GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 21 – March 14, 2015 | Page 46

THE LOST ART OF
KICK PASSING
GAA coach and sports academic Joe Trolan addresses the topical
subject of kick passing versus hand passing in Gaelic Football.
– JOE TROLAN
MARCH 12, 2015

I was recently at a provincial coaching and development
conference and there was a lot of emphasis on kick passing and increasing the use of kick passing during Gaelic
Football games. Looking back over the years at senior inter-county games there has certainly been a dearth of kick
passing compared to hand passing. This has frequently
drifted into the other levels of GAA and even into the
youth level. The use of the hand pass is seen as the “safe”
option or the option where the players will more likely retain the ball. The question for coaches is: does this focus
on retention and stopping players from taking positive
risks and potentially limit the creativity of players?

DIVERSITY
Coaches will use what works for them but it is the coaches’ job to teach and nurture different skills. Therefore,
coaches should not focus solely on ball retention through
excessive hand passing. The number of wayward kick
passing is not because of untalented players but rather
players who have not been coached on the proper kicking
techniques and concept of when to use the kick. It is true

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that kicking the ball means that it is in the air for much
longer than a hand pass but it can also cover more distance and split defenses better than any hand pass when
used properly.

USE
The different types of kick passes such as hook or swerve
pass can be used to create space in attack when defenses
are packed, can be used to switch the point of attack and
provide direct penetration. These specific actions though
are difficult and players need confidence in their ability
to kick the ball to perfect them. If you ask a player during practices, how much time they spent on kick passing I wonder what the answer would be – 10 minutes, 20
minutes, or maybe once every two weeks or so. I wonder
if players nowadays now the correct techniques of how to
kick a ball?

DRILLS
As a coach we should emphasize the need to practice kick
passing continually and in doing so enhancing the players