Posts by Dave Hare

The best teams have traditions that reinforce their culture. Whether it’s a specific pre-game warm-up, team meals, gym challenges, or post-training recovery routines, these traditions foster camaraderie and a sense of identity.

One of the most impressive examples I’ve seen was a club that took full ownership of their post-training meals. Players themselves organised and prepared the food, reinforcing both teamwork and the importance of nutrition.

Working as an S&C Coach can be a challenging role. A string of poor results can quickly lead to fingers being pointed in your direction, both internally and externally. There’s no use complaining about it—this is simply the reality within the GAA. Interestingly, many S&C coaches in the GAA are well-known figures, a stark contrast to sports like soccer, where few could name Liverpool’s S&C coach. In the GAA, it’s commonplace.

When I first started out in strength and conditioning, I quickly realized that no book or course could fully prepare me for the real-world challenges of coaching athletes. One of the biggest game-changers for me wasn’t just the resources I read—it was having a great mentor early on. Someone who not only pushed me technically…

Most counties now have a centralized training center for all their teams to train in.This was a huge step forward for the GAA, as before, teams would have to beg GAA clubs for a loan of their facilities. Gym sessions would be held in one location, while pitch sessions would happen in another. This was…

A snippet from my book “Strength and Conditioning for Gaelic Games“ I want this book to be for absolutely everyone, I want this book to empower you to get started in your club with the latest methods of training even if you don’t have a state-of-the-art facility, you still need some equipment. I don’t believe…