities that a player can engage in between sessions to ensure that maximum effort can be given in each session.
Important aspects of the recovery phase include
warming down (bringing the body from intense activity to normal activity),
Flexibility activities – as previous
Rehydration and Refuelling – putting back the used fluids (primarily water) and food
Active recovery – keeping active at a low level to keep the body ‘ticking over’

11. 9.1 Km What are the physical requirements for Gaelic football?
Players covered an average per game of:
9.1 Km
Centre fielders covered greater distances than defenders or attackers
Tutor Notes:
Analysis of top level Gaelic football. The total distance covered in a game by players was just below 10km. However the important factor is what makes up the 10km. Its not a long slow run. See following slide:
D. Young 11

12. Over the course of a game, the time spent in each speed zone:
Players performed on average 95 bursts with the average duration less than 6 seconds.
This was followed by recovery of 36 seconds on average
Over 85% of games was spend in low to moderate level intensity activity
85% of high intensity bursts less than 10 seconds
39%
33%
Tutor Notes:
This slide breaks down the type of movement within a game. On average players performed 95 bursts per game (over 1.5 per minute), lasting about 6 seconds and followed by recovery of 36 seconds.
85% of activity lasted less than 10 seconds.
Question: does our physical training prepare players for this?
12%
11% 3% 2%
O’Donoghue and King, 2003 12
D. Young

13. During the Analysis:
Players gained possession while standing, walking, jogging and striding.
Further analysis shows certain activities;
Crouch into position to crouch lift,
ability to move sideways,
change direction and to turn 180 degrees,
Walk backwards, skip sideways & backwards and an ability to stop & start.
Tutor Notes:
More analysis found that players got possession of the ball when they were standing, walking, jogging and striding. Players also need to perform other movements such as sideways, backwards, starting and stopping. More of this on the next slide:
Question: Does our training prepare players for this?
D. Young

14. What does this tell us?
The player is constantly being challenged to accelerate and decelerate from various positions
Players gained possession while standing, walking, jogging and striding.
Players are not required to run at the same pace for any large length of time.
Does our training prepare Players for this?
Tutor Notes:
Tutor Discussion: Tutor to guide the discussion on the activity level during a game. Tutor to highlight the importance of ensuring that players are training to play the game.
Therefore a ability to turn, their agility, balance and co-ordination while moving at various speeds zones are constantly being challenged.
Training should incorporate these skills in a variety of movement patterns. A degree of strength and stability of the muscles and joints involved in the movements are required by the player to provide underlying support for these demands.
D. Young 14

15. How can STEP help?
S Space More space or less? Longer or shorter distances
T Time Limit the time or give more time. Recovery time
Task Change the skill performed, add in an extra one, or alter the rules/conditions of the activity.
E Equipment Use ladders or hurdles or other equipment?
P Personnel More players, or less
Tutor Note:
How can the STEP model that we’ve already covered help?
Space – longer distances help develop more endurance, shorter can be used to develop speed (you cannot ask a player to maintain top speed over a great distance)
Time – Requiring players to work for longer promotes more stamina activities, shorter time more speed activities. Recovery time is very important between activities. When players are working at higher speeds and intensities they need to recover fully. Give at least the same length of time that they are working for as recovery. For stamina activities the time between activities can be lower, but should still be approx 50% of the time that they are working for.
Task - Change the skill to be performed, add additional skills. Alter the rules or conditions of the activity. It might be necessary to suspend one aspect of the game to develop another.
Equipment - Use ladders, hurdles of other types of equipment to help out
Personnel - Add or decrease opposition. More players in the same space results in increased intensity and pressure.
Remember that not all coaches are going to have a huge bank of activities in their head, but by following this formula they can alter any activity that they have in an almost unlimited fashion. 15
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16. Lets Go and Do It! Take a 10 minute session with the group
Follow the IDEA model and coach the group.
Set up an appropriate activity to allow participants develop speed or stamina – coach as they practice.
Develop two progressions with the group
Use STEP model to progress
Tutor Note:
The major Practical Component of this Module. Coaches to take a 10 minute session with a group of peers. Tutor to demonstrate firstly, as a modeling exercise for the coach to work with. Tutor can use the How to Coach Skills that were introduced in the Foundation Award as a prompt or reminder for the Coaches.
Use the game or skill development cards available as prompt or reminders for the Coach. Coach to follow the IDEA model and organise an appropriate activity for the participants. Coaches to use the STEP model to make two adaptations to the activity.
Tutor to obeserve, analyse and provide feedback to each Coach. 16

17. Physical Fitness for Gaelic games
The best way to be fit enough to play Gaelic football is to work on games in training sessions
Players find games more enjoyable, work harder and perceive the effort involved to be lower
Use a variety of games to work on fitness
Fun Games
Modified Games
Full Games
Always warm up and cool down appropriately
Tutor Note:
Tutor led to sum up.
Tutor to emphasise that the components of fitness can be developed very well through games once there is appropriate coaching supervision and the stage of development of each player is taken into account. 17

18. GAA Award 1 – Physical Fitness Outcomes Review
By the end of this Module participants will be able to:
Define Physical Fitness for Gaelic football
Identify the physical fitness demands of Gaelic football
Describe the components of physical fitness
Organise activities to develop the components of Physical Fitness
Tutor Notes:
Outcomes to be achieved in this module.
Will look at the physical requirements to play Gaelic football
The components of Physical Fitness
We will practice the prganisation of activities to develop the components of fitness 18
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19. Thank you