Specialised Coaching

[Prodigy]

I recently received an email from a former player who has decided not to play this year because he feels that the coaching at the club is stale and he didn't get any advanced coaching to improve his skill set.

As first grade coach, this sort of hit me for six, so I thought I'd throw it out there. What do other clubs do in terms of specialise coaches/skills?

We are a relatively small club with just enough coaches to cover grades without having backs/forwards coaches.

 

[Ozzie Bob]

I recently received an email from a former player who has decided not to play this year because he feels that the coaching at the club is stale and he didn't get any advanced coaching to improve his skill set.

As first grade coach, this sort of hit me for six, so I thought I'd throw it out there. What do other clubs do in terms of specialise coaches/skills?

We are a relatively small club with just enough coaches to cover grades without having backs/forwards coaches.

I cant believe it prodigy! What do they expect from a subbies club? I know in our club, most coaches are former players doing the club and players a favour by being the coach!

I will throw another point out there, how do other clubs attract coaches? Is the only way $$$$. I know we did this once and it was a waste of time!

 

[Scott Allen]

Coaching a team takes a big time commitment, one that a lot of people can't accomodate.

It's sometimes easier to attract an ex player as a coach to work with a group of players one night a month on specialised skills e.g. halfback passing and play. That reduces the time commitment for a coach and gives players some specialised coaching.

Paying coaches helps but another way is to spend the money educating coaches. Pay for them to attend coaching courses and gain accreditation. State unions offer these courses.

Also pay for specialists to come to the club to work with a group of coaches. For example find a tackling coach and arrange a session for coaches at the club one night there is no training. This gives coaches an opportunity to develop and players see the benefits as coaches learn more.

 

[Aussie D]

I know in all my playing days the clubs I played for didn't coach basic skills let alone an advanced skill set which is why I believe the clubs struggled for both numbers (they were getting flogged too often due to a lack of technique) and players didn't bother attending training as it was viewed as a waste of time. I know coaching takes a lot of effort but the lack of planning that went into it always left me feeling frustrated.

 

[AngrySeahorse]

We have fitness & rugby coaches that organised in the off-season a whole periodisation plan in regards to fitness & rugby skills. What Aussie D said is true it certainly takes a lot of effort, time, & for some areas thorough knowledge to create a proper fitness & skills program for Rugby. I liked that we had in the later pre-season the first 1/2 of training dedicated to 'skills stations' say x4 stations 1) Pilfering techniques over the ball 2) Turning a player in the Tackle 3) Ball skills - alternative passes 4) Defend/attack drills. Each drill would be manned by a coach but the players in each group would be mixed up so you had colts, 2nd, womens, etc dispersed amoungst each other. The groups would move from drill to drill. It added to the variety. Then the 2nd 1/2 of training the teams would break up into their respective teams to work on moves, etc.

I agree totally with Scott Allen. It's best to get your current coaches into coaching training or get former players coaching accredicted. Ditto with fitness elements as well. You can get cameo apperences from paid specialists too now & then to mix it up but the former players will always be the most commited & have the heart to put the effort in required over the long haul - I find they are the best to invest in because their heart is in it more.

It's strange though. Normally as a player if I was frustrated with the training I'd talk to someone or even make some suggestions rather than just chuck it in.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I've coached 3rd grade in Sydney (as well subbies later and colts before) - it was 20 years ago admittedly but this sounds to me like a bloke who isn't as good as he was thinking he would be.
While coaching my kids and waiting for them I've watched grade trainings more recently: they put out more cones (witches hats - I mean) than we did but in the end they seem to share my view that what you need to practice is execution under pressure - now you might acquire some advanced skills from that and you might get one on one advice about doing things slightly differently but beyond that i reckon "tell him he's dreaming".

 

[TheBigDog]

At my club the emphasis is on making the trainings interesting and having variety in drills which doesn't neccesarily mean getting coaches in to do specific skills. There are a few coaches who print off sheets and sheets of plays and technique breakdown and then go over these 'advanced' skills with the teams...BORING. Half the time blokes aren't even paying attention.

The best setup IMO is like what AngrySeahorse said earlier. Have 3 or 4 stations of drills which focus on different skills but make the stations interesting. Not just a simple run at player, tackle player, get to feet, get ball type of stuff. Put everything in a game situation with pressure or change elements of the drill so players can only hold the ball for 3secs or something like that. It might seem things you'd do with juniors but if you keep the intensity high then it all becomes challenging yet fun and working on key areas at the same time.

You don't need any specialised coaching for that, just get all the coaches together, brainstorm some drills and you'll be fine. The only time I believe you need a specialist coach is for the front row because a good prop is judged by how well they do the little things (funny to think of the big fellas paying attention to small details) which can only be taught by someone who's had plenty experience.

Not sure if thats exactly what you were going for with your question but in terms of overall coaching and having players learn more skills I think its a good way to start.

 

[Clubrugbyfan]

I agree with Scott. One coach should not be expected to do it all and roping in others to focus on specialist skills is a good way to get around the lack of a budget.
Even if the player does over rate his ability, the coaches' job is to see that all the player's needs are met provided it does not impact on the team. If that's what they want, then provide it. That way they can be held accountable if they do fail to perform under pressure.

 

[Scott Allen]

The sort of specialised coaching I think is valuable for club players is:

1. Scrum technique
2. Lineout throwing
3. Lineout technique
4. Half back passing
5. Kicking

These are areas where you can often find an ex-player to come down one night a month to work on with small groups of players at a time.

This gives players the feeling they are learning more than the average and improves your overall team play.

The more generalised areas of the game can then be handled by the coach(es).

 

[Jets]

At Sunnybank we 5 coaches looking after the Premier squad. They all look after different areas of play. We also have a scrum coach who looks after the entire club.

 

[TheBigDog]

At Sunnybank we 5 coaches looking after the Premier squad. They all look after different areas of play. We also have a scrum coach who looks after the entire club.

Jets, out of curiousity, do you think that number of coaches is excessive for one team or are you finding it beneficial? Do all those coaches have equal input in say selections? From an outsiders point of view Sunnybank always seem a very well organised club and put some great teams on the paddock so I guess it is working for you.

 

[dangerousdave]

An example of something extra with training was our club taking first grade (or at least the forwards) somewhere to do a wrestling session the other week. The justification being that that kind of training is in vogue with the mungoes.

Regarding lots of coaches one example that springs to mind is when I was involved with a very well run scout group. One of the reasons for their success and growing numbers was that they had 5 leaders (2 or 3 is normal). Each leader specialised in a particular area eg. one looked after the gear one looked after the paperwork. This arrangement also meant that the time commitment for each person was much less and it was possible for them to go away for work etc. without disrupting everybody else. Provided everybody can play nice and keep their egos in check having lots of coaches is of great benefit to an organisation like a rugby club. The problem comes when people want to 'take ownership' and throw their weight around.

 

[Jets]

Jets, out of curiousity, do you think that number of coaches is excessive for one team or are you finding it beneficial? Do all those coaches have equal input in say selections? From an outsiders point of view Sunnybank always seem a very well organised club and put some great teams on the paddock so I guess it is working for you.

Big Dog. The Premier squad covers both Premier Grade and 1st grade so it is more like a forwards and backs coach for each team and an extra for the Prem team. There are also head coaches for each team so there is an ordered structure in place. We split the responsibility of different areas of the game to different coaches so that the players know who to talk to regarding a specific area of the game. I am really enjoying the way things are run as it allows the coaches to have some control over the drills they run.

 

[BeastieBoy]

I would of thought that coaching your players to give them a new skill set takes some time and should be one in the off season. So get your squad together and set a plan for wrestling and mixed martial arts. Sprint sessions as well. Kicking sessions for certain individuals. The season proper should be for fine tuning, corrections and building team cohesion and execution. The summer without the pressure allows you to attract the right help and hopefully at not too dear a price.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Prodigy, In smaller clubs, beggers can't be choosers and you often have to take what you get rather than what you want, in terms of assistant and/or specialised coaches.

What is the "Job Specification" of Coaches at your club, Smart Rugby and available, Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3?

Having established what you would like to have, given that you often have little choice, what do you end up with?