Coach's Lab with John Murphy How Fit Are Underage GAA Players? | Lorcan Daly
Nov 14, 2025
Lorcan Daly, a researcher at TUS specializing in youth athletic development, dives deep into the fitness profiles of underage GAA players. He discusses how ten years of data from county development squads informs coaching practices. Key topics include the ethics of using body composition data, the importance of monitoring growth and training exposure, and the nuances of interpreting positional differences. Lorcan highlights that speed, mass, and biological maturity play crucial roles in player performance, urging a balanced approach to player development.
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Tests Are Monitoring Tools Not Pass/Fail Exams
- Fitness testing for youth GAA should be framed as monitoring, not pass/fail judgments.
- Lorcan Daly warns against over-applying numbers and urges focus on player development context.
Measure Multiple Relevant Attributes
- Track a broad set of attributes: sprint times, jumps, Yo-Yo, body composition, flexibility and muscular endurance.
- Use these measures together to guide training, not to exclude players from opportunities.
Skinfolds Help Explain Rising Body Mass
- Skinfolds give context to changing body mass by revealing fat-free mass gains.
- Daly says this helps distinguish growth-driven mass increases from changes in adiposity or muscle.