Trial Ready

A county trial is not won by the fittest or the flashiest — it is won by the player who gets on the ball early, competes for everything, and shows one thing brilliantly while the selectors are watching. Tonight we rehearse being seen, so that on the day the nerves have somewhere to go and the good habits run on their own.

Gaelic football
Development squad
75 min
12–24 trialists
2 coaches
Effort 5/5
Full pitch
development
county-trial
trial-prep
showcase
game-sense

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: 12 footballs, 30 cones, numbered bibs if you have them, a whistle and a stopwatch

Warm-up12 min

Show Yourself

Setup: A 30×25m grid, numbered bibs on so it feels like the real thing, plenty of footballs. Run the warm-up yourself with a clipboard energy — tonight they rehearse being watched.

How it works: Warm the body properly — mobility, strides, the usual careful build — but layer on the trial mindset from the first whistle. Every time a ball is live, the instruction is to get on it, not to drift on the edges hoping. Play quick keep-ball where the coach loudly notices who is demanding the ball and who is hiding, because at a trial the selector's eye finds the busy player. Sprinkle in sharp reaction starts so the legs wake up fully. The message underneath the movement is the theme of the night: at a trial you cannot be picked if you cannot be seen, so show yourself early and often.

What to say

“Tell them: 'get on the ball early — you can't be picked hiding.'”
“Tell them: 'demand it loud — selectors notice the busy player.'”
“Tell them: 'first impression is the warm-up — start switched on.'”

Easier

Simpler keep-ball with more touches guaranteed so confidence builds before the pressure rises.

Harder

STEPR: add a rule that a player who goes thirty seconds without a touch owes a quick sprint, forcing everyone to keep involving themselves.

Activity14 min

Your Best Ball

Setup: Set a showcase channel toward a goal or scoring zone with a feeder and a clock. Each player nominates their signature strength before they go — a driving run, a long kick-pass, a score off either foot, a big catch.

How it works: A trial rewards the player who does one thing brilliantly, so tonight each of them sharpens their calling card. In turn, under a short clock and with the group watching, each player performs their nominated strength two or three times at full intent — not a shy version, the real, best one they own. The coach names what it is out loud so they get used to their strength being seen and labelled. Then they add a second string, because selectors love a player with a stand-out and a back-up. The lesson is ownership: know your best ball, and be brave enough to show it when it counts.

What to say

“Tell them: 'know your one thing — and do it at full size, not shy.'”
“Tell them: 'a stand-out plus a back-up beats being average at everything.'”
“Tell them: 'when it's your moment, take it — don't save it for later.'”

Easier

Give more attempts with no clock so the player nails the strength before performing it under watch.

Harder

STEPR: shorten the clock and add a token defender so the signature skill must be produced under real pressure, as it will be on the day.

Activity16 min

Compete Windows

Setup: Mark several small compete zones — a 12×10m box each — with a ball supply. Players in numbered bibs, matched roughly by position or size. Short, ferocious contests, then rotate.

How it works: Trials are decided in the fifty-fifties, so tonight we drill the willingness to compete for everything. In short windows — twenty to thirty seconds — players go head to head for a served ball: win it, protect it, or turn the winner into a quick score. Every window is a fresh contest against a new opponent, so nobody coasts and everybody is judged on whether they compete, not just whether they are skilful. Keep them brief and intense with real recovery between, because the quality of the compete matters more than the quantity. The habit being built is simple and it wins trials: contest every ball like it is the one the selector remembers.

What to say

“Tell them: 'every ball is a fifty-fifty you can win — attack it.'”
“Tell them: 'first to the ball, strongest on the ball — that gets picked.'”
“Tell them: 'lost the first? Win the next — compete never stops.'”

Easier

Longer windows and a served ball that clearly favours one player so the win is achievable while the habit forms.

Harder

STEPR: make it a two-versus-two window so competing must combine with communication and support, closer to the real game.

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

PitchPlans coaching team

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