Along the Ground

Ground hurling first — the sweep, the pull, and goals that never leave the grass

Hurling
U8
45 min
10–24 kids (pods of 3–4, never a queue)
3 coaches
Effort 2/5
Quarter pitch
u8
ground-striking
fundamentals
fun-games

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: Sized hurleys, helmets on for every ball, first-touch sliotars one each plus spares, 24 cones, 8 cone goals, 12 bibs (2 colours)

Warm-up7 min

Sweep the Yard

Setup: 20×20m square, a ball each, helmets on before the first touch. Mentors on opposite corners minding the traffic.

How it works: Everyone keeps their ball moving along the ground with soft sweeps of the bas — no lifting tonight, the ball stays on the grass all night and that is the whole game. Calls keep it busy: SWEEP LEFT and SWEEP RIGHT tap the ball to that side, STOP puts the bas flat on top of it, TURN sweeps it away from the nearest child the other way. Every twenty seconds a new call so nobody settles and every head stays up.

What to say

“Tell them: 'the ball stays asleep on the grass — we never wake it up into the air tonight.'”
“Tell them: 'a boot's length in front, so you can see it and the traffic both.'”
“Tell them: 'low bas, soft taps — you are guiding it, not chasing it.'”

Easier

Walking pace, bigger square, a nudge with the hand allowed for the newest.

Harder

Weak-hand-on-top for one round; shrink the square a step every minute so the yard fills up.

Activity10 min

First-Time Sweep

Setup: Pairs 6–7m apart, one ball per pair, all striking down the same channel with three steps between pairs. Mentors walk behind the striking line, never in front.

How it works: The ground pull, built slowly. Piece one, the stance: side-on to your partner, feet either side of the ball's path, bas back low. Piece two, a slow shadow sweep with no ball, brushing the grass along the line to your partner. Piece three, one partner rolls the ball gently along the ground and the striker meets it side-on and sweeps it back first-time — no stopping it, no lifting it, just a clean pull along the grass. Count clean sweeps that reach your partner without stopping; swap roles every five and race your own best, not each other.

The technique, step by step

Stand side-on, feet either side of the ball's path.
Bas back low, along the ground.
Meet the rolling ball out in front and sweep through the line.
Follow the bas toward your partner and watch it arrive.

Common mistakes

Chopping down on top of the ball — it is a sweep along the grass, not an axe.
Facing straight at the partner — turning side-on is what lets the swing follow the line.

What to say

“Tell them: 'turn side-on and swing along the line the ball is travelling — sweep with it, not at it.'”
“Tell them: 'low bas back, low bas through — keep the whole swing near the grass.'”
“Tell them: 'watch the ball onto the bas, then look where it went.'”

Easier

Striker may stop the ball dead first, then sweep it back on a second swing; partner rolls slower.

Harder

STEPR: partner rolls at a livelier pace and to either side so the striker has to move the feet; weak-side sweep every fifth ball.

Activity11 min

River Crossing

Setup: Pods of three either side of a 6m 'river' marked by two cone lines, one ball per pod, a cone gate in the middle of the river. Pods spread along the bank so no swing reaches a neighbour.

How it works: Ground strikes with a target. The pod on one bank sweeps the ball along the ground through the gate in the river to the pod on the far bank, who control it, set it, and sweep it back. Every clean crossing through the gate is a point for the pod — they are one team across the river, beating their own count. First to a house number, say ten crossings, gives a big cheer and shrinks the gate a cone. Nobody may step into the river to help the ball — it has to be struck all the way across.

What to say

“Tell them: 'aim the sweep at the gate, not at your friend — the gate does the judging.'”
“Tell them: 'give it a firm push along the grass — a shy sweep drowns in the river.'”
“Tell them: 'first touch settles it, second touch sends it — two calm swings beat one wild one.'”

Easier

Narrow the river to 4m and widen the gate; a settle-then-strike is fine, no first-time needed.

Harder

STEPR: widen the river to 9m; the gate narrows; the receiving pod must strike it back first-time to score double.

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

PitchPlans coaching team

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