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GAME COACHING Practical Resource Game coaching mini rugby to primary school aged children Contents 1 Introduction to game coaching 4 2 General principles of game coaching 7 2a Safety 7 2b Player and game management 8 2c Technical and tactical information transfer 10 2d Fault correction and player feedback 13 2e Equality 14 2f Application of Laws 14 2g Knowledge, skills and attributes of a good game coach 15 3 Development areas and coaching through games 16 4 Communication and effective use of advantage 18 5 Game coaching during open play and dealing with offside 22 6 How to game coach the ... 25 6a Tap and pass 25 6b Scrum 27 6c Lineout 31 6d Tackle 34 6e Ruck and maul 36 7 Dealing with conflict and abuse 38 3 Introduction to game coaching This resource provides guidance on all aspects of game coaching for 1 coaches, teachers, match officials and parents who are involved in the provision of mini rugby to primary school aged children (5-12 years). It will help game coaches to perform their role, by offering guidance in the following areas: . coaching players as the game is being played; . encouraging best practice; . correcting poor practice; . providing feedback; . ensuring players respect the laws and officials; . allowing the game to flow with fewer stoppages; . build the confidence of players in an enjoyable and challenging environment. Aim of game coaching: The difference between managing game activity against coaching through a game “During the early stages of participation, with an emphasis on playful activities, the coaches’ role is mainly to act as a ‘resource person’ who can modify the environment or supply directive feedback and instructions in order to quickly correct errors” (Ian Stafford, coaching children in sport, 2011, Routledge). Playing rugby games and modified training games are very useful to help players to develop both their skills and game understanding. To ensure that all players at all levels are improving, coaches should ensure that they actively coach through the game rather than just managing the activity. This means providing specific feedback on technical (e.g. tackle technique) and tactical (player and game movement) aspects of the game through praise of good practice, coaching points, checking understanding through open questioning and an accurate coaching focus (not trying to fix everything at once). Combining these methods will improve the development of the players in a fun and challenging environment. 4 “Children love discovering, inventing and having fun - all at the same time - in a stimulating environment. They should not, however, be allowed to work in the comfort zone as it bores them very quickly and hinders progress.” (Jeremie Spencer, Introduction of Rugby to Children In France, 2004, Rugby Football Union & Jeremie Spencer). Using these ‘game coaching’ skills will help you create an effective learning environment which is FUN and exciting, enabling you to develop players of all levels and ability and hopefully retain your players as a result. There should only ever be one game coach on the field at all times and no other adults on the field of play. This allows every player to make decisions for themselves based on their playing experiences as well as taking away the distraction of multiple coaches constantly sending mixed messages. 5 Recommended Qualifications FUNdamentals stage (5-9 years male, 5-8 years female) Minimum standard Recommended Other Every coach must Coaching should be Coaches should complete the mandatory delivered by a suitably also complete the RugbyReady Practical qualified coach / IRB Laws Course on a yearly basis teacher with a self-assessment and IRB RugbyReady UKCC Rugby Union each year - online assessment Level 1 qualification. available at (available at www.irblaws.com www.irbrugbyready.com). Learning to play (9-12 years male, 8-11 years female) Minimum standard Recommended Other Every coach must Coaching should be Coaches should complete the mandatory delivered by a suitably also complete the RugbyReady Practical qualified coach / IRB Laws Course on a yearly basis teacher with a self-assessment and IRB RugbyReady minimum UKCC Rugby each year - online assessment Union Level 1 available at (available at qualification as well as www.irblaws.com www.irbrugbyready.com). Scottish Rugby / UKSCA Level 1 Strength and Conditioning qualification. Scottish Rugby recommends coaches to attend appropriate workshops and other seminars to keep their coaching skills up to date. Continuous development for coaches can take many forms but in order to provide the best coaching for young players, coaches should themselves aim to be the best they can be. Coaches should contact their Club Coach Co-ordinator for details of appropriate workshops. 6 General principles of game coaching 2 2a SAFETY Safety is paramount to game coaching any rugby match. Nothing must be allowed to happen which is unsafe in any phase of the game. Safety must take precedence over every other aspect of game coaching. Every active coach, teacher and referee in clubs and school must attend the mandatory RugbyReady practical course each year and complete the online IRB RugbyReady online assessment. IF IT LOOKS DANGEROUS THEN STOP IT 7 2b PLAYER AND GAME MANAGEMENT Player management Communicating effectively with players is a vital process skill for the game coach to possess. It is important the game coach uses a two way communication process with listening and reading body language being as important, if not more important, as talking and giving feedback. When communicating with younger players it is important that a game coach understands the needs of the players that he or she is working with, developing a real identification with the children. Jeremie Spencer C.T.D., F.F.R. notes in his paper ‘Introduction of Rugby to children in France’ when working with children, I try to develop a real identification with the children by using the following methods: 1. Be aware of the magic space between the teacher and the child 2. Try to use their language and their humour 3. Always try to get down to their height to reassure them and attempt to de-dramatise what I am asking them to do 4. The 5 C’s: . Competence: Ability to perform a task to a certain level i.e. social, cognitive, physical, technical and tactical competence . Confidence: An internal sense of overall positive self-worth and self-efficiency . Connection: Positive bonds with people and institutions resulting in successful relationships in family, school, club and community . Character and Caring: Respect for social and cultural rules, possession of standards for correct behaviours, a sense of right and wrong, and integrity . Creativity: Finding one’s own solutions. 8 Game Management The principles around managing a game of rugby union when game coaching are directly linked to the theory of invasion and evasion games. These are team games in which the purpose is to invade the opponents’ territory (without getting caught) while scoring points and keeping the opposing team’s points to a minimum, and all within a certain time period. Broken down to an even simpler definition this is coaching players to attack an area of space ‘where the opposition are not’ and to defend areas where teams are attacking ‘where the attack is’. Looking at both of these areas in more depth, the main focus of the game coach during attack should be on encouraging players to: . maintain possession though continuity; . avoid defenders by passing or dodging before contact; . create space for other players (draw and pass); and . create space for themself (alignment, footwork before contact, early hand catch). Similarly, in defence, the game coach should focus on encouraging players to: . scan to see where the opposition are and then position themselves accordingly to defend the space; . move forward and make an effective tackle (beneath waist); and . compete for possession once the tackle has been completed. 9 Scottish Rugby Principles of Play model st Go For nte n war Co ssio d sse Po S u e p r p u N O o s TI s A r e IC t r UN P COMM y t i u n i t n o C 2c TECHNICAL AND TACTICAL INFORMATION TRANSFER Key coaching points Prior to the start of the game, the game coach should outline the aims of the activity as well as the key technical information that they will be working on during the game. To maximise the learning of the players, the game coach should constantly give accurate feedback to the players during the game. This should take the form of vocal praise and correction such as: . “well done, good early hand catch with both hands” . “next time try to stretch with both hands and take the ball as early as you can” This will help the players to understand what they are doing well and what they need to do to improve. 10 Correction of consistently occurring mistakes During the game, if mistakes occur consistently, the game coach should implement the follow procedure to help develop players’ understanding and reinforce good practice. 1 Stop the game The game coach should blow the whistle and gather all players around so they can hear clearly. 2 Highlight the mistake and openly question players The game coach should highlight the mistake in a way that doesn’t make the players feel like they have done something wrong. When highlighting the mistake the game coach should use open questions “Why do you think we keep dropping the ball?” “Can someone tell me what we should do before we catch the ball?” etc. This will engage the players and give the game coach a chance to see if the players understand what they are being asked to do.