The GAA has its fair share of fads.
Whether that it is pie charts on iPads, bands for stretching, recovery and activating muscles you’ve never heard or whatever new gizmo your coach brings to pre-season training, there’s always a new fad.
One such training accessory to hit headlines this week were occlusion goggles.
Kildare manager Cian O’Neill featured on RTÉ’s GAA Nua during the week and spoke about the advantages of occlusion goggles.
During the show he said,
“Because you can’t see the last three to four metres of that, or you can’t see the ball actually striking your foot in the kick, it enhances the player’s ability to do that under pressure, and at speed, when they haven’t got the goggles on, which is of course what happens in competition.”
But they’re not without their critics.
https://twitter.com/Woolberto/status/877191299245510656
Speaking on the GAA Hour both show host Colm Parkinson and Kerry legend Marc O’Sé were less than impressed with the goggles.
O’Neill used to train O’Sé and the Kerry footballers before becoming Kildare manager and had the Kingdom players testing out the goggles to the dismay of the squad.
“When we saw them coming into training one night we absolutely fell on the floor laughing,” said O’Sé.
“I was just looking around the pitch at the lads, Kieran Donaghy, myself and David Moran we were absolutely falling down laughing.
“Cian (O’Neill) mentioned one night that these were only the prototypes and I say to him ‘Are there new ones coming? Are we going to be laughing for a few more training sessions?’
“I can see his point of view, he was trying to emphasise the point that you look up but I don’t think it’s beneficial in GAA.”
And Parkinson chimed in, agreeing with O’Sé.
“You have four steps in GAA where you don’t have to look at the ball and you’re supposed to scan the field but when you’re playing the ball you’re absolutely supposed to look at the ball when you’re soloing it,” he remarked
“Cian (O’Neill) is trying to say it will help your kicking, you will never kick a ball accurately without looking at the ball.
“It’s like golf if you take your eye off the ball when you’re hitting the ball you’re going to knock it down and Gaelic football is the very same.”
You can listen to the full conversation below from 01’05
