Developing two-footed footballers: 'What we're currently doing is not working'

Join 7k+ athletes - Gaelic Games S&C, Performance and Coaching newsletter: ⁠⁠https://portal.humansofgaelic.com/newsletterWhy are GAA players being dictated to by their dominant foot without even knowing it? Why does dominant-side kicking shape a team's entire tactical shape? And why is what we're currently doing to develop the non-dominant side simply not working?Dr. Karol Dillon has just completed his PhD on bilaterality in Gaelic football - five years of research - and he's back on the podcast to break it all down.After our first conversation, Karol has spent the last year visiting clubs and counties across Ireland sharing his findings. What he found surprised even him.In this episode, we cover:Why skill development in GAA needs to be treated like a lifestyle, not a drill at trainingWhat the research actually showed when Karol ran a three-month intervention - and why the result wasn't what he expectedHow dominant-foot kicking shapes team tactics across every division, male and femaleWhy left-footed players are worth their weight in gold and are undervalued What David Clifford, Shane Walsh, Tomas Ó Sé and James O'Donoghue have in common that most coaches missWhy the games-based approach is what teenage players themselves say works bestThe role of parents in developing the non-dominant side - and why they matter more than the coachHow S&C coaches can bring this into trainingHow GAA's own 13-week coaching webinar only dedicates one week to skill - and what that tells usWhy we're playing with half a pitch and what would change if this improved by 25% over 30 yearsYou can follow Karol on X: https://x.com/KarolDillon8