1. Physical Fitness - Adult
GAA Award 2 Course

2. GAA Award 2 – Physical Fitness Outcomes
By the end of this Module participants will be able to:
Review the Award 1 Physical Fitness material
Identify the Principles of Training and FITT Principle and how they relate to coaches
Identify how to develop Physical Fitness as part of an overall training programme
Identify how to conduct an assessment of Physical Fitness as part of an overall training programme
Interpret Physical Fitness data individually for each player, and collectively for the team
Develop a component of Physical Fitness with and/or without the ball
Tutor Notes:
Outcomes to be achieved in this module.
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3. The OTú Model – Physical Fitness
What do we mean by Physical Fitness?
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 Led Discussion (Can use Group Work etc)
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. Develop Physical Fitness for Youth Players must take this into account and prepare players for the game that they will be playing.
Skill Development

4. Components of Physical Fitness for Gaelic Games
Sleep
Sleep
Speed
Speed Endurance
Power
Suppleness
Tutor Notes:
Review of the components of physical fitness for Gaelic Games
Speed
Stamina – Endurance
Strength
Suppleness – Flexibility
These are not discrete areas, there is a cross over between each:
Muscular Endurance is the combination of strength and stamina
Power is the combination of speed and strength
Speed Endurance is the combination of speed and stamina
All surrounded by Sleep – Recovery and Rest.
Portrayed as 5 S’s to help with remembering them.
To play Gaelic games, 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 manual.
Stamina
Strength
Muscular Endurance
Sleep
Sleep 4

5. Game Demands (Discuss in groups)
What are the physical demands of our games?
Group
Distance Covered
High Intensity
Midfield
10000m
4800m
Half Back
9000m
4200m
Half Forward
8500m
4300m
Full Back
7500m
2900m
Full Forward
7000m
2700m
Tutor Notes:
Group work, allow the participants to discuss the physical demands of our Games. Encourage the participants to discuss the averages as identified above and how this might relate to training sessions.
Tutor to emphasise that this relates to the adult game at inter county level.
Interesting to note the overall distance travelled (Tutors to emphasise that this encompasses walking, jogging, striding and sprinting in that order)

6. What criteria are important when trying to develop physical fitness in Gaelic Games?
Game Duration
Recovery
Opportunities
Distance Covered
Game Context
Directional Aspects
of Movement
Play Duration
Tutor Notes:
Tutor led discussion. Tutors to ask participants to identify important criteria to consider when trying to develop Physical Fitness in Gaelic games. These are some of the factors. Collate feedback on flip charts.
Participants to identify why each criteria is important and how it relates to training sessions.
Intensity of
Movement
Position Specific
Requirements

7. Questions How fit do our players have to be to play?
If we don’t know the demands of the game – then how do we know how much is enough??
Yet the 1st component to be blamed when we lose – fitness!!
Tutor Notes:
Tutor led discussion:
How much is enough?
Put away the balls and we’ll do a bit of training!!
Whats the 1st component to be blamed when you lose – fitness!!
I’ll sort them out!! Give them an extra bit just to make sure!!
So do you know how fit they have to be? 7

8. Game Demands - Conclusions
What are the important fitness components for Gaelic Games 1 2 3
Tutor Notes:
Tutors to ask participants whether this is correct. What order would participants put each of the components?
Tutor to emphasise that because of the repeated nature of the games that speed, agility, power and the ability to repeat these activities a number of times is extremely important in gaelic games.

9. Training History Adult players will have a training history!
The number of years that a player has been involved in deliberate physical fitness training has been called the ‘Training Age’
How does it affect your training plan if a player has a 10 year training age, against another player with a 2 year training age?
Tutor Notes:
Tutor Led Discussion. How does the training age of a player affect the training plan?
Tutor to tease out whether players with longer training history should engage in the same training programmes as those players with shorter training history (and vice versa?) 9
Skill Development 9

10. The Principles of Training
There are principles that guide us as coaches in the development of physical fitness.
In pairs discuss the terms below and how they would impact on your training plan.
Individual Differences
Specificity
Adaptation
Progression
Overload
Recovery
Reversibility
Tutor Notes:
Group Work. Groups to identify their understanding of the Principles. Compare and contrast results of group work with the below:
Individual Differences - Everyone is NOT created equal from a physical standpoint. Players are different, will have different needs and requirements. A one size fits all approach is not appropriate.
Specificity - You train for the game that you are playing! Also to develop a particular fitness component, perform exercises specifically designed for that component.
Adaptation - The human body adjusts to meet increasing demands placed on it
Progression - Placing increasing amounts of stress on the body causes adaptations that improve fitness. Progression should be gradual and sustained.
Overload -  A greater than normal stress or load must be placed on the body for training adaptation to take place.
Recovery – Adequate recovery is required to ensure adaptation. Exercising breaks the body down, but it recovers stronger than it was prior to exercise – the combination of overload and recovery results in increases in fitness.
Reversibility - Fitness improvements are lost when demands on the body are lowered. If players stop exercising, up to 50% of fitness improvements are lost within 2 months
How do these principles of training apply to other areas of the OTú model? Are these restricted to Physical Fitness only? 10
Skill Development 10

11. Discuss how each aspect of F.I.T.T. can be modified to affect training
The F.I.T.T. Principle
The F.I.T.T. Principle training help organise training
F Frequency – frequency of training
I Intensity – the intensity of training
T Time – the length of time spent training, or on an aspect of training
T Type – the type of training undertaken (Activities etc)
Tutor Notes:
Tutor Led Discussion:
F Frequency – frequency of training
How many training sessions are conducted per week etc
I Intensity – the intensity of training
How intense are the sessions? Higher intensity sessions should be shorter, lower intensity sessions may be longer
A good measure of intensity is Heart Rate. Ask the participants to measure their own current hear rate
T Time – the length of time spent training, or on an aspect of training
Very much linked to intensity. It is not possible for players to work at maximum intensity for very long – time is proportionate to intensity
For both intensity and time, coaches should beware that technique can often be sacrificed in an effort to ensure intensity
T Type – the type of training undertaken (Activities etc)
Which of the components of fitness are being worked, is the session technically based, tactically based or a team play session etc
Discuss how each aspect of F.I.T.T. can be modified to affect training 11 11

12. Assessing Physical Fitness
Why should coaches be concerned with assessing Physical Fitness levels?
What are the benefits of assessing Physical Fitness?
What criteria are important when selecting which Physical Fitness test to conduct?
What criteria are important to conducting Physical Fitness testing?
Are there other ways to assess Physical Fitness without specific tests?
As a coach what do you need to be mindful of when interpreting Physical Fitness results?
Tutor Notes:
Group Work: Tutor to divide participants into 6 groups to discuss one of the questions and report back to the main group. Tutor to refer to the Award 2 manual for more information and summary.
Allow 10 minutes to discuss and 30 minutes for reporting back to the main group and reviewing. 12

13. Assessing Physical Fitness
Interpreting Physical Fitness Assessments
Relative Importance of each test to performance in Gaelic games
Comparison to norms
Significance of any improvement/ disimprovement from previous tests
Communicating Results to Players
How should coaches communicate Physical Fitness assessments to their players?
Interpreting and Communicating Results to Players
How do the results of Physical Fitness assessments affect future training plans?
Tutor Notes:
Tutor Led Discussion: Tutor to tease out the issues relating to interpreting results and communicating the results to players. Also identify how the results gathered will affect future training programmes.
Allow 20 minutes to discuss. 13

14. Assessing Physical Fitness
Looking at each Component of Physical Fitness – Speed, Strength, Stamina, Suppleness:
T Test – test of agility
Push Up Test – test of upper body strength
Vertical Jump – test of power
Bleep Test/Yo Yo Intermittent Test – test of endurance
20m Sprint – test of speed
Sit and Reach Test – test of suppleness
Tutor Notes:
Practical Session. Tutor to demonstrate how each of the Physical Fitness assessment tests outlined above are conducted.
Protocols for each test are outlined in the Award 2 manual.
Allow 45 minutes for this section.
A series of results from Physical Fitness tests are contained in the Logbook. Part of the module assessment is for participants to review and interpret the results outlined in the logbook, and identify how the results will affect future training programmes. To be completed off course. 14

15. Using the physical fitness assessment results:
Identify the requirement for that component within Gaelic games
Identify the training need based on the data presented
Identify how you might develop that component within your training programme (with and without the ball)
Tutor Notes:
Tutor to provide the data for the physical fitness assessments. Challenge participants to interpret the results and:
Identify the requirement for that component within Gaelic games
Identify the training need based on the data presented
Identify how you might develop that component within your training programme (with and without the ball) 15

16. Physical Fitness Assessment Summary
Ensure that players are adequately warmed up prior to beginning any testing protocol
The order the tests are performed in is important:
Any height and weight assessments should be performed as players arrive;
Consider whether performing one test will negatively impact upon the performance of the next – will a strength test impact on the performance of a speed test etc
Tests of speed etc should be conducted before tests of endurance
Tutor Notes:
Some summary information regarding physical fitness tests 16

17. Physical Fitness Assessment Summary
Repeatability is key: the same protocol is maintained when re-testing;
All the same equipment is used;
The same order of tests is used;
The same facility, where possible is used;
The testing session is at the same time of day; &
Players have had a similar build up to test day with regard to training load over previous 2-3 days etc.
Coaches can only take useful info from fitness tests if repeat tests are carried out under similar conditions to the initial test.
Tutor Notes:
Some summary information regarding physical fitness tests 17

18. Physical Fitness Assessment Summary
Preparation
The effectiveness of physical fitness assessment is enhanced by good planning:
Prepare recording sheets to note the results - including players names;
Ensure you will have sufficient support to record results / oversee tests (4-5 people); identify at least 1 person to record the results of each test
Check the testing equipment in advance to ensure it is properly calibrated.
Try to identify ‘norms’ for the assessment results to compare
Tutor Notes:
Some summary information regarding physical fitness tests 18

19. Physical Fitness – Practical Session
Looking at each Component of Physical Fitness – Speed, Strength, Stamina, Suppleness:
Identify the requirement for that component in Gaelic games
Identify how you might develop that component within your training programme (with and without the ball)
Tutor Notes:
Tutor to deliver model of activity to develop Speed, Strength, Stamina and Suppleness with and/or without the ball in a field based session.
Participants to coach 20 minute session on the development of a component of fitness both with and without the ball.
Tutor to debrief participants on their coaching demonstration. 19

20. GAA Award 2 – Physical Fitness Outcomes Review
By the end of this Module participants will be able to:
Review the Award 1 Physical Fitness material
Identify the Principles of Training and FITT Principle and how they relate to coaches
Identify how to develop Physical Fitness as part of an overall training programme
Identify how to conduct an assessment of Physical Fitness as part of an overall training programme
Interpret Physical Fitness data individually for each player, and collectively for the team
Develop a component of Physical Fitness with and/or without the ball
Tutor Notes:
Outcomes to be achieved in this module. 20
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21. Thank you