A brand-new coach, a hall full of small hurlers, and a swing that brushes the grass
The Very First Swing
- Hurling
- U6
- 45 min
- 8–24 kids (pods of 4, never a queue)
- 3 coaches
- Effort 2/5
- Quarter pitch or an indoor hall
- u6
- grip
- swing
- nursery
- fun-games
Kit: Shortest hurleys ye have (a hand-span above the ground when stood up), first-touch sliotars one each plus spares, helmets on for every striking game, 24 cones, 8 spot markers, a stack of tall cones for castles
Round-Up
Setup: 20×20m square, a spot marker 'home' in each corner, a first-touch sliotar sitting on a marker for every child. Hurleys stay in a tidy pile outside the square for now. One mentor calls, two play along inside.
How it works: No hurleys yet — this is heads-up and happy feet. Kids move to the calls: JOG, TIPTOE, GIANT STEPS, WIGGLE. On ROUND-UP everyone runs to a ball that is not theirs, scoops it in two hands, carries it to any corner home and sets it down gently. Count how many made it home before you call the next move. Last round: on ROUND-UP they bring a ball home and give it a name — the small ball is going to be their best friend all year.
What to say
- “Tell them: 'two soft hands on the ball, like it is a baby chick.'”
- “Tell them: 'look for a ball nobody else is running for — find the space.'”
- “Praise the gentle set-down, not the speed — calm on your call is the whole first year.”
Easier
Walk-pace calls, bigger square, every child brings home the same ball each time.
Harder
Add TRAFFIC — two mentors walk slowly through the square as gentle obstacles to dodge on the way home.
Copy the Coach
Setup: Kids in two short lines facing a mentor, a full hurley-length of gap either side of each child — walk the lines and check the gaps with an arm and a hurley before a single swing. Helmets on now and checked. Ball on the ground in front of every child.
How it works: Grip and swing as a copying game, everything slow. First the handshake: 'shake hands with the top of the handle with your strong hand, helper hand just below, and the top hand never lets go.' Then copy the mentor's moves, thirty seconds each, grip re-checked between every one. PAINT THE GRASS — sweep the bas along the ground side to side like a paintbrush. THE PENDULUM — a slow swing back and through at knee height, everyone checking their gap first. TICK-TOCK — bas up to one shoulder, down and through, up to the other, calling 'tick, tock'. Finish with the whole line doing one big slow swing together that brushes the grass and just kisses their ball.
Common mistakes
- Hands split wide apart like a sweeping brush — reset with the handshake game, never a lecture.
- A death grip with both hands — the helper hand stays soft so the bas can turn.
What to say
- “Tell them: 'shake hands with the hurley, then squeeze — that top hand is the boss and never moves.'”
- “Tell them: 'brush the grass with a low swing, do not chop down at it.'”
- “Walk the line and check thumbs: strong hand on top, hands touching, not split apart.”
Easier
Kneel for Paint the Grass so the bas reaches the grass easily; hands-together grip guided by a mentor.
Harder
Do the pendulum on the move — two walking steps between swings without the ball rolling away; one round with the hands swapped, for the laugh.
Knock the Castle
Setup: Pods of four at a spot-marker tee, a 'castle' of three stacked tall cones 4–5m in front, all pods striking the same way into open space. A mentor behind each cluster of pods, never out in front.
How it works: First real strikes with a target and a story. The ball sits up on the marker like an egg. On the call READY they stand feet either side of a pretend puddle, ball beside the front foot; on STRIKE, one big slow swing that brushes the grass and sends the ball at the castle. Knock a cone off and the whole pod cheers and rebuilds it. Strike on the call, walk out to collect on the call — that rhythm is the safety and the game. Every couple of minutes the castle grows a cone taller so there is always something new to topple.
What to say
- “Tell them: 'eyes on the ball the whole way — watch the bas wake it up.'”
- “Tell them: 'point your finish at the castle and the ball will follow.'”
- “Only strike on the call, only collect on the call — say it cheerfully every single round.”
Easier
Move the castle to 3m; push the ball along the ground with the bas instead of swinging; kneel for the first taps.
Harder
Castle out to 7m; sit the ball on a flat cone tee for a cleaner contact; a pod point for every child who topples it twice in a row.
Dragon Dribble
Setup: A wiggly lane of cone gates down the middle of the square, a ball each, kids starting in a bunch at one end. One mentor is the friendly dragon walking slowly in the middle; two mentors cheer from the sides.
How it works: Carry the small ball the length of the lane with little taps of the bas — through the gates, past the dragon, home to the end line. The dragon only walks and only ever gently taps a ball away with a soft bas if a child charges in with their head down. Lost your ball? Fetch it, no bother, and carry on from the nearest gate. Down and back is one adventure; count adventures for the whole group, not against each other. Last go: everyone sets off at once so the lane is full of little hurlers and one very slow dragon.
What to say
- “Tell them: 'little taps in front of you — drive the ball, do not scare it away.'”
- “Tell them: 'head up to see the dragon, eyes flick down to the ball.'”
- “Keep the dragon gentle and giggly — near-misses and cheers, never a child upset.”
Easier
Carry the ball balanced on the bas at walking pace with a spare hand steadying it; no dragon for the newest.
Harder
Add a second gentle dragon; a wobble-free run the whole way earns the child a turn as a mini-dragon.
Show Me Your Handshake
Setup: Hurleys in a neat pile, helmets off, everyone in a tight circle with the mentors. Ball bag open in the middle.
How it works: Land the plane slowly. Reach for the sky like the tallest hurley in Ireland, touch the toes like a sleeping sliotar, one big wobbly balance on each leg. Then the count-in: kids feed their sliotar into the bag one at a time and the whole circle counts them home. Finish with the handshake test — every child shows the mentor their grip — and the team cheer.
What to say
- “Tell them: 'show me shake-hands one last time' — every correct grip earns the big cheer.”
- “Keep voices low and slow now so they leave calm and the parents notice.”
- “Tell them: 'same time next week, and your hurley will be waiting for you.'”
Ask the players: Ask the circle: which game made you smile the most? Every answer is right. At the gate, tell each parent the one thing their child learned tonight — the shake-hands grip.
Next week builds on this: Same grip games to open, then the ball goes up on a real cone tee and we start aiming at bigger targets.
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