Kildare GAA Youth Athletic Development Webinar Series. Session 1 of 5 part series. Painting the picture: - The development status of youth players. - The demands of Gaelic games. - How does this information direct athletic development priority.

1. Kildare GAA
Youth Athletic
Development
Webinar Series
Session 1
Fri 22nd May
7:00pm

2. Aims &
Objectives
Discuss the development
status of the youth
athlete?
Outline the match-play
demands of youth Gaelic
football & hurling.
How does this information
direct athletic
development priority in
our training program?

3. Developmental Status of our Players
Chronological Age 12 13 14 15 16 17
Academic Stage Transition from P.S into S.S Junior Cycle Senior Cycle
Growth Rate (PHV) Middle of PHV Post PHV
Player Pathway Stage Learn to Compete
Psychological Development Behavorial Changes/Loss of Interest/New Friends/Coachability
Physical Training FUNdamentals Basic Competency development Increase in Training Loads/Volume
Muscle Strength Accelerated Opportunity for Development
Aerobic Capacity Potential to Increase up to 70%
Anaerobic Output Potential to Increase up to 120%
Sports Performance Fluctuating

4. A Model Of Growth And Development

5. What support
is available to
coaches to
assist them in
developing
their players?
Assistance from Kildare GAA GPO
and GDA Staff.
TURAS Player Pathway.
Leinster GAA Resistance Training
Course.

6. We are not fit enough...... That’s why we didn’t
win...
Did we ever ask ourselves what fit enough
actually is, and how do we get our players there?
Step One....
The importance of understanding the demands
of our games!!!!

7. Gaelic Football

8. Football Clip – What Did we Observe?

9. Assessing Youth Gaelic
Football Match Demands

10. • 85 u18 players
• 6 teams – 3 club, 3 county
• 17 matches – 8 club, 9 county
• Match Play Demands
• 30 min per half, 10 min halftime
• GPS & Heart Rate
• Physiological Profile
• Height, Weight, Skinfold Test
• VO2max Test (Incremental Treadmill Test)
• 56 u15 players
• County Talent Academy
• 6 matches
• Match Play Demands
• 30 min per half, 10 min halftime
• GPS & Heart Rate
• Physiological Profile
• Height, Weight, Skinfold Test
• VO2max Test (Yoyo IR1 Test)

11. Running
Performance
Total distance.
Speed zones (Zone 1 – Zone 5).
% of total playing time spent in each zone.
Number of sprints.
Length of sprints.
Accelerations and Decelerations

12. Zone 5 - VHSR
(≥22km/h)
• Position: Half Back• Game: Allianz NFL 2020 • Total Distance: 9136m
Zone 2
(7 – 11.9km/h)
Zone 3
(12–16.9km/h)
Zone 1
(≤6.9km/h)
Zone 4 - HSR
(17–21.9km/h)

13. 75.15
12.75
7.95
3.35
0.8
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Zone 1
(≤6.9km/h)
Zone 2
(7-11.9km/h)
Zone 3
(12-16.9km/h)
Zone 4 - HIR
(17-21.9km/h)
Zone 5 - VHIR
(≥22km/h)
% Playing Time – Speed Zone
% Game Time
5774 5731
5089
6592
6740
6151
4660
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
U18
Team
Average
U15
Team
Average
Full
Back
Half
Back
Midfield Half
Forward
Full
Forward
Distance(m)
Positional Variation
Total Distance
Cullen et al. 2016; Reilly et al. 2015

14. 851
690
1053
1163
960
562
198
120
241
353
234
132
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Team
Average
Full
Back
Half
Back
Midfield
Half
Forward
Full
Forward
Distance (m)
Positional Variation
HIR (>17 km.hr) & VHIR (>22 km.hr)
VHIR (≥22km/h) HIR (17kmph - 22km/h)
Positional Variation in Sprints
>20 km/h Team Average Defender Midfield Forward
Number of Sprints 18 16 21 18
Duration per sprint 3.35 sec 3.35 sec 3.34 sec 3.36 sec
Distance per sprint 20.89m 20.89m 20.69m 20.72m
31.2
31.35
31.4
30.8
30.5
31.0
31.5
Team Average Defender Midfield Forward
Speed(km/h)
Positional Variation - Max Speed (km/h)
188
153
204
227
202
153
0
50
100
150
200
250
Team
Average
Full
Back
Half
Back
Midfield Half
Forward
Full
Forward
NumberReps
Positional Variation - Accelerations
Cullen et al. 2016; Reilly et al. 2015; McLaughlin, 2020; Malone et al. 2017

15. 2948
2783
2700
2800
2900
3000
Total Distance (m)
Half Comparison - Total Distance
1st Half 2nd Half
448
106
401
92
0
100
200
300
400
500
Zone 4 - HIR
(17-21.9km/h)
Zone 5 - VHIR
(≥22km/h)
Half Comparison –
HIR (17-21.9km/h) & VHIR (>22km/h)
1st Half 2nd Half
Reilly et al. 2015; Cullen et al. 2016

16. Hurling

17. Hurling Clip – What Did we Observe?

18. Assessing Youth Hurling
Match Demands

19. • 76 u17 players
Inter County Minor Team
3 seasons – 18 matches
• Match Play Demands
30 min per half, 10 min halftime
GPS & Heart Rate
• Physiological Profile
Height, Weight

20. 2510
1474
1179
583
272
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Zone 1
(≤6.9km/h)
Zone 2
(7-11.9km/h)
Zone 3
(12-16.9km/h)
Zone 4 - HIR
(17-21.9km/h)
Zone 5 - VHIR
(≥22km/h)
Distance (m)
Distance (m) - Speed Zone
6688
6483
5342
7044
7346
6925
5580
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
U21
Team
Average
U17
Team
Average
Full
Back
Half
Back
Midfield Half
Forward
Full
Forward
Distance(m)
Comparison of Positional Total Distance
(Young et al., 2019)

21. Positional Variation in Sprints
> 22km/h Team
Average
Full
Back
Half Back Midfield Half
Forward
Full
Forward
Number of
Sprints
18 15 18 18 22 17
Distance per
sprint (m)
15 14 15 16 16 16
583
373
666
712
687
451
272
242
273
294
296
263
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Team Average
Full Back
Half Back
Midfield
Half Forward
Full Forward
Distance (m)
Positional variation
HIR (>17 km.hr) & VHIR (>22 km.hr)
VHIR
(≥22kmph)
HIR
(17kmph - 22kmph)
127 128
141
121 132
111120 123
142
120 119
97
0
50
100
150
Team Average Full
Back
Half
Back
Midfield Half
Forward
Full
Forward
Number
Positional Variation
Acceleration & Deceleration
Acceleration (>2m.s-2) Deceleration (<2m.s-2)
(Young et al., 2019)
29.1
28.90
28.8
29.1
29.4
29.5
28.0
28.5
29.0
29.5
30.0
Team Average Full
Back
Half
Back
Midfield Half
Forward
Full
Forward
Speed(km/h)
Positional Variation - Max Speed (km/h)

22. 3486
3007
2500
3000
3500
4000
1st Half 2nd Half
Half Comparison - Total Distance (m)
Total Distance (m)
329
263
153
121
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1st Half 2nd Half
Half Comparison
HIR (17-21.9km/h) & VHIR (>22km/h)
Zone 4 - HIR
(17-21.9km/h)
Zone 5 - VHIR
(≥22km/h)

23. Match Play Demands
Data Influencing Our
Training Programs?

24. Our games are of a stop-
start nature.
(Ball in Play/Ball Out of Play)
Repeated unpredictable bouts
of high intensity activity.
Interspersed with light to
moderate activity in response
to pattern of play.
Players 'surf' through
the different speed
zones throughout the
game.
Difference in position
specific demands are
observed.
Sprint distances are
between 14m and 21m
in length.
The high number of
accelerations observed
are an important
parameter to take note
of.

25. Summary
Acceleration and
speed.
29/05/20
Agility, change
direction and
deceleration.
05/06/20
Conditioned to
sustain the
demands of our
games.
12/06/20
Maximising
training
adaptations.
19/06/20
Next week we will
be tackling
acceleration and
speed!!!!

26. References
• Bergeron MF, Mountjoy M, Armstrong N, et al International Olympic Committee consensus statement on youth athletic development British Journal of Sports Medicine
• Young, D., Mourot, L., Beato, M. and Coratella, G., 2019. Match-Play Demands of Elite U17 Hurlers During Competitive Matches. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, p.1.
• Young, D., Malone, S., Collins, K., Mourot, L., Beato, M. and Coratella, G., 2019. Metabolic power in hurling with respect to position and halves of match-play. PLOS ONE, 14(12),
p.e0225947.
• Cullen, B., Roantree, M., McCarren, A., Kelly, D., OʼConnor, P., Hughes, S., Daly, P. and Moyna, N., 2017. Physiological Profile and Activity Pattern of Minor Gaelic Football Players. Journal of
Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(7), pp.1811-1820.
• Reilly, B., Akubat, I., Lyons, M. and Collins, D., 2015. Match-Play Demands of Elite Youth Gaelic Football Using Global Positioning System Tracking. Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Research, 29(4), pp.989-996.
• Malone, S., Solan, B., Collins, K. and Doran, D., 2016. Positional Match Running Performance in Elite Gaelic Football. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(8), pp.2292-2298.
• McLaughlin, R., 2020. Statsports | Game Demands Of Elite U17 Gaelic Footballers: An Insight Into The Performance Of A Successful Minor Team In Ulster. [online] Statsports.com. Available
at: <https://statsports.com/game-demands-of-elite-u17-gaelic-footballers-an-insight-into-the-performance-of-a-successful-minor-team-in-ulster/> [Accessed 21 May 2020].