When Brian Cody talks about coaching, coaches everywhere should listen.
Because he is the most successful coach the GAA has ever seen. He’s been doing it right for 20 years now and he’s still yearning for more, but more importantly, his players are still heeding his guidance and living off his advice.
On Sunday, underdogs Kilkenny toppled old rivals Tipperary in the National Hurling League final and that would mark the 35th major success (between National League, Leinster and All-Ireland championships) the Cats have enjoyed during his tenure.
That’s unparalleled, that’s longevity, that’s a sustained period of success that we’ll likely never witness the likes of again.
So when it comes to coaching, the James Stephens club man knows a thing or two.
There’s always been a certain mystique about Cody and Kilkenny. The way they always go about their business quietly, the way they don’t over-celebrate their successes, but always come back hungry for more of them.
Brian Cody is responsible for fostering that culture in Kilkenny. A culture where the honour of wearing the black and amber jersey is never lost on players, but is never taken for granted or creates an ego in them either.
He’s fostered a culture in Kilkenny so powerful that every youngster has a 30 something inch extension to their arms at nearly all times.
And this brilliant bainisteoir is still revelling in it himself, as he told Tim Moynihan in an excellent interview on Radio Kerry during the week.
“I’m not even remotely concerned about legacy or anything like that. If I wanted to safeguard a legacy I could have disappeared, after we’d had a couple of good runs, but I’m doing this because I enjoy doing this.”
An ominous foreboding for your Tipperarys, Corks, Waterfords, Limericks and Galways, certainly.
Cody sees level heads and a sense of equality in the dressing room as a hugely important part of his approach.
“You try and make sure that they (the players) don’t have egos, they can have reputations alright, because reputations come from other people’s writings or pontifications about them. An ego is something that they have themselves and it can be seen very, very easily.”
Coaching is another aspect of Cody’s management the hurling public are infatuated with. We’ve all heard the stories of the helter skelter training matches with no whistles and plenty of skelping.
One thing for sure is that Kilkenny training sessions don’t comply to the modern trend whereby coaches set up cones, bollards and poles all over the field in diamonds, triangles and squares. Trying to over complicate things to make themselves look good rather than focusing on their players.
Cody took issue with that notion.
“I often think people talk various ways about coaching, and, you know, its often seen that coaching is something where you have to set up a drill for with cones and all sorts of stuff and make it look very elaborate. I don’t think its necessary always to do things like that.”
It’s the small things that make the difference.
“When you’re dealing with the level of players that I’m dealing with anyway, at adult/senior level, I think a word in a fella’s ear or a suggestion (is enough.) Because these players understand the game very well themselves.
I think sometimes maybe, coaches are maybe maintaining the level of their own importance … going to all sorts of lengths to show how much they know themselves.”
“If you trust the players a little bit more, and give them just a little bit of guidance, it’s a better way of doing it.”
That’s all it takes. Take it from Brian Cody.
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