Hold Them Up

One-on-one defending done patiently — jockey, show them the sideline, and wait for the tackle instead of diving in.

Gaelic football
U12
60 min
16–22 players
2 coaches
Effort 4/5
half pitch
u12
1v1-defending
jockey
patience
tackling

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: 24 cones, 8 balls, posts or a 4m cone goal, 16 bibs (2 colours)

Warm-up8 min

Mirror Feet

Setup: Pairs facing across a four-metre channel, no ball to start, spread out.

How it works: One player is the attacker shuffling left and right and forward; the defender mirrors them, staying goal-side, feet quick and low, an arm's length away, never crossing their feet. Thirty seconds then swap. Add a ball for the attacker to carry in the last round, still no tackle, just tracking. It builds the defensive stance and footwork before any contact.

What to say

“Low and balanced — bum down, short steps, never cross your feet.”
“Stay an arm's length off — close enough to touch, far enough to react.”
“Watch the belly button, not the ball or the dummy.”

Easier

Slower attacker; shorter channel.

Harder

Attacker carries a ball and can change speed sharply.

Activity14 min

Channel Jockey

Setup: Channels 12×6m, an attacker with a ball at one end, a defender in the middle, three or four per channel so nobody waits.

How it works: The attacker tries to carry over the far line; the defender jockeys, shows them onto their weaker side and toward the sideline, and only tackles when the attacker over-carries or slows. Hold them up for five seconds and it is the defender's point; a clean near-hand tackle is two; the attacker scoring is their point. Roles swap each go. Patience is the lesson — the standing-off, not the diving-in.

What to say

“Show them one way — steer them where you want, the touchline is your friend.”
“Do not dive in — jockey, be patient, make them make the mistake.”
“Tackle the ball with the near hand as they slow or over-carry.”

Easier

Wider channel; defender only has to shepherd, no tackle needed.

Harder

STEPR: narrow to 4m; attacker must beat the defender within five seconds.

Activity13 min

Force the Line

Setup: A 20×18m grid with a scoring line at each end and a coned safe gate only in the middle of each line, 1v1 with a feeder.

How it works: The attacker scores by carrying through the narrow central gate; the defender's job is to force them wide, away from the gate, using body position not lunges. Because the score is only through the middle, the defender wins by steering the attacker to the wide, low-danger areas. The feeder starts each ball, quick rotation. It teaches defending an angle, not just a player.

What to say

“Body position sends them wide — get your inside shoulder across.”
“Protect the middle, give them the outside.”
“Jockey until they run out of room, then take it.”

Easier

Wider gate; defender may use two hands to hold up.

Harder

STEPR: the attacker gets a supporter to pass to, so the defender must delay and read.

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

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