Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Skills, Rugby Training | Tags: easy exercises, handling, passing drills, quick drills, rugby decision-making
Taken from the R80 DVD from the Crusaders, here are two easy to set up handling and decision making drills.
Filed under: Better Rugby Blog Guests, Rugby Coaching | Tags: Australia, Fiji, Green and Gold, Martin Johnson, rugby analysis, rugby decision-making
Our friends from Green and Gold, the Australian rugby blog have put together this interesting analysis.
What do you think! It is very good because it looks at ruck defence in particular. The Aussies don’t commit against Fiji. Will this work against England?
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, rugby defence, Rugby Skills, Rugby Training | Tags: defence into attack, rugby decision-making, Rugby Drills, rugby handling
Here is a rugby drill I did about three years ago. It is easy to set up and works on players making the transition from defence to attack. It is a Smart Session.
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Skills | Tags: rugby decision-making, Rugby Drills, Rugby Tactics
I am looking at developing some tactics for one of the team’s I am involved in.
I am going to try to introduce the tactics through the “drills” we use.
Now the word “drill” makes some coaches wince. Coach educators would say don’t use the word because it reminds us of repetitive actions will no decisions at the end. I can see this, but don’t mind using the word if those around understand what I mean and are willing to try something out.
To set up the tactic I want to create a number of potential scenarios the players face and then let them decide what tactic to employ. It is an experiment to a certain extent, because I don’t know how the “conditions” I am setting on the game will change so the players will face different types of defence.
The key is to provide opportunities to try out some methods of attack and then see if the players respond to the potential tactics.
More on whether it works next week.
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Skills, Rugby Training | Tags: All Blacks, empowerment, questioning, rugby decision-making, Wayne Smith
Last night I was at a seminar at the Ospreys where Wayne Smith talked about decision making. Wayne is currently the “backs” coach for the All Blacks, though this title is vague in the sense of the range of work he does with the team.
His message is simple: decision makers have make their own decisions, so give them to power to make them.
He does this through a range of mediums, with questioning and games as the key pillars in his approach.
He is also a man who invites integrity and displays an outward calmness. His measured presentation recognised the difficulties that any team faces, even one as talented as the New Zealand team. It is not by talent alone that the All Blacks are regarded as the number one team to beat.
I took eight pages of notes.
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby News, Rugby Training | Tags: All Blacks, ELVs, England, international rugby, IRB, IRB Nations Cup, lineout tips, Ospreys, Pacific Nations Cup, rugby decision-making, rugby kick and chase, rugby training tips, Under 20s World Cup
A bumper rugby weekend on the international front, with matches in every corner of the world. Full tests in the Southern Hemisphere, an A team tournament, Under 20s World Cup, IRB Nations Cup and the Pacific Nations Cup. Chuck in some women’s sevens and you could easily have sat in front of the television all weekend and not ventured outside.
ELVs or not, there was plenty of scintillating rugby on show, and no sign that international games are turgid, or indeed one-sided affairs.
But we don’t just watch the games for “our team”. We want to take something away with us, a little titbit to take onto the training ground for next week.
Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Skills, Rugby Training | Tags: 2nd row, academy, alun wyn jones, coaching kids, coaching skills, offiside, online drills, Ospreys, Rugby Coaching, rugby decision-making, Rugby Drills, rugby environment, rugby sessions, Swansea University, Welsh international
I watched three different rugby sessions today.
And I cheated.
All the sessions were all online. Two were from Youtube and one was from an email I got sent by a rugby coaching business. As you know, I am a magpie for all things to do with rugby coaching, so I looked at them carefully. I came to one unfortunate conclusion.
But before I tell what the conclusion is, I want to tell you about something I observed last night at another training session.
