For this episode, the final one of the season, we take a look at some of the questions that you have asked during the series about different episodes or specific parts of the various conversations. (3.00) – Why developing people skills is so important (7.15) – Specific advice for coaching underage sport (12.15) – Another look at biobanding (29.50) – Skill acquisition Similar to season 1, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with Recovery Haven in Tralee, who provide free cancer support services for the people of Kerry and beyond. If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to Recovery Haven through the link here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/mike-quirke-1667934946389?utm_source=copyLink&utm_medium=one_page&utm_content=page/mike-quirke-1667934946389&utm_campaign=pfp-share&utm_term=8ca9a06724cf4db390a48cd165fc4e61 If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, share, leave a review and follow the podcast. My thanks also to PST Sport for their support with this project. Go to pstsport.com for world-class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Thanks for listening.

With nearly 130 caps for the Irish rugby team, a British and Irish Lion, Munster’s all-time leading points scorer - Ronan O’Gara is one of Ireland’s sporting icons. From Munster to France, to New Zealand and back now as coach of LaRochelle, O’Gara talks with great honestly and openness about his experiences and lessons learned from the many different professional coaching environments he’s been a part of. (3.30) – A confidence player (11.11) – Good people make better players (17.00) – Consistent buy-in (24.24) – The importance of fun (35.07) – Developing personal relationships Similar to season 1, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with Recovery Haven in Tralee, who provide free cancer support services for the people of Kerry and beyond. If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to Recovery Haven through the link here: https://bit.ly/3tfsxWw If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, share, leave a review and follow the podcast. My thanks also to PST Sport for their support with this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Thanks for listening.

Kieran Donaghy will be well known to listeners for his exploits as an All-Star player both on the football pitches and basketball courts of Ireland for the bones of nearly 20 years. In this episode he takes us through his fledgling coaching career having coached and managed Tralee IT in Sigerson cup football, as a performance coach with the Galway hurlers and currently as a forwards coach under Kieran McGeeney with the Armagh senior football team. He also has an interesting perspective on children’s sport given his involvement in running hugely popular basketball / football camps for hundreds of kids each year. That crossover between basketball and football is a recurring theme through this episode with some interesting takeaways for coaches off all ages. (19.50) – Basketball influencing Gaelic football (29.00) – Developing better communication (32.00) – Camp coaching (43.28) – Parenting and coaching (51.33) – Working with Kieran McGeeney. Similar to season 1, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with Recovery Haven in Tralee, who provide free cancer support services for the people of Kerry and beyond. If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to Recovery Haven through the link here: https://bit.ly/3tfsxWw If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, share, leave a review and follow the podcast. My thanks also to PST Sport for their support with this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Thanks for listening!

Paddy Tally is currently coaching the Kerry senior football team, having previously started his 15 years of inter-county football experience with Tyrone back in 2003. There have been plenty of stops along the road, including Sigerson success in St Mary’s Belfast, as well as stints in Down and Galway. As a lecturer in the PE department in St Mary’s for 25 years, he shares some of the gems he has picked up along the way in a lifelong journey through coaching, teaching and learning. (10.00) – lessons learned over 15 years (20.00) – how do you motivate players (30.30) – teaching games for understanding (TGFU) (36.00) – developing your own culture Similar to season 1, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with Recovery Haven in Tralee, who provide free cancer support services for the people of Kerry and beyond. If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to Recovery Haven through the link here: https://bit.ly/3tfsxWw If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, share, leave a review and follow the podcast. My thanks also to PST Sport for their support with this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Thanks for listening.

Welcome to Ep. 5 with Phil Kearney, lecturer in Skill Acquisition, Coaching and Performance in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences in the University of Limerick. Phil's research has examined human motor behaviour; that is, how humans control their movements and develop their skills across their lifespan. His recent research has concentrated on youth sport, in particular within the context of track and field athletics. (20.00) – What is skill? (32.40) – How long does it take for skills to stick? (37.27) – Fast-tracking your learning. (54.40) – Developing life-skills through sport and coaching. Similar to season 1, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with Recovery Haven in Tralee, who provide free cancer support services for the people of Kerry and beyond. If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to Recovery Haven through the link here: https://bit.ly/3tfsxWw If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, share, leave a review and follow the podcast. My thanks also to PST Sport for their support with this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Thanks for listening.

Alan Keane is the Irish man carving out his own coaching path on foreign soil since leaving his home town of Tralee, and found himself coaching his way through UK basketball, from professional level in Reading, to working his way up to coaching England and Great Britain under 16, under 18 and under 20’s to European championships competing in the top A division and winning a silver medal in 2017. Alan is also co-founder of a company called MVMT Movement Sports, which is a mission-driven business for difference-maker coaches by providing training for organisations who use sport to create social impact. He has also coached England in the Common Wealth Games, he’s a qualified school teacher and is currently completing his PhD. (2.15) – Kerry connections. (5.35) – What is self-regulated learning. (12.45) – How has coaching changed in the last 15 years. (32.45) – The use of questioning as a coaching tool. (46.00) – Reflective practice. Similar to season 1, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with Recovery Haven in Tralee, who provide free cancer support services for the people of Kerry and beyond. If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to Recovery Haven through the link here: https://bit.ly/3tfsxWw If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, share, leave a review and follow the podcast. My thanks also to PST Sport for their support with this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Thanks for listening.

Frank Dick has done most everything that can be done in the world of coaching. From being the British Athletics Federation’s director of coaching to becoming the high-performance director with the South African Olympic committee while helping to deliver several medals along the way. In 2016 Frank was invited to become a strategic consultant with England rugby’s leadership team ahead of the rugby World Cup in 2019. (1.35) – The essence of coaching (6.00) – Athlete Ownership (21.45) – Language matters (34.25) – Satisfaction seduces (52.10) – The transferability of skills from sports coaching to business. Frank is the author of four major publications including; ‘Winning Matters’ and ‘Wining Lines’ and his contribution to coaching was recognised by being awarded an OBE in 1989, as well as being honoured with doctorates from the national sports academy of Bulgaria and Loughborough University for his contribution to coaching and coach development in Europe. Frank is a hugely engaging motivational speaker and works with various organisations to enhance the capacity of the people within them. Here, he shares some of the tricks of the trade he’s picked up along the way during a life spent coaching. Similar to season 1, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with Recovery Haven in Tralee, who provide free cancer support services for the people of Kerry and beyond. If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to Recovery Haven through the link here: https://bit.ly/3tfsxWw If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, share, leave a review and follow the podcast. My thanks also to PST Sport for their support with this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Thanks for listening.

Fionn Fitzgerald will be well known to followers of GAA, having captained Kerry to a senior football All Ireland title in 2014. The Dr Crokes club man is a lecturer in MTU Kerry campus and is currently undertaking a PhD looking at the area of biobanding, relative age effect and maturation rates of players involved with GAA development academies. In this episode, Fionn shares his thoughts on the ‘growth spurt’ ages for boys and girls, and the impact that can have on their performance. He talks about the need for coaches to be aware of the difference between the early and later physical developers and the challenges posed by each. His research has potentially significant implications for coaches and parents of kids in that 12 -16 age bracket and shines a light on topic previously underappreciated in general by youth sport in Ireland. Similar to season 1, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with Recovery Haven in Tralee, who provide free cancer support services for the people of Kerry and beyond. If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to Recovery Haven through the link here: https://bit.ly/3tfsxWw If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, share, leave a review and follow the podcast. My thanks also to PST Sport for their support with this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Thanks for listening.

Long before he made a name as a Performance Coach with the All Ireland champion Kerry footballers this year and previously the Dublin hurlers, Tony Griffin carved out an impressive All-Star hurling career of his own with his native Clare. (01:00) - Mike Quirke meets Tony Griffin (18:00) - Performance Coaching, cultivating culture. (26:00) - Coaching Teenagers and improving underage. (50:00) - Improving as a coach, 'the person before the player', finding balance. In this episode, Tony shares his considerable experience of hurling at the top level in Ireland while studying in Nova Scotia; cycling across Canada and raising 1.1 million for charity in the process. He’s recently wrote a book entitled “The Teenager’s Book of Life” which gives young people the tools they need to take their first steps in a grown-up world that expects a lot of them. Tony is a strong advocate for focusing on the person before the player, he shares his steps towards developing a positive culture with any age group and why the use of questioning can be a coaching superpower. Similar to season 1, I've set up this podcast with a dual purpose in mind, firstly to provide some thoughtful debate for coaches, but I've also linked up with Recovery Haven in Tralee, who provide free cancer support services for the people of Kerry and beyond. If you found some value in the podcast, it would be great if you could donate any amount, no matter how small to Recovery Haven through the link here: https://bit.ly/3tfsxWw If you enjoyed this episode, click on the like button, share, leave a review and follow the podcast. My thanks also to PST Sport for their support with this project. Go to pstsport.com for world class delivery of all your artificial grass pitch needs. Thanks for listening.

For the final episode of the podcast Mike takes questions from the listeners and gives his insights into all your coaching queries. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

Mike's last guest on the podcast is performance coach Patrick Harding. You may have seen him working closely with Formula 1 driver Alex Albon in Netflix's Drive to Survive, but that isn't his only role, he also works with elite boxers such as Michael Conlon, amongst others. He tells Mike about all he's learned in his still growing career across a multitude of sports. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

One of the top analysts in the country, Ray Boyne joins Mike Quirke on this week's episode. First starting with the Dublin minors in the 2003, he has worked with multiple senior inter-county set-ups since, including the All-Ireland winning Tipperary hurling side.  He gives plenty of insights from such a successful career and also explains some simple ways that coaches can use basic analysis to help kids continue to improve in whatever sport they are playing. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

Co. Mayo's Barry Solan is Mike's guest this week. As Arsenal's first-team strength & conditioning coach for the last six years, he shares his knowledge from working at such a high level and also reveals what it's like behind-the-scenes at an elite Premier League club. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

Joining Mike this week is Jonny McMurty. Originally from Northern Ireland, he currently lives in Brisbane Australia where he has been coaching high-performance age-grade rugby for almost 10 years. He is also currently working with the University of Queensland and Rugby Australia to look at players' engagement and understanding the requirements for successful motivation. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

Kilkenny camogie legend Ann Downey joins Mike for episode nine. She talks through her journey from player to coach and manager, how her philosophies like complete honesty and 'happy person, happy player' guided her coaching journey and her desire to see more former female players taking up management roles. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

Mike Quirke is joined by sport psychology lecturer Alan Ringland. He takes us through his wish for coaches to engage in more deliberate play as opposed to deliberate practice, he breaks down the different priorities for coaches and discusses provoking player-led discussion within your team. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

Joe O'Connor joins Mike this week. Currently a lecturer in health and leisure at MTU Tralee, he has also been the S&C coach for All-Ireland winning hurling sides Clare in 2013 and more recently Limerick in 2018. Despite coming from an athletics background, Joe has now too ventured over into the worlds of golf and equestrianism. Some may also be familiar with him as the referee on Ireland's Fittest Family for 5 years. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

This week Mike is joined by Nick Potter, director of High Performance and Sports Science at Duke University men's basketball. Working with one of the most legendary coaches in basketball Mike Krzyzewski - better known as Coach K - Nick gives an insight into the elusive world of college sports in the States. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

Waterford's Derek McGrath is this weeks guest. Having played inter-county hurling the whole way up from underage right through to senior, he tells Mike about transitioning from player into managing the team he loved so much. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!

Dave Power is the PGA club pro in Tralee golf club. He joins Mike this week to discuss his journey from receiving a golf scholarship to an American university to finding his path coaching players of all ages on surrounded by the beauty of County Kerry. Donate to Temple Street Children's Hospital HERE!