Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Training | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, BRC, Rugby Coaching, rugby sessions, Rugby Tactics, rugby techinques, Welsh Women
I am working with the Welsh Women’s squad this weekend in Cardiff. I have been allocated a number of sessions to work on rugby skills, techniques and tactics, based on their game plan.
Of course I am not going to tell what the tactics are, but it has led me to check the Better Rugby Coaching archive for the words “rugby tactics”. I put in rugby tactics, but then thought, this is a rugby site anyway, so I changed it to just “tactics” and I got over 40 articles.
Here are the results.
What is my new tactic for the weekend
When receiving a kick off deep in the 22m area, there are normally two options. Secure and kick for touch or long down the side of the pitch, OR secure, run open and either kick long or go for the break.
Struth! That’s four tactics already.
So here is the next one. It is a variation on one of themes.
Secure the ball. Take the ball towards the touchline, but not over the 5m line. From the breakdown, pass the ball behind the forwards waiting to take a short ball to the fly half, who passes it to the inside centre (12). That should give enough space for this player to take the ball forward, kick over the defence and for the outside centre, winger and blindside winger to follow up. The defence will be expecting the kick, will be spread further across the pitch. Risk and reward…what do you think?
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Skills, Rugby Team Management | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, Rugby Training, rugby coach, rugby place kicker, Youtube, Rugby Goal Kicking
An enterprising rugby place kicker has posted a video of himself on Youtube wanting some advice on how to improve his rugby goal kicking.
He has used two static positions to place the camera, plus some slow motion footage. It is a refreshing approach, and one used by rugby skills coaches to help isolate technical faults.
Coaching rugby goal kicking is a tricky business because there is more than one way to strike a good kick. Also a good rugby goal kicker in matches requires mental strength.
But in this video, what can we offer in terms of rugby coaching expertise?
Here is a checklist to start with:
Is there a good rhythm? Does the kicker look comfortable when he strikes the ball?
Does the foot follow through to the target or cut across the rugby ball?
Does the landing foot allow the kicker to strike the ball on the up stroke of the swing of the leg?
You are the rugby coach…what do you think?
And remember – we don’t to give the goal kicker too many thoughts. One or two is enough for this rugby session.
Dan Cottrell, Better Rugby Coaching Editor
Filed under: Rugby Coaching, Rugby Skills, Rugby Team Management, Rugby Training | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, Rugby, Rugby Smart Sessions, Rugby Exercise
Short passes are also known as pop passes in rugby. They are “left” in space for the next player to run onto. Often the ball carrier has drawn away his opposite man to create that space.
To create a rugby drill for this, I devised an exercise called Pop Cycles, as part of Rugby Smart Sessions.
The exercise can easily be developed with longer channels, different widths and then varying degrees of defence. In the Rugby Smart Session, the game after this exercise aimed to isolate the need for these skills to work in narrow channels.
The boys in this rugby exercise had not done the drill before we filmed it, showing how easy it is to set up, and develop.
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Refereeing, Rugby Skills, Rugby Team Management, Rugby Training | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, sports coach, Jekyll and Hyde coach
How competitive are you? Do you punch the air when your team scores or openly despair when you concede
a soft try?
It is not bad to be emotionally involved in the game. But where do you draw the line?
Well, don’t let anyone tell you where to draw the line. You need to decide for yourself. There is nothing worse than some “do-gooder” telling you about the moral rights and wrongs of competition and how to rugby train your players.
Listen to the evidence and decide for yourself.
Stop.
There is one thing to remember.
You can shout and ball at your players, or alternatively, treat them with kid gloves. Offer them riches for performance, or offer them just kind words of praise. But don’t compromise on one thing.
Don’t treat children as mini-adults. The rules of engagement change for youngster. You have to coach and encourage them differently because they won’t respond in the long run to adult-orientated coaching methods.
Society has changed. Children have different expectations to 20 years ago and so have parents, unfortunately.
It is called the “Tiger Woods Syndrome”. What has Tiger Woods got to do with art of designing a rugby drill? Tiger, nothing. His father, on the other hand, has inspired millions of parents to push their child into organised sport earlier than we used to when we were young. And drill them competitively in the pursuit of greatness.
So, how can I say this is bad when I coach my own son’s under 8s team. Simply because you can still control the amount of pressure by reducing the competitive nature of “matches”, and concentrate on fun.
Last weekend, I witnessed the subtle nature of competitive parenting. Two coaches involved in the opposition were using “gamesmanship” to influence the game. They knew it, but persisted. It was embarrassing and sets the wrong example to all those involved.
We can’t always get the balance right, but when comes to children we can try to keep to a moral code.
Here is a code of sorts from Frank Smoll, a University of Washington psychology professor and co-author of “Sports and Your Child: A 50 Minute Guide for Parents.”
• Reward your child whether the team wins or loses.
• If you have a complaint or concern, don’t raise it in the middle of a game.
• Applaud when either team makes a good play.
• Praise effort.
• Respect the referee’s calls.
• Talk to your neighbour during games (don’t get too caught up in scores or statistics)..
• Ask your child, ‘Was it fun?’ before ‘Did you win?’
For adults, you can be the monstrous Mr Hyde if you want, but for children, be the good doctor Jekyll. A coach and a parent are not separate in this code.
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby News, Rugby Skills, Rugby Team Management, Rugby Training | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, Rugby Team, Rugby Team Management, England Rugby Team, Brian Ashton, Martin Johnson, Six Nations, England World Cup
Few will disagree that it is sad that Brian Ashton is leaving the England rugby coaching set up. Given a pretty tough situation to start with, he is still able to show us two runner’s up medals: one from the World Cup and the other from this year’s Six Nations.
But change was always been coming and though the manner of the change has been ham-fisted, the transformation is important. Not just for England, but also for you as a coach.
Martin Johnson, the former England World Cup winning rugby captain, arrives with no formal rugby coaching qualifications or the experience of managing a team.
What he does bring it something you can use yourself to move your coaching output ahead.
Before I tell what it is, I want you remember the man in question.
He is big. He towers over most people and many players.
He never took a step backwards on the pitch and rarely off the pitch. This meant his word was the final word, to a team mate, opposition player or even the referee.
He led from the front and took on all comers, sometimes over aggressively. He would front the charge from the kick off, often beating the winger to the catcher.
So what can we all learn from “Johnno” ? It is that unswerving belief in yourself and your goals can carry you over many rough paths. It creates momentum, it pulls others with you and it doesn’t care about the setbacks.
I have just completed part II of a series on what we can learn from one of the world’s most success sports coaches, John Wooden, for the next Rugby Coach Newsletter. He would see Johnson as one of the main building blocks in his Pyramid of Success, based on his intention.
Do you have that personal belief? Can you reaffirm your goals with greater rigour? Then you might just find you have energised yourself and, as a happy consequence, your team.
I believe Johnson’s belief will do the same for the England rugby team.
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby News, Rugby Skills, Rugby Team Management, Rugby Training | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Team, Rugby Team Management, Welsh Rugby Union, 2008 Six Nations campaign, Rugby Tactics
Do you want to make a real difference this weekend to your rugby team?
And that means during the game. Here are three ways to watch the game differently so you can pass on some key messages.
Actually I am inspired to write this because I have just been to a talk by Rhys Long, the Head of Performance Analysis for the Welsh Rugby Union. The Welsh are heading the way in terms of up-to-date game analysis and it provided a competitive edge during their successful 2008 Six Nations campaign.
You won’t have access to all their technology, but some of Rhys Long’s analytical processes can help inform you better.
1. Gain line efficiency
A simple scoresheet will tell me how well we are doing at the gain line from each phase. Plus, zero or minus is enough to note down to tell me whether we have crossed the line. If we are not getting over the gain line much from first phase, then I will change the set piece moves. If we are bad at the second phase, then I will question whether players are following the patterns. I will then look again at third phase.
2. Redundant rugby players
Forwards need to make a difference at the breakdown area. They must be “hitting” rucks, not resting on them. If they are not in the ruck, they should be actively involved in the defensive line or offering options to the decision making 9 and 10.
Not active? Then they are redundant. I will be sending on a sharp reminder.
3. Tackle systems not tackles missed
If a rugby player attempts and misses a tackle, there is little you can do as a coach to change that. But you should be not be watching for missed tackles. If the line break was made due to a defensive system error, then you can correct that. Either remind players of the system or change the system.
In summary, I will just note “+”, “-“ or “0” for every attacking phase. I will check that all the forwards are making a difference. In defence, I will note whether any opposition line break is because we have failed to follow the system.
Then I can change the rugby tactics and make the difference.
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Refereeing, Rugby Skills, Rugby Team Management, Rugby Training | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, Rugby Coaching, Rugby, Rugby Coaching Tips
Here are my 10 steps to coaching better rugby:
1. Listen to your rugby players.
2. Listen to the rugby opposition.
3. Listen to the rugby commentators.
4. Listen to the rugby experts.
5. Listen to other sports’ experts.
6. Listen to your rugby coaching team.
7. Listen to your rugby captain.
8. Listen to the rugby referee.
9. Listen to your rugby goals.
10. Then say what you want.
Filed under: Dan Cottrell | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Tutoring, Rugby Drills, Rugby Team, RFU community coaching
I have just sat down at my desk to organise my session and I have written down three things I must do before I jot something down.
1. Write up my observation notes
I watched a coaching session last week and put some notes down on a piece of paper. I have hundreds of these scraps lying around with pictures of rugby drills. But they don’t always make sense in a few weeks time unless I put them into a document.
Of course coaches I observe know that there is good chance some of their ideas will find there way into the next Rugby Coach Newsletter. I remember attending a “Tutoring the Tutors” conference hosted by the RFU and the ever ebullient Gary Henderson, now the RFU community coaching supremo prefixing all his answers to me with “and remember gents, you can read this answer next week!” Joking he might have been, but some of his words did reach the readers next week.
It only takes me ten minutes to do. So as soon as I have finished this, I will get down to translating my scribbles.
2. Ask a new question
It is very easy to coach the same things week in week out, changing them to meet the needs of the team from last weekend. I could practise defence and passing with one of my team’s this week. But instead I am going to look at what we haven’t done for a long time.
And I am going to give myself two minutes (after doing the write up) to think about it and then action it.
3. Challenge a coach
We listen to others and learn from them. I read some useful thoughts in the papers the other day about the approach of Martin Johnson, England’s World Cup winning captain and new broom with the team. But the questions were someone else’s, not mine.
I am going to think of an area I want to learn more about and email a couple of guys. Okay I have access to some pretty hot emails, but I am also going to ask some of the coaches who are at grassroots level. They may not have the answer, but they might have a view.
A minute to think of a challenge. Five minutes to write the question (and check it), then a minutes to email it to ten coaches. I might even ring someone this afternoon.
There are my three tasks. You can email or put a comment on this post if you want to “challenge a coach”.
Filed under: Rugby Coaching, Rugby Fitness, Rugby News, Rugby Refereeing, Rugby Skills, Rugby Team Management, Rugby Training, Toby Curthoys | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, Rugby, Rugby Information, Rugby Newsletter, Rugby Playing Styles, Rugby Skills, Rugby Talent Spotting, Rugby Training
Welcome Coach,
My name is Toby Curthoys. I’m going to be posting my thoughts and views on a wide range of rugby coaching topics in the months ahead. I’ll kick-off by telling you a bit about myself and why we have created this blog.
I am the publisher of Dan Cottrell’s Better Rugby Coaching publications and training aids. Whilst Dan makes sure the quality of everything we do is second to none, my job is to develop our range of products to reflect the needs of rugby coaches worldwide.
Unlike Dan who played to a very high standard, I have no talent for rugby. But I do have a huge passion for the game.
In my opinion there’s room for all styles of play across the vast “rugby spectrum”. I love to see fast open play, with nimble side steps by the hooker and delicate offloads by the fly half.
But I also appreciate the more gladiatorial elements of the game, like the front row combat. And if one team’s route to success is by hoofing the ball into the corners at every opportunity – then good luck to them!
In fact, I think it’s the range of playing styles, skills required and people involved that make rugby such a great game. That and the fact that anyone can play the sport and be challenged by it.
That’s why I am committed to not only helping rugby coaches, but also playing my part in expanding the sport worldwide.
This blog is for everyone involved in rugby coaching and all the issues you face have a place here. We’ll be contributing something new each week, and I’d like to extend an open invitation for you to join in with your comments.
Through this blog we can listen to what you have to say about your coaching issues and, with our many contributors, look at ways to help you.
Whether it’s individual or team skills, coach development, refereeing, player behaviour, discipline, the role of parents, team management and selection, talent spotting or fitness, Rugby Coaching Blog aims to cover it all.
Your feedback and contributions are important and valuable for coaches all over the world, as this blog allows knowledge to be shared among coaches in scores of countries.
Please get involved, comment on this blog and give us your feedback. I promise to do our best to make this the most informative and compelling rugby coaching blog on the web.
If you haven’t already, you may wish to sign up for our Better Rugby Coaching weekly newsletter. As a member, I guarantee you will receive truly valuable rugby coaching tips every week.
Best of all it’s free!
Yours in rugby
Toby Curthoys, Better Rugby Coaching Publisher
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Fitness, Rugby News, Rugby Refereeing, Rugby Skills, Rugby Team Management, Rugby Training | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, Rugby Coaching, rugby debate, sports coaching community
Hi, my name is Dan Cottrell and I want to welcome you to the Better Rugby Coaching Blog.
I have been coaching rugby for over 15 years at lots of different levels and age groups and I want to share my thoughts on some of the current thinking on rugby skills, rugby drills and rugby training, As you may know I am editor of Rugby Coach. We produce a series of rugby coaching resources which covers sessions, practice, plays and tactics on every aspect of the game.
This blog gives me and my team an ideal opportunity to give the latest comment on rugby coaching life-I speak to coaches every day. In fact it is newsworthy when I spend a day not replying to an email, posting a comment on the forum or chatting on the phone to another coach. This blog gives you a window on my coaching world so you can share the hopes, fears and joys of rugby coaching.
I am still learning. I have written over 300,000 words since 2003 on rugby scrums, kicking, rugby defence, tackling amongst many other areas. And I know there are still more words to write. I am open to opinion but I have a set of core values. In the Rugby Coach office we receive plenty of emails every week telling us we are saying the right things, and sometimes disagreeing. We don’t mind the debate. However we take safety and child protection very seriously.
So this blog is for everyone in the coaching community. A chance to hear and share views. And a chance for us to post up some great ideas from others: video, pictures or stories from all around the rugby coaching world.
