Pa Ranahan: “If you want to do something you’ll always find a way”

You don’t expect to see pictures of Tom Brady (New England Patriots), Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) or Nicolas Otamendi (Man City) appear in front of you at a GAA Coaching Conference.

But that was exactly what greeted those of us who were in attendance at the presentation given by Derry Senior Football Coach Philip Kerr at the annual gathering in Croke Park last year. He used each of these players to show what individual coaching can achieve, and what it involves. In the case of Brady it was sorting out the positioning of his non-throwing arm.

For Curry it was encouraging him to move to his right when shooting rather than always going to his left. And for Otamendi it was getting him to stay on his feet more instead of diving into tackles, finding himself on the ground and out of the play. Some City supporters might say that wasn’t a bad thing!

Without getting into too much detail on the presentation (which is available on YouTube) he basically showed how weaknesses in these players games were identified, coaching sessions were put in place to improve them and how the results were clear for all to see.

Of course these are professional players with all the time in the world to work on these things, and any number of coaches at their disposal. But he brought it back to the amateur level with the GAA – Derry underage players to be exact – to show what “can” be done if the support is made available.

And if we in the GAA have embraced the likes of Strength and Conditioning, Video Analysis and Player Tracking, why is it such a stretch to think this wouldn’t be possible to implement also.

One example he gave was of a nippy corner forward who had all the ball skills and footwork required to play in the inside line, but his shooting let him down. Specifically the distance rather than the accuracy. Too many efforts were falling short. So they filmed this young lad using the Hudl technique, which is basically slow motion video analysis, and were able to identify that this player sat when he was shooting, which meant he wasn’t able to generate any power.

Once the issue was identified, they were able to put in place specific coaching for that player ie work on standing taller in the motion of shooting. Outside of improving this technical aspect of the young lads game, it no doubt also gave him a greater sense of self worth. It always does, no matter the age.

I have been lucky enough to have had coaches over the years who would give up their time to meet me and either work on or talk through aspects of my game. And I always left feeling the better for it.

We all like doing more of the things that we are good at. It’s only natural. It makes us feel better, whether its kicking or going to the gym or for a run. And I’m not for a second saying we should stop doing these things. But for anyone who wants to make real improvements in their game and become a more rounded player, extra time needs to be spent on the things that stop them from becoming the best they can be.

If you’re not fit enough, run more. Always fouling? Get a teammate to come down to the pitch so you can practice your technique. Kicking too many wides? Get a bag of balls and do some shooting on your own, keeping track of your scoring rate. Not just practice but perfect practice.

Coaches also need to take this on board. Hoping for individual improvement through group coaching only is misguided. Driving improvement through individual coaching is what makes the difference. The time is obviously the biggest factor, but the phrase “If you want to do something you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse” comes to mind!

Kerr will be part of the undefeated Derry coaching ticket coming to the Gaelic Grounds this weekend. The Limerick players and management were gutted at the final whistle last Saturday. They did everything but win, coupling a huge work rate with some outstanding individual performances. And were the team pushing for the victory in the final minutes.

It was very clear from the overall performance that there had been, as Billy Lee stated pre-game, a few home truths told in the days following the Wicklow loss. But I do feel that 1 or 2 players have not yet fully bought into what is being asked of them.

While I have no doubt the intentions are to try and be a difference maker in a positive way, Gaelic Football is for me the ultimate team game, and as such needs to be played that way in order to be successful.

The graph is definitely heading in the right direction for this group even if the last 2 results don’t show it and there should be no fear of facing the tradition of Derry this weekend. What they are doing is getting them into winning positions. Now just to make it count. As a team.