PRINCIPLES OF TRAINING

INFORMATION SHEET FOR PLAYERS

Adaptions to the demands of training occur gradually,

TRAINING PRINCIPLES over long periods of time and trying to accelerate this
process may lead to injury, illness or overtraining.
The principles of training promote a steady and specific
increase in physical ability by specifically adapting a
PROGRESSION
training regime to the needs of a sport, and most
importantly, to the individual needs of each player. A To steadily improve fitness levels, physical demands to
training programme to improve performance should obey overload an athlete’s system must continually increase. If
the following principles of training: the training demand is increased too quickly, players will
be unable to adapt and may break down. If the demand is
SPECIFITY not adequate, they will not reach optimal fitness levels.

The specificity principle asserts that the best way to

REVERSIBILITY
develop physical fitness is to train the energy systems and
muscles as closely as possible to the way that they are When player stops training, their gains will disappear
used in a particular sport. The principle implies that to quicker than they were gained. The rate of decline for
become better at a particular exercise or skill, they must athletes will depend on the length of training before
be performed. To have good stamina, stamina runs must detraining, the specific muscle group and other factors.
be performed and not short sprints. Training must also Maintaining a moderately high level of fitness year-round
be specific to individual abilities such as tolerance to is easier than detraining at the end of the season and then
training stress and recoverability. retraining at the beginning of the next.

OVERLOAD VARIATION
Whilst training loads must be increased gradually, they After training for several hard days, players should train
must also allow the body to adapt to avoid injury. lightly to give their bodies a chance to recover. Training
Varying the type, volume, and intensity of training load cycles should be used over the course of the year to vary
allows the body an opportunity to over-compensate and the intensity and volume of training to help achieve peak
recover. Loading should continue to increase gradually as levels of fitness for competition. This principle also
adaption occurs. When more is demanded, within implies that exercises and activities should be changed
reason, the body adapts to the increased demand. regularly so that players do not overstress a certain part
of the body. Mixing up activities also maintains interest in
ADAPTION training.

Adaption refers to the body’s ability to adjust to

PERIODISATION AND RECOVERY
increased or decreased physical demands. Repeatedly
practicing a skill or activity makes it second nature and
During hard training, the majority of athletes will become
easier to perform. This principle explains why beginning
fatigued and performances will actually drop. Whilst this
exercisers are often sore after starting a new routine, but
experience is a normal part of training, allowing adequate
after doing the same exercise for a period, they have
time for recovery enables the body to prepare for the
little, if any, muscle soreness. In addition, adaptation
next bout of training.
makes an athlete very efficient and allows him to expend
less energy doing the same movements. This cycle of training and recovery called periodization of
training allows players to keep improving over time.

1 Principles of Training | learning.gaa.ie/player

Prolonged fatigue lasting two weeks or more, despite
Type Method Used for
adequate rest, is not normal. It is important to use
recovery strategies after training to benefit maximally
Circuit Performing a Can be designed to
from all the hard training you are doing.
training series of improve speed, agility,
Eliminating or reducing these recovery sessions leads to
exercises in a coordination, balance
players failing to recover from hard training.
special order and muscular
Infections and injuries are generally inescapable if players endurance
repeatedly train or play before their bodies have
recovered properly from the previous training session or Continuous Working for a Cardiovascular fitness
game. As fitness levels continue to decrease with each
training continuous
successive workout, the risk of injury increases. A point
is eventually reached where injury becomes inevitable, period without
forcing players to stop training. rest

Cross Using another A GAA midfielder may

METHODS OF TRAINING
training sport or activity use power training to
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are needed for the to improve improve his jump
development of physical fitness.
fitness
Aerobic exercise is any activity using large muscle
groups and maintained continuously with rhythmic Fartlek Varying your Aerobic and anaerobic
pattern i.e. sustaining a full game, cycling or swimming. training speed and type of fitness
Aerobic means ‘with air or oxygen’. Any aerobic activity terrain over
should leave players able to carry on a short
which you run
conversation. Aerobic training trains an athlete’s lungs to
process more air with less effort and heart to pump
more blood with fewer beats. This increases Interval Alternating Speed and muscular
cardiovascular efficiency and endurance. training between periods endurance
of hard exercise
Anaerobic means ‘without air or oxygen.’ Anaerobic
exercise uses muscles at high intensity and a high rate of and rest.
work for a short period of time. Anaerobic exercise
helps us increase our muscle strength and stay ready for Weight Using weights to Can be designed to
the next bursts of speed i.e. weight training, sprinting, or training provide improve muscular
any rapid burst of speed. Think of short and fast when resistance to strength, muscular
you think of anaerobic.
muscles. endurance and power
Anaerobic exercise cannot last long because oxygen is
not used for energy and lactic acid is produced. Lactic Altitude Aerobic training Aerobic fitness
acid contributes to muscle fatigue and must be burned up training high above sea
by the body during a recovery period before another level where
bout of exercise can be attempted.
oxygen levels are
lower.
SPECIFIC TRAINING METHODS

Specific training methods can be used to improve each

fitness factor:

2 Principles of Training | learning.gaa.ie/player

 STAGES OF A TRAINING SESSION or may be performed. For more information, visit
learning.gaa.ie/coach
WARM-UP

The purpose of the warm-up is to prepare players for the

MAIN PART

training to follow. During the warm-up, body The type of training performed on any given day depends
temperature is raised, which is one of the main factors in on the phase of training as well as its objectives. Any
facilitating performance. The elevation of body sports require technical and tactical training, maximum
temperature warms up and stretches muscles, tendons, speed, speed-endurance, and aerobic endurance, all of
ligaments, and other tissues, which prevents or reduces which use different energy systems.
ligament sprains and tendon and muscle strains.
COOL-DOWN
In 2011, the Medical, Scientific and Welfare Committee
A cool-down brings the body back to its normal
of the GAA in conjunction with a Working Group
functions. During a cool-down of 20 minutes, athletes
comprising of Dr. Pat O’Neill, Prof. Niall Moyna, Dr. Pat
perform activities that facilitate faster regeneration and
Duggan, Dr. Kieran Moran, John C. Murphy, Dr.
recovery from strains of training. Players should not
Catherine Blake developed the GAA 15, a standardised
leave for showers immediately after the last exercise. As
injury prevention programme aimed at reducing the
a result of training, especially intensive training, athletes
number of injuries sustained by GAA players. The GAA
build up high amounts of lactic acid and their muscles are
15 is based on programmes incorporated internationally
exhausted, tense, and rigid. To overcome this fatigue and
by FIFA (the 11+) (FMARC) and by the Santa Monica
speed up the recovery process, they should perform
Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Research Foundation
stretching exercises. The removal of lactic acid is
(PEP) in soccer. The effectiveness of the FIFA 11+ was
necessary if the effect of fatigue is to be eliminated.
proven in a scientific study which found that teams that
performed the 11+ at least twice a week had 30-50% less
CONCLUSION
injured players.
GAA players are pushed routinely to the limits of their
As a result of the findings from injury surveillance in physical abilities. Training is an integral part of a player’s
Gaelic games over a six year period and expert opinion, success and in most cases, training will enhance a player’s
the GAA 15 was devised with the defining feature being performance, however, if the body is stretched too far,
the gluteal activation which is considered important for performance will almost always decrease. It is important
preventing injury in GAA players. An 8 week pilot of the for not only coaches, but players to be familiar with the
programme in UCD by Edwenia O’Malley found clinically basic principles and processes of training so they can
important improvements in dynamic balance and jump evaluate training programmes and determine their
landing technique in GAA players. adequacy in maintaining health and preventing injury.

The GAA 15 should be performed, as a standard warm- For more information, visit learning.gaa.ie/player
up, at the start of each training session at least twice a
week and takes 15 minutes to complete. Prior to
matches only the running exercises (Parts A & C) should

3 Principles of Training | learning.gaa.ie/player