The Break

The three seconds after a turnover decide most matches — train the break going forward and the sprint going back.

Gaelic football
U14
60 min
14–24 players
2 coaches
Effort 4/5
Half pitch
transition
counter-attack
turnovers
game-sense

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: 10 footballs, 26 cones, 16 bibs (2 colours), 4 poles or small goals if you have them

Warm-up10 min

Colour Break

Setup: 30×30m square with a different coloured cone bank 5m outside each side. Ball between two, hand-passing on the move inside.

How it works: Pairs pass and move inside the square. On a colour call, everyone sprints around that bank and back in — first three back win the right to nominate the next colour. Build it up: call a colour while a pair's ball is mid-air and they must finish the pass before breaking. Last round, call two colours — first one is a dummy, they break on the second. Reaction, acceleration and a bit of thinking, which is the whole night in miniature.

What to say

“React to the call, not to your neighbour moving.”
“Five hard steps of acceleration, then stride it out.”
“Come back in scanning — find your partner and the ball early.”

Easier

Jog the breaks; one colour only.

Harder

Carry the ball on every break — the partner without it must touch the bank and recover goal-side of their partner.

Activity14 min

3v2 Waves

Setup: 40×30m pitch, a cone gate or small goal at each end. Three attackers start at one end, two defenders at the other, next wave of players waiting beside each goal.

How it works: Three attack two. The move ends with a score, a wide or a turnover — and the instant it ends, the two defenders plus one waiting teammate break the other way as the new three, against two of the attackers who just finished (the third drops off to the queue). Continuous, both directions, no whistles between waves. Count team scores across five minutes, then rebalance the sides. The drop-off decision — who stays, who goes — is theirs to sort on the run.

Rounds: 5-minute blocks — rebalance teams between blocks so the same legs aren't always chasing

What to say

“Attack the middle defender at pace — make them commit to you.”
“Spare player, stay wide and a little deep until the last pass.”
“The wave turns the moment the ball does — sprint back or you're the reason it's 3v1.”

Easier

Pause two seconds between waves so the new three can organise; no drop-off, defenders just swap.

Harder

Score only within eight seconds of the wave starting; a kicked score counts double.

Activity12 min

Halfway Heist

Setup: 50×30m pitch split in two halves by a cone line. 6v6 or 7v7 in bibs, normal targets at each end.

How it works: Normal football with one rule: win a turnover in YOUR OWN half and the ball must cross halfway within three passes — count them aloud from the sideline. Make it across in three and you play on for a score worth double; take a fourth pass in your own half and it's a free against you from where the turnover happened. Turnovers in the attacking half play on as normal. Swap the halves teams defend regularly.

What to say

“First look is forward — carry only when the pass isn't on.”
“Third player, run beyond the ball, not towards it.”
“Losing team — two sprint at the carrier, everyone else sprints goal-side.”

Easier

Five passes or five seconds to cross; no free for failing, just play on at single value.

Harder

Cross by kick pass only; the tackler who won the ball must touch it again before the score.

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

PitchPlans coaching team

Free on PitchPlans — new sessions weekly.