Every Girl Shoots

Every girl shoots, every girl scores, and nobody hides from the posts

Camogie
U14
60 min
12–24 girls
2 coaches
Effort 3/5
Half pitch with goals
shooting
striking
scoring
confidence

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: A goal with posts, hurleys and helmets, 15+ sliotars, 24 cones, 8 bibs, a keeper if one wants the shift (rotate if not)

Warm-up8 min

Arc Around

Setup: A cone arc 15–20m out from the goal, pods of four with two balls per pod spaced along it. No keeper yet — the goal starts the night generous.

How it works: Pods pass along the arc — hand-pass, then short strikes as shoulders warm — and on each mentor's whistle the girl in possession turns and pots a shot at the empty goal from wherever she stands, easy range, no pressure. Everyone jogs two arc positions after each shot so the angles keep changing. Every score gets the pod's cheer; every miss gets the next ball fast. By the end each girl has shot five or six times before anything was ever at stake — that's the trick of the whole night.

What to say

“Tell them: 'shots at seventy percent — the posts reward smooth, not savage.'”
“Tell them: 'turn, look, pick a post — then swing.'”
“Keep the balls coming — a shooting warm-up dies the moment someone waits.”

Easier

Shots from a standing set position; arc pulled to 12m.

Harder

Shot must come within two steps of the catch; every second shot off the girl's weaker swing side.

Activity14 min

The Clock

Setup: Five cone spots on an arc around the goal, 20–28m out, numbered 1 to 5 from left wing to right wing. Pairs at each spot, one feeding, one shooting, three balls per pair. Keeper in goal now, rotating every four minutes.

How it works: Around the clock, camogie style. Feeder rolls or hand-passes the ball in front of the shooter, who takes ONE touch on the move and strikes for a point on the run — no settling, no circling back. Two shots per spot, then the pair rotates one number around the clock and swaps jobs each full lap. Keep personal scores across the whole clock, ten shots a lap. The far spots teach range, the wing spots teach angles, and spot 3 in front teaches the one everyone thinks is easy until the county final. Feeders count the touch out loud — 'one' — so the single-touch rule polices itself.

The technique, step by step

Feed arrives in front, on the move.
One touch out of the feet on the shooting side.
One look — pick a post, not 'the goal'.
Compact swing, strike through it, land running.

Common mistakes

Blasting for the net when the point is on — points win matches; goals are gifts, not plans.
Touch dying under her feet so the shot needs a stutter — feed the touch forward, always forward.

What to say

“Tell them: 'touch out in front on your shooting side — the touch IS the shot's first half.'”
“Tell them: 'one look up, pick a post, commit — second looks cost the angle.'”
“Tell them: 'shorten the backswing on the run — a compact swing flies truer than a big one.'”

Easier

Two touches allowed; spots pulled in to 15m; feeds rolled dead into the path.

Harder

STEPR: feeder becomes a lazy defender who closes after passing; wing spots must be struck off the matching side; a dropped-short shot scores minus one to sharpen the strike.

Activity12 min

45s & Frees

Setup: Free spots coned at 20m and 25m in front and at angles; the 45m line marked for the big one. Everyone shoots, keeper stays in, fetchers behind the goal recycling balls fast.

How it works: Set-piece school, because camogie games hang on them. Everyone takes three frees from 20–25m and one 45 — struck from the hand the camogie way, so the routine is the puckout routine's little sister: spot the ball's line, pick the post, flat toss, smooth swing. Round two is the pressure round: each girl calls her shot, the group counts down from five out loud, and she strikes on 'one'. Score two for a called-and-converted free, one for any score. Keep the tally public and cheerful. Anyone whose swing tightens under the count gets the mentor's line: same toss, same swing, the noise is only weather.

Rounds: Round 1: 3 frees + one 45 each, build the routine. Round 2: called shots on a five-count, 2 points each. Finish: sudden-death from the 25.

What to say

“Tell them: 'build one routine and never lend it out — spot, post, toss, swing.'”
“Tell them: 'the 45 is a swing test, not a strength test — timing carries it home.'”
“Tell them: 'when the count gets loud, get boring — routine is the hiding place.'”

Easier

Frees from 15m; the 45 becomes a 35 for this block; countdown swapped for a quiet 'when you're ready'.

Harder

STEPR: the group stands in a keeper's-eye wall of noise behind the goal; a missed called shot passes the ball — one attempt, next girl; finish with sudden-death pairs from the 25.

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

PitchPlans coaching team

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