Ground Strike On The Run

Key Points

Adopt the ready position.
Stride into the ball.
Swivel the shoulders and hips to place the forward foot in line with the ball.
The shoulders should be in line with the target.
Head down, strike through the ball with a quick, wristy action.
Transfer body weight with momentum and bring the trailing foot behind the lead foot for balance.
Swivel the shoulders and hips back to the original position to continue run.

Technical Drills

Drill 1 – Basic – Imaginary Striking

Drill 2 – Basic –Ground Striking

This is a basic drill to practice the Ground Strike on the Run technique.
Mark out a distance approximately 20m using cones.
Place 3 balls along the distance, one every 5 metres.
Divide the players into groups of 3.
One group of 3 line up behind the first cone.
Each player in turn runs forward to strike each ball on the run.
The other group of 3 take up position to retrieve the balls, returning them to the original position for the next player.
Each player strikes to the opposite side towards the retrievers.
After each player in a group has had a turn at striking, alternate the groups.
Begin with a larger ball like the First Touch hurling ball and reduce the size of the ball as the players become more proficient at the technique
Alternatively, use ball and pin apparatus instead of a retriever group.

Drill 3 Basic - Out and In

This is a basic drill to practice the Ground Strike on the Run technique.
Mark out a distance of approximately 30m using cones.
Divide the players into groups of 3, lined up behind the cones at one side, with one ball per group.
Each player in turn strikes the ball on the run, follows it and continues to strike around the far cone and back to the start.
When a player returns, the next player sets off.
The first group to have all players complete the drill wins.

Drill 4 Intermediate - 3 Player Strike

This is an intermediate drill to practice the Ground Strike on the Run technique.
Mark out a distance of approximately 40m using cones.
In groups of 3, the players spread out along one line with approximately 15m between each player.
The first player begins by striking the sliotar ahead of the central player.
The central player, without stopping the ball, must strike it on ahead of the third player, who strikes it back ahead of the central player again.
The 3 players continue to move forward in this fashion until they reach the 40m line
The players then reform and wait until the rest of the players have completed the drill before changing the central player and repeating the drill in the opposite direction.

Drill 5 Intermediate – 3 Player Relay Strike

This intermediate drill to practice the Ground Strike on the Run technique requires the central player to pull on a moving ball.
Mark out a distance of approximately 40m using cones.
In teams of 3, the players spread out evenly over the distance.
The first player begins by striking the sliotar towards the central player.
The central player, without stopping the ball, must strike it on towards the third player.
The third player strikes it back to the central player again and so the drill continues.
Encourage the central player to play the ball on whatever side it approaches.
The first team to move the ball up and down the line a set number of times wins.
To reduce the difficulty of the drill, allow the end players to stop the ball before striking it to the central player.
To increase the difficulty of the drill, increase the distance and divide the players into teams of 4 with 2 central players.

Developing the Skill

Grid Game 1 – Over the Line

This is a target game designed to improve the ability of the players to strike the ball on the ground while on the run.
The game can be played one against one or in teams of 2, 3 or 4.
Mark out a grid using cones, two endlines of which act as goallines.
The size of the grid depends on the number and ability of the players.
A score is made by striking the ball over the end line in the opponent’s side of the grid.
Teams strike on every second shot.
Each player must be moving while striking the sliotar.

Fun Game 1 – 4 Goal Game

This is a modified game focussing on the Ground Strike on the Run. It also incorporates blocking and dribbling and will aid the development of decision-making and team play.
Mark out a playing area 30m x 30m.
Position a goal at each of the four corners.
Divide the players into two equal teams of 4 to 6 players.
Each team defends two goals but no goalkeepers are used.
Vary the size of the playing area and the width of the goals depending on the ability of the players.

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