Build the Engine

The January base built on the pitch with a ball in hand — big aerobic work capacity from running games and interval blocks, not a single soul-destroying lap.

Gaelic football
Adult
75 min
16–30 players
1 coach
Effort 4/5
Full pitch
s-and-c
pre-season
aerobic-base
conditioning
work-capacity

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: 30 cones, 10 footballs, 20 bibs (2 colours), stopwatch

Warm-up12 min

Long Warm-Up for a Long Night

Setup: A 30×30m grid, a ball between two. The rule that keeps a conditioning night injury-free is simple — the warm-up has to match the load coming, and tonight's load is big, so this is a full twelve minutes, not a token five. Water on the line, and honesty about anyone carrying a niggle before we start.

How it works: Three clear gears. Easy movement first: jog, skip and shuffle passing a ball on the move for three minutes. Then range of motion: lunges, leg swings, hip openers, ankle bounces, mixed with light passing. Then lift the system: rising strides, a few three-quarter runs, sharp changes of pace, until the breathing is up and the legs are genuinely warm. Ask players to rate their readiness one to ten before the first block — a body that is not warm should not start extensive running.

What to say

“Match the warm-up to the work — a big engine night needs a full ramp, no shortcuts.”
“Breathing up and legs warm by the last minute — that is the body ready to run.”
“Anyone tight or sore, tell me now — one honest word saves a six-week hamstring.”

Easier

Extend the easy gear and keep the strides submaximal for anyone early in pre-season.

Harder

Add a short reactive game at the end to spike the heart rate before the first block.

Activity16 min

Runner Relays

Setup: Teams of four or five behind a start line, a turning cone out at 40m, and a stack of footballs. Several lanes so everyone runs. This is aerobic work dressed as a relay, so the effort is honest but the head is on the ball, not the burn.

How it works: Continuous relays: carry the ball out solo-ing to the turn, round the cone, drive back and hand to the next runner, then loop to the back of your line. Keep it rolling for a work block of around four minutes so each player runs several times with short rests between — the classic extensive interval that lays down an aerobic base. Aim the effort at a strong, repeatable pace, roughly seven out of ten, not a sprint that dies after two runs. Three or four blocks with ninety seconds between, adding a fetch-and-carry rule or a weak-foot solo to keep the mind busy.

Rounds: 3–4 × 4 min work / 90s rest · target effort 7/10, strong and repeatable

What to say

“Strong and repeatable, about a seven out of ten — this is engine work, not a sprint.”
“Clean solo on the run — the skill has to hold when the lungs complain.”
“Use the short rest fully — hands on nothing, breathe, then go again.”

Easier

STEPR: shorten the turn to 30m or add a runner per team so each person's work-to-rest eases.

Harder

STEPR: lengthen the block to five minutes or add a second lap per turn, extending time under effort.

Activity16 min

Big-Square Keep-Ball

Setup: A deliberately large area, around 50×50m, two teams of six to eight in bibs, two or three balls in play to keep everyone moving. The size is the point — big space means continuous running to support and to press.

How it works: Simple keep-ball, but the huge pitch turns it into an aerobic grind hidden inside a game. To keep possession everyone has to keep moving to offer an angle; to win it back everyone has to keep chasing. Count chains of passes for a point if you want a target, but the real prize is that nobody stops for four or five minutes at a time. Play blocks of around four minutes at a steady seven out of ten with short rests between, and shrink or grow the square to nudge the intensity. The legs do a full night's running and the players barely notice because their heads are in the game.

Rounds: 3 × 4–5 min work / 90s rest · steady aerobic effort, keep everyone moving

What to say

“Big pitch means constant movement — standing still is how you lose it here.”
“Steady seven out of ten, held for the whole block — pace it, do not empty it early.”
“Support in front and behind the ball — the running to help is the whole workout.”

Easier

STEPR: add a third ball or extra players so touches come more often and the running is less relentless.

Harder

STEPR: shrink the square slightly and add a two-touch limit, lifting both the tempo and the work rate.

The rest of this session is free — along with 3 more this week.

PitchPlans coaching team

Free on PitchPlans — new sessions weekly.