Living life in the fast lane.
Paul Kerrigan is one of the elder statesmen of the Cork senior footballers at this stage, with nine Championship seasons behind him, and despite the fact that he is “pushing on,” as he says himself, he’s still their fastest player.
Kerrigan’s role in the Cork set-up has grown more important in recent years, as reflected by the captaincy role he has held ever since the beginning of the 2016 season.
The fleet-footed half-forward lead Peadar Healy’s Rebels to an improved campaign this year, when they defeated Tipperary in Munster, and were unlucky to lose out to All-Ireland finalists Mayo when their qualifier thriller went all the way to extra-time.
Kerrigan is hoping that progress can continue into the the 2018 season, with new manager Ronan McCarthy in charge of the Rebels, a manager who worked as a selector for three years between 2013 and 2015.
The Nemo Rangers club man has always been feared by defenders for his direct-running and searing pace, and though his speed was always one of his best attributes, what’s remarkable about Kerrigan is that it hasn’t weaned at all, and he appears to be only getting faster with age.
The 31-year-old was speaking to us recently when he detailed the speed drills behind his explosiveness off the mark.
“What a lot of people don’t do is practice sprinting, while running and soloing with the ball. I found it very useful. We used to do 100 metres, 200 metres, soloing as fast as we could up and down the field.
It’s something that is often ignored by players when working on their pace, but what use is it if you’re not able to keep the momentum going by controlling the ball.
“Obviously, we used to do a lot of speed work, but I prefer just trying to take on a man and beat him, even in training,” he added.
A new phenomenon that has taken hold of the game is the use of speed bands, which are used for glute and muscle activation prior to, and in between games.
“Before you go out on the field, you’d be using them for activation of your muscles. We get our own little kit for that before every single game and training session, and we’d be using them in the dressing room,” added Kerrigan.
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Kerrigan is also a firm-believer in the benefits a tailored strength and conditioning regime can provided a player, but he feels that certain players, especially younger lads, put too much emphasis on upper-body exercises.
The Cork man prefers to focus on stretching and power exercises for his legs.
“Hex-bar and squat exercises, but I mainly focus on mobility and flexibility stuff.
His advice is worth listening to.
Paul Kerrigan was training parents and kids at SuperValu’s #BehindTheBall Volunteer Camp at Christian Brothers Secondary School in Middleton, Co Cork. SuperValu’s volunteer camps are taking place nationwide and are designed to encourage more parents to lend their support and get involved in their local clubs throughout the country.
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