Technical Psychological Development in Hurling Damian Quigley Session

Technical & Psychological Development in Hurling Damian Quigley

Session Aims Define Technical Development Define Psychological Development Explore how we learn new skills What are the practical implications for Hurling Coaches. • Examine the relationship between Technical and Psychological Development and what it means for Hurling Coaches • •

Technical Development • The ability to perform the underlying techniques of the game, accurately, consistently and at match tempo.

Psychological Development • The ability to maintain focus on the here and now, regardless of internal and external distractions. • It requires competence, confidence and cohesion.

How we learn new skills • When players practice new skills the brain seeks the following four types of information. 1. Condition of the environment and the position of the athlete 2. Demands of the movement being performed 3. Consequences as perceived by the senses during and after movement 4. Comparison of actual outcome with intended outcome.

3 Stages of Learning 1. Mental Stage 2. Practice Stage 3. Automatic Stage

Mental Stage • Objective is to understand what to do to perform new skills correctly. • Searching for a mental plan of the correct technique. • Brain seeks connections with previous activities • Lots of errors at this stage (allow them)

Practice Stage • More time spent at this stage • Less mental energy more refining timing of movement patterns • Players benefit from visual and kinesthetic senses • Less errors • Make sure you attend to your players and give them accurate meaningful feedback

Automatic Stage • Skill can be performed without thinking • Allows players concentrate on other areas such as tactical and mental preparation for the game • Even if players perform skills poorly during a game, it maybe a result of other factors such as anxiety etc and not that they haven’t mastered the skill

Psychological focus required for technical skills

Implications for the Coach • Get players competent with their skill, more time left for tactical decision making during games. • Create a large amount of different scenarios during training to help make the correct decision in a game. (Variety the key) • Training needs to mirror match scenarios, not all drill based

Implications for the Coach • Match tempo required in training, can be difficult. • Question Players, get them to find answers for themselves. • Praise performance not outcome. • Don’t make all the decisions in training, involve your players: you won’t be making them in a match.

Implications for the Coach 6 v 4 6 v 5 6 v 6 Change the training patterns, make players think. • Intensity, Intensity. • •

Link between Psychological and Technical Development • • • Ability to perform skill = Competence Competent players = Confident Players = Concentration Concentrated Player = In Control Players in Control = Committed players = Consistently perform skill

Games for Technical and Psychological Development • • • Mayhem! Small sided games, 1 v 1, 2 v 2, 3 v 3, etc Tunnel Work. Hand pass or Strike! Chaos!

Conclusion • Both Technical and Psychological Development cannot be seen as separate entities, they go hand in hand. • Players learn from doing, let them at it, your job is to spot and fix (don’t over coach). • We must do a lot of our work in the preparation phase, let the players do the bulk of the work in training!

Conclusion • You don’t have to be the centre of training sessions, your role is that of facilitator. • Can only be so if you have prepared properly

Conclusion • Tell me and I forget, • Teach me and I remember. • Involve me and I learn • Benjamin Franklin • Thank you for your attention