Philly’s scientific approach to avoiding GAA burnout

Burnout has become a huge issue for GAA players and few are as qualified to talk on the issue as Dublin defender and qualified strength and conditioning coach, Philly McMahon.

There was a time when DCU, Ballymun Kickhams and the Dubs were all zeroing in on titles and McMahon was battling on all three fronts. But his ability to avoid the casualty ward doesn’t dilute the prosecution’s case against the workload heaped on young players but it is out of step with an issue given another stirring lately by the likes of Bernard Brogan and Jason Ryan.

“I haven’t had a break in terms of football in two years and I haven’t had any injuries,” said McMahon. The only injuries I have got have been from contact. Non-contact injuries are the ones you worry about.

“You think this is where we are getting burnout or loading too much but you can build a tolerance up to it as well if you play too much, although I do agree with what Bernard said. It is tough on the players with the amount of games.”

McMahon’s durability must be at least partly down to his sports science background, his strength and conditioning & role with Shamrock Rovers and his own company BK Strength and Conditioning, which provides specialised training and preparations for athletes.

Among his clients are Manchester City’s Jack Byrne, Liverpool’s Alex O’Hanlon, Enda Stevens who is on loan at Doncaster from Aston Villa and a number of boxers hoping to join the AIBA’s high performance programme.

McMahon is just one small arm of a sport sector growing at a rate beyond even that of IT in this country and he believes the expanding volume of expert practitioners can only be a good thing for the overworked GAA player.

“The good strength and conditioning coaches that are coming in to the industry now, that helps,” he said at AIG’s launch of the Dublin season.

“There is science behind it now, as well with the colleges putting time and effort into the background.

“But everybody wants a piece of the player and that is the problem. There’s not one manager with priority over another. That’s probably the problem. If you sort that out you’ll be alright.”

His own situation has eased, in that respect. College is a box ticked and Ballymun’s crack at another run post-Christmas was halted by St Vincent’s in the county final, which leaves only one master to be obeyed.

Few, if any, GAA teams can call on the quantity and quality of backroom expertise available to Jim Gavin, and McMahon is only too happy to avail of services available.

“The strength and conditioning lads we have now in Dublin are very good. You are always learning, it is an industry where you never learn enough. Being a player at the same time is helpful. You get to work with the best S&C coaches in the country with Dublin.

“You learn your own things and own systems and every year you try to get better and better. It is a short career, like. You only, if you’re lucky, get 10-to-12 seasons and that’s it. You try to get what you can out of it.”

Still only 26, McMahon has already wrung far more than most from his playing days. Two Sigerson titles, county, provincial and All-Ireland titles with Kickhams and a heap of medals with Dublin have been bagged.

Still, he knows from personal experience about how the multiple demands on a player’s services can hurt for reasons other than injury, having struggled to find a niche for himself with Dublin last year after Ballymun’s All-Ireland run. A season spent largely on the bench was his lot so he has no qualms about the lighter load these days and early outings in the county’s recent O’Byrne Cup run.

“You’re getting a chance to basically hold on to a jersey, whereas when you come in (late to the panel), you’re basically trying to push someone out and get a jersey for yourself rather than having it, so it’s a big advantage.”