Nathan Moore: 
BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 12 COACHES CORNER: The ups and downs of line-out success
Set-pieces’ are widely known as being vital for gaining momentum in attack or (if challenging in defence) it means ruining attacking options for opposition teams. As the distance between the two back lines is over 20m from a line-out it shows this set-piece is one of the most crucial elements within the game to win. In the past players just had to jump and trust that the tallest and ganglier player in their team would catch the ball and form a maul. In present days players are now allowed to lift and at the top echelons of rugby have moved away from the traditional 2, 4 and 6 jumpers and usually have 5 players in the line-out who can lift or jump, making it harder to read by the defence.
To say that Line-outs are important to game success is evident by watching Ulster in the European Cup this afternoon. When the line-out was functioning Ulster were on top of the game and looked so likely to provide yet another excellent win but in the second half, pressure was put on the jumper by the Northampton forwards and what was good clean line-out ball started to become tapped or knocked on and Northampton came back to win the game as Ulster couldn’t get their patterns flowing.
So what makes it easier to disrupt or to win line-out ball? Well it is a combination of three things, the timing of the jump, the spring of the jumper and most importantly the speed of both the jumper and lifters across the ground. If you put all these together then it becomes a lot harder to read the attacking line-out play and therefore harder to contest.
For this article we will look at the jumper and how to make them more efficient and in the future articles we can then look at the lifter and putting it all together.
Therefore what makes a player an efficient jumper? To start of it has to be the spring of the player, a player who does not have a good spring becomes very difficult to lift as the lifting player will have to sink lower than usually to try to get full extension. The way the counter-movement is done before the jump is also very crucial. A counter movement means the downward phase of a vertical jump, it is what builds the power of the jump as the player drops his hips and then explodes upwards like the way it is shown in figure 1.
http://www.cepcometti.com/english/images/d%C3%A9tente%20cmj%20ho.JPG
Some players when they jump start with a split foot placement and have to do a small pre-jump (bunny hop) to go into the counter-movement and finally the exploding spring. This sounds ok, but when playing against a more wily opposition jumper, the smallest “trigger” signalling when you are going to jump can mean the difference of winning clean ball or possibly losing it. The better way for a jumper to get up in front of the opposition from a standing start would be to start in the bottom of the counter movement and then explode into a spring taking the opposition jumper by surprise. It eliminates any trigger movements and can help in clean ball.
When the player is to move around the line-out the emphasis then becomes on the jumpers speed of movement then the efficiency of the initial spring. This does not mean the player has to sprint and jump whilst sprinting as all this will do is make the jump more horizontal rather than a vertical jump and the front lifter may be put under too much strain to lift. The player is to move quickly in the initial phase and then control their jump to ensure the lifters get an effective grip and lift.
The next issue for a coach to consider is when knowing why to get the jumper more efficient it’s now down to how to train the jumper to improve their efficiency. An easy drill to do is an agility one for jumpers to try and lose their opponent. Have a look at figure 2:
In figure 2 the first drill can be done with the coach telling the players where to stand and then shouting coloured cones for the players to move to. This can be to run backwards first or forwards first and then backwards and when reaching each cone the player is to then jump giving a competitive edge to the drill. A progression to this workout would be to have the player with the smiley face who would be the attacking player and the player with the sad face being the defender. I use smiles as he is the only person who knows were he/she is going to run to. On the players command the attacking player then moves through a series of cones and the defender must try to read them and get to the cone first. Again this works agility and footwork for the jumpers as well as foot placement and speed and accuracy of the jump.
Next time we will look at the lifters and to see how they can become more efficient as well.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 11 COACHES CORNER: To ruck or not to ruck?? That is the question of counter-rucking
If the 6 Nations can tell us anything then it is nobody is certain of a win these days in International rugby. Though on the last day of the championship, one thing became very evident and that is if you contest the ball at the breakdown (the ruck area) then you have a very good chance of turning over ball or breaking any attacking system down. A”counter-ruck” is where the defending team tries to out muscle and drive away the attacking team’s players who are guarding the ball on the ground. As you go through the ranks of grass roots to semi-pro and professional teams, the skills are the same but the playing patterns and speed of execution of these skills are much quicker. Playing patterns alone are vital both in attack and defence and it is here that teams can try to gain the upper hand on their opponents. The French are prime examples of how if a team can counter-ruck at the right time, then they can disrupt an attacking flow and can do one of two things… Either gain turn-over ball or frustrate the attacking team into making handling errors or conceding penalties.
It is very simple when look at the theory behind teams counter-rucking, in the last article we looked at the body position in the contact area and the idea of narrowing the gate for entry to the ruck. This has allowed teams at international level to ruck with either 1 or 2 men and the rest are used as runners coming off 9, 10 or 12. Allowing teams this kind of momentum can be damaging to the fitness of the team as players are constantly having to reorganise the defensive line and taking constant collisions can be physically draining to the players. When looking at the French play Wales it was clear to see that they were not going to allow Wales to build any momentum and piled in more numbers into the Welsh attacking rucks. This made the Welsh commit more attackers to winning the ruck and if they won the ruck then had little to no options outside of 10 and therefore more easily defended by the French defensive line.
So this tactical technique has brought teams success in their games but it is the knowing when to commit defenders into rucks to try to win it or when to admit the ruck is lost and to get into the defensive is the key to success. If the ruck is lost and the defending teams commit more players then they are gifting the attacking team an overlap somewhere on the pitch. So I have put down some thoughts and feelings as to when to look to counter ruck and when not to over commit players. Check out diagram 1.
Looking at the diagram the scenario that I would have players looking to counter ruck would be scenario C. If the attackers have made a mistake and the ruck has been made behind the attacking team (through a fielding of a kick for example) then the defending team should put more players into the ruck to counter it as the attacking forwards, in theory, have to take the long route round to enter through the gate.
In Scenario B both teams are coming in from the same angles so it would be a harder one to counter unless there is relatively small number of attackers in the ruck.
In Scenario A the defending players will have to run around the ruck to enter through the gate so in this case it would probably be wise to not commit and fan out in defence.
All in all, it is a game of numbers… If the attacking team has committed 4-5 players into the ruck and/or the ruck is adjacent or behind the defensive line the odds on it is better not to try to counter but fan out ready for the next assault. If the attacking team commits 3 or less in retaining possession at the ruck or the ruck happens in front of the defensive line (behind the attacking line) then it would be advisable to try to commit more players and counter-ruck.
So next time you are playing it over in your mind while on a pitch and are asking “To ruck or not to ruck?” then simply do the maths!!
Welcome to BLOG 9 COACHES CORNER: The in’s and out’s of rucking… Get it right and you win the game!
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
A few weeks ago we started looking at rucking with ball presentation being the topic of interest and how to narrow the gate of the ruck to make it harder to counter. So to re-cap,
The International Rugby Boards classification of a ruck is:
“…a phase of play where one or more players from each team, who are on
their feet, in physical contact, close around the ball on the ground. Open play has
ended. Players are rucking when they are in a ruck and using their feet to try to win or
keep possession of the ball, without being guilty of foul play.” (IRB 2011)
Then the interpretation of the gate was the following:
So seeing as we now have the falling in check let’s have a look at how to build a ruck over these players on the ground. Usually coaches put in four forwards at most into attacking rucks as it let’s the other four forwards roam around the pitch as ball-carriers. In some cases if the team can get away with rucking three or two players then they will reduce the number of players into the attacking ruck. There is evidence of this in the 6 Nations where rucks can be won with 1 or 2 players standing over the ball engaged in the ruck. However this can lead to counter-rucking so knowing when to do add two or four to the ruck is something we must teach our players to do.
Let’s start with putting four players into the ruck, these four need to know their roles and responsibility for when approaching the ruck to ensure it is won effectively and efficiently. The first player at the breakdown (ruck) needs to know that they are in a “combatant” role and that they are there to clear the area of the break-down. That may be by driving straight over the ruck, or rolling a player of the side of the ruck, basically shifting the defending ruck players by any means possible. If this is done successfully then the roles of the next 3 are to secure possession by binding like a snake formation over the long-bodied player on the ground. This would mean that the gate has been narrowed and there is only a small entry for defending rucks to engage the ruck. If the defending team tries to counter-ruck then the 2nd attacking player who joined the ruck becomes the combatant and tries to shift this new defender backwards or off to the side, which would mean attackers 3 and 4 become the “safety” players and secure the ball. The “safety” player is a vital role as if all four players became the combatants and drove well past the ball the ruck would be over and defending team would be allowed to come and pick up the ball. If the safety player is stood over the ball, it keeps the defensive players behind the ruck and some vital seconds for the attacking team to set their next phase of attack.
So if we were to look at this as a diagram it would be something like the following:
So rucking with four players would have the following roles and it is easy to assign these roles if there is only 2 or 3 attacking players entering the breakdown area. The only drawback now is the interpretation of this by the referee. Throughout my coaching career and working in area of analysis, this type of rucking works very well at professional and in the international arena but when teams try to utilise this method at grass roots level it is sometimes not governed as first expected. As we have already discussed in earlier blogs under the All Ireland League there is only one official on the park and sometimes whilst ensuring all else is being monitored may not see the occasional side entry by a defending player. If this happens then the attacking ruck can be destabilised and a perfectly good attacking system can be stopped.
That said, my advice would be to educate and teach both rucking types, through the “long body” technique but also rucking with the side falling technique as seeing rugby is a dynamic game a ball carrying player can fall in any direction so players need to experience all types to know when and where to use the differing techniques.
When we re-visit this area next I’ll add some drills that I have found useful over the years to build this player knowledge.
Welcome to Blog 10 of coaches corner:
Question – What is it? Answer – A weekly blog exploring and developing the theme of COACHING.
Video Analysis, Ideas, Opinions, Facts, the melting pot is explored here.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 10 COACHES CORNER: Kicking an art or last resort?
Blog 9 will follow this week and will be a development of Blog 8 which focused on rucks.
It is the end of the season for schools rugby, just past the mid-point in the Six Nations and coming into the crucial games in all senior leagues. Wins and losses are the most important now for all involved and sometimes tactics can change in these parts of the season as the pressure of making that game changing error can be all too much for the players.
One such tactic you may have noticed is the increase in kicking and this sometimes monotonous aerial ping-pong that plagues not just professional rugby but often amateur rugby too. I am not meaning a well crafted cross field kick or some of the inspirational kicks that out-halves have been seen to do and drive their opposition depth into their own territory; it is more the higher percentage of return kicking by the full-back when they have fielding a miss-kick by the opposition. There is evidence of these changes in tactics by internationals who made a name for themselves by being an excellent counter attacking player but then becomes more of a kick return full back. We just need to look at Lee Byrne or Rob Kearney who stormed on the scene as excellent counter attacking full backs but not mix up their game with return kicking instead of trying to keep possession and running it back. It is an interesting thought though, to think is it the ball catching player deciding to kick or are they forced to kick? If the wings do not come back to support the ball-catcher then they are forced with little other choice but to kick the ball away.
Have a look at the following example:
The above diagram shows the kick of a scrum, this would usually be kicked down field if the ball has been passed back into the 22m. The above example shows the movement that the wings should run if the ball is kicked down to the 15 (I know my small figures all have balls in their hands but the ball carrier is the one who has one hand up). So if the ball is played to the 15 then the blind side and open side wing should be moving back to give other options rather than just returning the kick.
There are three things the catching player needs to look out for… How structured the oncoming defenders are, where the catching players supporting wingers are and where the larger mass of players (namely the set of opposition forwards) are coming from. From the example above the forwards are coming from the left hand side so there should not be an attacking option in that area. However there should be space on the right hand side which is labelled on the diagram. If the left hand side wing was to run the arc of the large red arrow and the right hand side wing moved backwards then the ball catcher can engage the defenders directly in front of them and still hopefully create the over-lap to attack the space on the right of the pitch.
This allows an extra option for the catcher instead of just kicking the ball back and ultimately losing possession. This is only one option in a multitude of attacking plays and the world of counterattack needs you as the coach to try to break the mould of kicking counterattacking. The only issue that remains for the catcher is the time they have between catching the ball and making their decision… But that is for the opposition 10 to decide! I never said it was easy!
Welcome to Blog 8 of coaches corner:
Question – What is it? Answer – A weekly blog exploring and developing the theme of COACHING.
Video Analysis, Ideas, Opinions, Facts, the melting pot is explored here.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 8 COACHES CORNER: The good, the bad and the rugby! It’s all about presentation…
After a few weeks looking at what happens outside of the rugby pitch I thought it was time to have a look at a technical issue within the game. This week it will be all to do with “rucks” and in particular retaining possession through the best way of ball presentation.
The International Rugby Boards classification of a ruck is:
“…a phase of play where one or more players from each team, who are on
their feet, in physical contact, close around the ball on the ground. Open play has
ended. Players are rucking when they are in a ruck and using their feet to try to win or
keep possession of the ball, without being guilty of foul play.” (IRB 2011)
This seems relatively simple doesn’t it? However this is one of the most contested areas and has the most variation in interpretation by referees. One such interpretation is when does a player enter a ruck offside (often hearing “Not through the gate!” shouted by referees) or legally? So what is this gate? You can go looking for an answer in the IRB’s law book but you may have a hard time finding it, or if you don’t then I applaud you as I was unable to source it.
Needless to say it does exist and is, in its simplest form the length of the ball carrier’s body as he lies on the ground. This is shown in diagram 1.
The only way that a player is allowed to enter the ruck in diagram 1 is through the gate, if he/she enters the way of the red arrows, 9 times out of 10 a referee will penalise the player. I say 9 times as there are always pieces of evidence when a player gets away with the infringement, but look, it’s why we love the sport!
So if the gate is wide then it allows more players to enter the ruck and contest the ball (counter-ruck), which would make one think that to eliminate the opposition from counter rucking then by narrowing the gate the opposition shouldn’t have the capabilities of contesting your possession.
Many coaches now are educating their player to fall in the “Long-body” or “Salmon” technique instead of the parallel way as we have been taught as a young player learning the game. The parallel technique is the one shown above in diagram one and the “Long-body/Salmon” technique are shown below.
Diagram 2:
As diagram two shows with the “Long-body” technique the gate is narrowed and means that opposing players only have a small entrance to the ruck with any other entrance theoretically offside and a penalty infringement. Again I say theoretically as we have all yelled and shouted at the TV screen when our team miss out on a penalty opportunity by a player hurtling in from the side of a ruck and ruining a flow of attack.
Now we know the differences in the techniques and the potential benefits, the important aspect is, how does a player execute the skill? The old “parallel” version is quite easy and is about trying to beat a defender and when the tackle is instigated falling around the back of the defender with the age ole “Knee, Hip Shoulder” fall and then full length place of the ball with outstretched arms. The new version is a little bit harder; it requires an extra movement by the ball carrier and more strength on this player in falling behind the defenders back. So when the ball carrying player is trying to beat the defender by good footwork and is tackled, he needs to rotate his body slightly further as he/she falls, or move quickly when they hit the ground to move into the position where their head is facing his/her own team-mates or posts (as in diagram 2). This then narrows the gate and should allow a more efficient and quick transfer of the ball away from the ruck by the scrum-half.
This technique is best worked on in a competitive tackling drill as just learning the falling technique will not prepare the ball carrier for the different styles of tackle that may happen in the game.
So to recap:
Next week we’ll look at how to build the ruck around the two different ball presentations and see just how we ruck when exposed to this in a game.
Welcome to Blog 7 of coaches corner:
Question – What is it? Answer – A weekly blog exploring and developing the theme of COACHING.
Video Analysis, Ideas, Opinions, Facts, the melting pot is explored here.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 7 COACHES CORNER: Referee’s – The unsung heroes of Rugby Union & sport in general.
As we enter the second week of the RBS 6 Nations, the pressure is on many teams, with France meeting Ireland in what will determine possible Grand Slam contenders… For one team it is the end of the dream and the hope that the winner may slip up in future games so the championship is still to play for. For the countries and supporters the Grand Slam is like the “holy grail” so anything less than a win is a catastrophe. So the pressure on the players and management is quite evident but what about the all important man in the middle? The pressure on the officials in this fixture must be momentous.
Having been out and about in the past few weeks doing some video analysis I have decided to do a piece on referees… especially after witnessing the pressure that referees come under in club and schools matches. The basis of this article is not to tear apart referees nor to be high and mighty and say worship all referees but I would like to see if we can get an understanding about the pressure they may feel.
It would be easy to say that league matches would be the less pressurized environment as clubs would have a full set of fixtures to complete and a team feeling unduly treated can bounce back with a possible victory the following week. But what about cup matches or large tournament games like national or international tournaments? The pressure in these environments would be unbearable but yet there are thousands of referees across the rugby playing world go out every week and gladly put themselves into this pressure.
We know that their decisions and interpretation of the laws are crucial to the dynamics of a game and can indeed swing momentum for the detriment or benefit of a team. In some cases their decisions can cost games, we only have to cast our minds back to Chris White in the RBS 6 Nations 2007 when Wales were trailing 23-20 in the final minute and a penalty was awarded to the welsh team. Chris White said there was enough time for the kick to touch, when asked by the welsh captain, but when the ball went out the fourth official was heard to tell Chris White that the game was no over and to end the match. Wales lost the match and the welsh team, management and supporters were in uproar, the Italians didn’t mind it, but it is evident that referees hold such power in their decisions. Roll on to the end of that 2007 championship and the crucial last minute try by France which would put them ahead of Ireland on points difference and deny Ireland a 6 Nations title… I remember where I was sitting when I saw the try scored by “good ole” Elvis (Vermeulen), then the indecision of the referee Craig Joubert in referring it to the Third Match Official (TMO) and asked the dreaded line “Is there a reason I cannot award the try?” In that moment all Irish hearts sank… As that phrase did not allow the TMO (who was ironically Irish) to check the infringement that occurred beforehand, his focus had to be solely on the grounding, and the Try was awarded ending Irish hopes of a 6 Nations championship title. Again the pressure on all match officials in that game championship deciding moment some may say would have been a tiny bit stressful.
So it is evident that the top flight referees have a very stressful 80 minutes but we should remember that at this level the “man in the middle” has numerous lines of support in two very qualified linesmen, a Third Match Offical (TMO) and a fourth official dealing with sideline issues like substitutions, not to mention the number of camera angles to cover every piece of information. But what about the referee in grass roots of rugby and sport? These unfortunate yet eager officials only have one source of support on a game day…. Their own instinct! Yes in the All Ireland League there are at the minimum three qualified officials at the fixtures but beneath that referees have only clubmen running the line and most decisions have to come from their own interpretation.
Let’s put ourselves in their shoes… They arrive at a club that they have no affiliation with, get changed in a separate changing room, make pleasantries with the captains, coaches and management of the two teams and then prepare for the heckling from either teams supporters. They then get showered, maybe have some refreshments in the clubs bar and then leave, personally I marvel at every referee for doing what they do.
Present day referees must have also got a shock to their system as did players and coaches when the Experimental Law Variations came in, with some staying and others being declined. Which now means not only does a referee have to remember the large book of laws but now has to ensure these new variations are implemented on a game day too. All this to be done on his/her own, in maybe a cup or vital league fixture with supporters and their moods having a perpetual roller coaster ride dependent on the official’s decisions, I’d not be jumping at the change to do it.
I have refereed as an associate referee, in schools competitions, club youth leagues and cups and I found U18 club or even Yr 8 schools tournament a stressful time let alone being thrown into the hot bed of senior rugby.
I have also (not not too many occasions) been the irate coach on the side-line, feeling frustrated at decisions that may not have gone our way but in all my years of playing and coaching I have found one thing out. A coach/referee relationship seems to be won and lost in the first meeting of the individuals on game day, if a referee comes in very authoritarian with the coaching staff and the players this may well put the club on the defensive and have tempers fray towards the official. Especially if the referee claims “these are my interpretations and that is it”, then is believed not to follow his/her own criteria. In my experience as a coach with referees, the referee who comes in light-hearted, explains his viewpoint and is open to conversing with the players and coaching staff is more than likely to have a mitigating effect to how the players view them or respond to them in the game. I am not saying the referee must talk at every breakdown or misdemeanour but the knowledge that they are approachable at certain times certainly helps. Coaches also should always encourage their players to be respectful to the referee and should be respectful themselves as coaches are role models to their players. It would be beneficial for clubs to keep tabs on their supporters as well in what is acceptable and not acceptable practice on game day. Rugby referees still have the most power out of the all the other big sports officials (like Football or GAA) but we need to be vigilant that unacceptable behaviours towards referees are ruled out and made sure never arise again. In the end of the day if we did not have individuals put themselves forward to officiate games then there would be no game.
So the next time you see the man in the different colour top run onto the pitch we really should be upstanding and yell “For those who are about to referee… We Salute You!!”
BLOG 6 COACHES CORNER: Should video analysis be a scary prospect or embraced by a coach?
As we get into the business end of the rugby season, things start to heat up, with every interested party striving to ensure they finish the season on a high. Some clubs are close to achieving their dreams of promotion and cup wins whilst others are concentrating on getting those vital points which may see them out of the relegation zone. Whatever end of the spectrum a club finds itself, the age old question is how do we maximise the opportunities to achieve these much needed results?
Step in the science of Performance Analysis… This is the art of quantifying data by recording game variables and over a period of time and determining trends and performance profiles of athletes and teams. This is a nice fancy way of saying “videoing games or training and playing it back to relive the errors or good performances that occurred on match days”.
Why is this important you say? Well research has found that coaches can only retain a certain amount of relevant information (around 40-60%) about the previous fixture and some of that information is based around incidents that happen in a match. If you are not too convinced do this simple test, what do you remember most about the England Vs Germany world cup game in 2010?
Did most of you think of the disallowed goal that should have been allowed? Well if that is what you still think of imagine what would you would have been like at the time? Nerves were frayed, anger was overwhelming and everyone was in disbelief. Now what happened in the 2 minutes after the incident? Was there a good display of passing? Did a player make good challenges and dispossess the opponents? Well we may not have noticed as we still are contemplating how that linesman couldn’t see the ball 2 feet over the line. This can happen in all sports and within all levels and where players are selected or deselected on their performances they want a coach to be able to give them honest and factual feedback. This is where the analyst comes in… He/she separates themselves away from the emotions of the game and documents everything that happens which can then be played back post-event.
Now I know that everyone thinks a performance analyst looks
Like this:
However contrary to your beliefs, we do not all look like this but
In fact anyone can be an analyst as long as you know what
1) You are looking for and 2) you can video a sporting event.
This is not a new fad in sport, even when I was back in school around 1996-1998 we used video analysis to highlight strengths and weaknesses and frequently ate lunch in the sports hall while watching the video. The only thing that has changed now is that there is computerised software now that can collect information at the touch of a button and can “trim” out the useless information allowing you to condense a 80 minute game into 3mins depending on what you are looking for. For example, imagine you as a coach want to see the tries that were scored against you but one was in the 16th minute and the other the 78th minute. By just watching a video/DVD you would have to fast forward through the game to get to the 78th minute… however with computerised analysis software the two tries are extracted from the game so they can play one after the other.
This ease of extraction does however come at a price and the packages can be seen as quite expensive to some clubs and coaches. However, what is the price of winning a league or winning a cup to a club or coach? An analysis package may well be expensive in the short term but could reap huge benefits in the future, purely on the premise that you own the software and it aids in identifying the weaknesses and strengths of players and units (forwards or backs) and that will lead to improved performances over time. There are also businesses out there which will do the analysis for you and provide you with the full game, areas of concern or any other aspect that you as a coach may want. It is vital to remember that analysts are there to support you as a coach and not tell you how to coach.
So should a coach be wary of getting performance analysis done for his/her team? I will admit when I first came across the process I thought it would show my weaknesses as a coach but I soon discovered that using the information in the right way made my coaching sessions more focussed and relevant to the players and the team. Video analysis is now performed in any team that I am involved in now and the players who ask for individual analysis all believe it aids in their own development.
It is true that players and coaches can fear what the video may bring but if the information is conveyed through the team in the right manner, which is one of trust and positive/constructive feedback then the benefits of the analysis is enormous. However use the information to single out players and include it as a fuel for negative feedback then the players will not get any benefit out of it and may indeed drop their levels of performance even more.
So the question of the article was do we embrace the process of video analysis or should we be scared of it? It is obviously down to the specific individual but I hope this can aid you in taking your first step on the path of embracing it.
Welcome to Blog 5 of coaches corner:
Question – What is it? Answer – A weekly blog exploring and developing the theme of COACHING.
Video Analysis, Ideas, Opinions, Facts, the melting pot is explored here.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 5 COACHES CORNER: What comes first? Player Development or Team Performance? A look into how coaches are valued..
I’m going to take a break from the technical side of the game for this week and look at the question that can plague any coach… Do we develop our players in our club training? Or do we HAVE to win everything just to keep our job and therefore only fix what went wrong on the past weekend?
I decided to do this after a question from a student in my sports coaching class that I lecture in college, after a long discussion with the class and seeing the variation in the answers I was interested to look deeper into the issue. I myself worked with a Qualifying league rugby club last season and have first-hand experience of the difference of opinion of the development/performance debate. What do I mean by “Development” and “Performance” I hear you ask? Well it essentially is formulating a coach’s ethos of what he is trying to give to his team and what he is trying to get out. A coach’s ethos or philosophy can change over the years but it is a true reflection on what he/she believes the sport in question needs… A Coach who is interested in “development” would be one who is ensuring his players needs are looked after regardless of previous weekends results, whilst a coach interested in “performance” would not be as interested in his/her players needs, fix only what went wrong in the last fixture and has to get the team to win.
I can see you now, screwing up your faces and saying “Well of course, every coach wants to win so performance is what is the most vital to the club!” and you are welcome to that thought, however let me see if I can show you the reason why the coach with the “development” approach may well be a better bet.
Since rugby turned professional in 1995, the game has changed, and in most cases for the better. Players are getting more conditioned; the game at the top level is being played at a faster pace and generally in a very open rugby format. Irish rugby has changed quite a bit over the last decade and now the expectation of the population is “Grand Slams”, “Triple Crowns” when once it was avoiding the “Wooden Spoon”. We the public want to see a good game of rugby and whilst we still salivate at a well maintained rolling maul and applaud a scrum being taken apart and driven back, the main focus is we want to be entertained! So to put it mildly, we want to be entertained by a good display of rugby, but we also want our team to win and have the expectations that we will win…. Who’d be a coach with that pressure?
So this brings me back to professionalism… not in the top echelons of sport but the attempt of instilling professionalism within grass roots sport. Professionalism at grass roots rugby has hit clubs very hard around the province, since 1995, clubs which once where strong are now holding their own in lesser leagues, others have faded away or amalgamated in an attempt to keep their status. Young school players post 1995 left their schools looking for the best deals and the big clubs could offer “incentives” that other clubs could not. Could this have been the start of a slippery slope for grass roots rugby?
Now in the present day, with the filtering of the top level underage players into the Ulster Academy and those promising players receiving development or professional contracts, grass roots or semi-professional clubs know which school players they can target when summer time comes and it resembles a feeding frenzy as clubs barter and negotiate with these new entrants to adult rugby. So now a club has got their resources for the season it is down to the coach they appoint to pull together a winning side. This can bring in its own problems, senior management hold interviews and then selects a coach on a mixture of their gut instinct, prior experience and promises made of success and winning. But can a coach truly promise success in a short period of time? Or if so, will it be a quick fix or a long term path of success? And how does the coach remain in the proactive approach to coaching and not slip into the danger of reactive coaching?
I like to base my opinions on research, so I decided to send out a survey to the rugby fraternity that I had gotten to know over the 13 years of my coaching. The recipients who were to be involved were players, ex-players, coaches, managers, club personal, male rugby players and female rugby players. I sent out a survey to over 300 people, explaining that their responses were completely anonymous and got a high level of response (approx 150 in 2 ½ days, when survey closed) which I thank you if you took part. The results of the questions were very interesting indeed and if taken in the right manner could aid clubs who want to have sustained success. Five questions were asked:
1. As a player, going to training in the sport that you play, are you more interested in developing your skills? Or ensuring you will win on game day?
2. Does your current coach value your development as a player more important than winning on the weekend?
3. Do you feel that amateur club/semi-pro coaches (e.g. All Ireland League coaches) should be only concerned with winning?
4. Do you feel that coaches are put under pressure by club committee’s and their expectations?
5. As a player, would you rather a coach who would work on developing your skills and improving your game? Or would you rather a coach who only wants to win and focuses on tactics rather than technique and skills?
These questions were asked in an open ended question format and the respondents were able to give details on their answers instead of just a yes or no. So the feedback for the questions is as follows:
In Question 1, I was looking to discover the motivation and incentives for players to go to training and also to see exactly what players were expecting when they got there.
As you can see a large majority of the respondents attended training to work on their skills (76.47%) and many added that it was core skills and improving their mastery of a skill. There were not many who wanted to attend to work on tactics to increase the chance that they would win on a match day. The unsure category were people who were undecided and choose both, in that they wanted to improve their skills but also were looking for tactics but found that time constraints made this hard to achieve.
In question 2 I was looking to see what kind of coaches were out there at the minute and was again intrigued by the responses I received.
It would seem that there is a close enough split between coaches who want to develop the player and those who will conduct a session in an attempt to win, while ignoring the players own development. When I say ignoring the development, I mean focusing on skills that were weak on the weekend and not the overall holistic skills of a player (core skills). The larger undecided category were respondents who believed that their coach was actually doing both. It must be noted that as there were female rugby players in the selection, it could be argued that their coach would be looking at development of a player due to women’s rugby being a relatively new sport to many of the players.
In question 3 I decided to investigate whether the players or the wider rugby fraternity believed coaches should be under the frame of mind of “win at all cost”. I deemed semi-pro coaches as coaches who are receive financial assistance for their services and hence why an example of All Ireland Rugby was used, but this could be applied to some Qualifying 1 and 2 clubs as well.
As you can see a high percentage of people said that they felt the coach should not be results orientated and only concerned with winning. Whilst winning is obviously important to the players, coach and club it is apparent that people do not think it is that important in anything less than professional sport.
The next question asked was probably a very risqué question and one that will more than likely have my name banned in all rugby clubs in the province, but before you chase me out of your clubhouses, remember that I am only curious to see what the rugby fraternity are thinking.
The over whelming response (79.41%) of people believe that coaches are under pressure from the club committees with expectations of the season. Some remarks that were made were that committees are believed to set coaches unrealistic goals and targets which increase the pressure on the coach.
The last question was again about the players would actually want from their coach at the clubs training sessions.
A large percentage (58.82%) ideally like a coach to work on their skills and develop their individual skills however there were a large number of undecided responses which were interesting to see and a large amount of these went on to explain that it depended on the level they would be playing at.
So what does this all mean? To put it mildly all parties in a club would seem to be pulling in different directions… Players want to improve their skills and coaches are seemingly trying to do that but within the confines of what the club committees would permit. First and foremost, must come the win it would seem, and that undue pressure takes its toll on the coaches which will then be transferred onto the playing squad. As a teacher, the first thing you learn when you go through your teaching practice is that the students and young adults can easily work out your mood and the behaviours of the group can change depending on what that mood is. A stressed coach can erupt quicker on the training paddock if the results are not going their way, pressure is coming from above and at times this eruption can have an adverse effect on the playing group, especially on a slump.
So why then do clubs not request the services of a coach for at least a minimum of a couple of years so that structures can be put into place to develop the individual playing skills and tactical knowledge of the players. Most AIL or Qualifying 1 clubs only train twice a week… It is not like professional rugby or even schools rugby where the exposure of the players to the sport is pretty much daily… So any new game-plan introduced to a club by a new coach, will take longer to sink in and be adapted by the players, as the exposure of the progressions only happen twice a week and only if you are lucky to get the same individuals there week in week out. Personally I believe that a coach could really only deliver long term success for a club over a course of 2-3 years in charge as head coach. It allows the coach to look at the way the club recruits its players, the way players inter-change through-out the senior rugby teams and indeed the transition from a youth team if they have one. Along with this it gives the coach time to implement his coaching structure, game-plan, individual skill development and unit work.
At the end of the 3 years what would you believe the outcome would be? A club that is worried about losing their star players the following season and what this future may hold? Or a club who knows that the players they have are improving and the players coming in will only strengthen the squad?… In 5-6 years this club will be one of success and losses will be few and far between. There is one club in Ulster which springs to mind which has the plan rolling out and is thriving in playing numbers. So if club committees need to be convinced then a glance in their direction only needs to be done.
So the question at the start of this article was “What comes first? Player development or team performance?” and what were my own thoughts… I think you all now know the answer!
Welcome to Blog 4 of coaches corner:
Question – What is it? Answer – A weekly blog exploring and developing the theme of COACHING.
Video Analysis, Ideas, Opinions, Facts, the melting pot is explored here.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 4 COACHES CORNER: A 2nd look @ defence structure – How a drift defence can be your best friend!
If you have been following these articles you would have seen that last week we started building a defence structure, looking first at ruck defence and now it is time to look at how to construct a drift defence.
Defensive structures are not something that I took credit for when I was working with the Mid-ulster rugby club that I have spoken about earlier, nor any team I have worked with in the 13 years of coaching. I usually explain I watch a lot rugby on television, observe and learn the way the professional teams are defending, then add my own bits and pieces to the structure so that attacking teams can rarely launch an attack knowing exactly how my teams defend. However, all messages to the players were simple… You have to watch rugby to understand the structures and set-ups to be able to understand and then adhere to what your coach is advising you to do.
A drift defence structure allows the defending team an ally on the pitch, namely the touchline. The theory is perfectly simple, you allow the opposition team to see you have left space in the wide channels which should be where the opposition will attempt to attack. Once they do, then your defensive line will simply move laterally (drift) across the pitch and when the attackers try to straighten the attack the defender makes his move and tackles the attacker. A drift defence is a psychological battle between the two teams and momentum and go forward ball is determined by who wins this battle.
So remembering the picture from last week:
That was the defence of a ruck, so now we look at the defence of the team, focusing on the midfield defenders.
So as the picture shows, there are 6 defenders in this situation and yet there are 7 in attack. This would mean that the advantage is obviously with the attacking team and if they can get the ball to the 14 they could well score. So what is needed by the defending team is a well communicated and organised defensive line and drift.
The important thing to note would be that the line only drifts when the ball is passed away from the 10 or 1st receiver. When the ball is played away by the 1st receiver then the defender in the B position will either shout “Drift, Wedge, Slide” etc etc, lots of teams have different calls but they all mean the same. The principle that is important is that the defender in the B position now takes responsibility for the attacking player (12) which allows Defender 1 to move onto attacking player (13), which allows defender 2 to cover attacker (15) and finally allows Defender 3 to cover the last man which is attacker (14). Each defender must trust the man in the inside of him/her to make the tackle and the tackler then needs to take complete responsibility if he/she misses the tackle.
This brings the defence round in a circle, in that it is the technique to tackling which will be the major weakness in the defensive line (check out article 2 for a recap on tackling technique). If an outside defender steps in to help, then they leave a huge entrance that might as well be signposted and lit with large neon lights saying “Break our line here!!” Here is the psychological battle… The attacker is trying to get an outside defender (outside relative to where the ball is coming from) to step in to create a gap for his support players and the defender is showing the attacker a glimpse of hope in that they might just penetrate the line but in taking that gap the defender shuts it down and swallows up the attacker in the tackle.
Take a look at what happens when either communication or technique lets us down in a drift defence.
Now have a look at the following clips which show a good drift defence working and in some cases turning possession over.
So this is a very rudimentary defensive structure and one which can start of any young youth or adult team on their path to a watertight defence. Remember that this is only a structure and there will be time needed to work on tackling technique of the players to not only improve the trust within the team but also the confidence that the team-mate inside you doesn’t need your help and can tackle without you.
Throughout the course of this blogs life, I will come back to defence structure looking at other types of systems/structures that can be employed, but I hope this defence construction can help in the meantime until such time when defence is revisited.
I leave you with one last thought and statement which was emblazoned around the London Wasps stadium and a pertinent one that has had my focus over the years…
“Defence wins Championships!”
Welcome to Blog 3 of coaches corner:
Question – What is it? Answer – A weekly blog exploring and developing the theme of COACHING.
Video Analysis, Ideas, Opinions, Facts, the melting pot is explored here.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 3 COACHES CORNER: Defence structure – It’s not just a nice idea any more… It’s a necessity!
Last week I decided to look at the tackle situation and which type of tackle is the best to encourage the younger generation to adopt. So many times have we seen young rugby players trying to emulate their rugby idols, and the number of scoring chances I have seen missed, whilst refereeing club youth matches is astounding. One main idol is Brian O’Driscoll and his one handed slide and dot down the rugby ball when scoring a try… It was a trade mark move that was used when he sped clear of many a defensive line. Cue now all the young O’Driscoll wannabes, trying exactly the same technique, but this time, the ball being dropped…. Flung out in front of them and a perfectly good score is wasted… By no means am I blaming Brian O’Driscoll for not scoring in text-book manner, what I am driving at is that our young players look to our older ones for inspiration and as coaches we need to ground their feet lest we want a losing scoreline on game day or to see that player not reaching his optimum level.
This brings me back to the subject matter for this week, defensive structure and more importantly defensive structure around the breakdown.
When I first started out in my rugby development officer work I moved to a club in Mid-Ulster and started work in recruiting 2 and ½ youth teams… I say ½ as there was already a number of 16 year olds but I set about recruiting a U14’s, U16’s and U18’s. These players came from the majority of GAA schools and some non-rugby high schools, all had good individual talent but had never played the sport before. We went straight into league fixtures and it was like the boy who plugged the dam with his fingers… When plugging one damaged hole another appeared. All we could do was address the issues when they appeared. The major one which came in every week from the coaches was about defence, not the tackling but the holes in the line of defence. The teams who we were playing against were good established youth teams and could put support runners into any gaps they could find.
This defined our goal for the season…. We would become a club that would be hard to break down when we defended and set about teaching and educating all age groups on the delicacies of a defensive line. Our motto and outlook was simple “They can go round us! But they must not come through us!”. It was simple… If a team was good enough to get the ball out to the wings under extreme pressure from the defensive line and still score then you have to applaud the attacking team! 9 times out of 10 someone in the attacking line will not pass the ball and will be hit in a tackle. We spent lots of time in training on this structure and getting all players to adhere to the system. In the following year the points difference in the games against the “big” youth teams dropped considerably. Instead of them winning by 3 to 4 tries they may have won by 1 or 2 points and some were even beaten by some of the age groups. The U14’s nearly took a league title, losing in the playoff, and the 16’s and 18’s were in the top half of their tables. This was only the second year these young players had ever played rugby.
Many coaches out in the profession have difficulty in sharing their drills and ideas as they feel it will give the opposition an edge over his/her team. I do not really share that ideology, I train my players in the attempt for them to be able to read any situation and adopt the best practice to produce a successful outcome. Therefore I have no real issue in sharing my drills or thoughts and ideas. So that being said let’s build a basic defence off a ruck. Defence structure is simple and I apologise if this article seems condescending to you as a coach in any way, but I always like to start from scratch then over the weeks I will build it up until everyone including the players completely understand this defensive structure.
So in the diagram below this is how we would set it up.
The “pillars” position themselves as the first defender on either side of the ruck and they will mark the attacking scrum half or opposition forwards who may pick the ball up and drive forward.
The “A” defenders mark the space between the attackers 1st receiver and their scrum half. In the diagram there is an attacking support player in the inside of the 1st receiver. This player would then be marked by the A defender.
The “B” defenders stand opposite the 1st receiver and they will defend against this player. Therefore around 5-10 metres either side of the ruck have been marked by the 6 defenders.
The movement of these 6 players should be in a straight line to engage the attackers in front of them. Watch the majority of the pick and drives done in everyday professional games and you will see this in action.
So the premise of the structure works, however if the players do not have a complete and full understanding of their roles and who they are marking, then the strength of the defensive line will falter and a line break will occur. You know the old adage “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link”.
Take this next picture as an example. If the pillars do not stay on the scrum half (9) and take off on the angle of the arrows then the Scrum Half can easily “snipe” (run) through the gap that is left. This is shown by the purple arrows.
If the pillar stays to mark the scrum half and does not move, but the “A” defender moves to the 1st receiver then the ball is played back into the inside runner who will run through a gap between the pillar and the A defender. This is highlighted by the solid blue line. Have a look at real game examples of what happens if the “pillars, A’s or B’s” move diagonally when moving towards the attacking line.
As you can see, line breaks occur frequently if the defending players do not follow through with their roles. Communication is vital in this instance to ensure that all defenders go up in a line and are uniform across the pitch. It is also important to know which attacking player the defending players are going to tackle. The defensive line around the ruck should always move straight first before moving diagonally, this way the attacking team is forced to pass more and can increase the chance of error. However a very important point for any defender in the “A” position is to be wary of moving diagonally too fast as the ball could be played back inside towards to the ruck to a player running around the ruck, who may not have been picked up in the initial scan from a defender. A rule of thumb is to defend what is initially in front of you, if you are in the “A” position then know to be more aware of attackers movement and keep your communication clear and loud.
Next week we’ll have a look at the next defensive structure which is constructing a drift defence and the roles of the defensive line in this drift.
Welcome to Blog 2 of coaches corner:
Question – What is it? Answer – A weekly blog exploring and developing the theme of COACHING.
Video Analysis, Ideas, Opinions, Facts, the melting pot is explored here.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 2 COACHES CORNER: Tackling…… Is there a best way?
Having watched many professional teams play, watched and even participated in many Senior Men’s training sessions, and watched endless amounts of coaches drilling their players, I was keen to look at the tackling technique that players employ in games.
I work in Ladies rugby at the minute, coaching a Ladies rugby team in Belfast which gets new players in nearly every month. Some are current rugby players with some or a lot of experience, others have never touched a rugby ball in their lives, so ensuring technique is there before they get near a pitch is vital. The most common remark I get when we talk about contact and tackling is “I’ve no problem, sure all you do is jump on their back!” I get this from new male and female players…
In fact when working with a Further Education college around 8 years ago I was given a group of players and asked to get them ready for a game the morning of an event!!!! They all said they had experience of rugby and not until the 3rd game in and a serious question to one player on his experience was I told “Of course I have experience of rugby!… I’ve played EA Rugby on the playstation for 3 years!”….
As the physicality of players increase not to mention increases in body mass, tackling technique becomes a very important aspect to any new or experienced player. There are a few types of tackles we will look at.
1) The grab and drop
Many coaches are using this technique of tackling in an attempt to turnover more ball. The theory is that the defending player would allow the attacker to drive into his mid-rift/chest in an attempt to grab the attacker and throw him to the ground. This way the defender can then get the chance to get hands on the ball and turn over possession. Have a watch of the following clips taken from my recordings of some Ulster games and my analysis work around the province.
Issues which may arise
On a positive note you are committing essentially 1 attacker and 1 defender to the tackle and ensuing ruck and therefore not having a deficit between attackers and defenders (i.e. more attackers than the defending team can mark).
However at top level rugby, game plans and strategies are built on momentum and “Go forward ball”. Tackling in this fashion in most cases may not halt the momentum of the attacking player and the defending team will almost certainly be knocked back behind the gain-line. This may not be the case if the defender is larger and more powerful than the ball carrier but generally the attackers will gain some yardage if a defender uses this tackle technique.
2) The hip throw
Derived from judo/marital arts, the theory is that when you wrap up a player in a smother tackle, the defender then tries to take the “ball carrier” to the ground by throwing the player using his hip as leverage. The attacking player should be turned towards the defending team and if the defending team are quick enough then they could manage a turnover. Within the games I have analysed I have only really found two reasonable examples of this type of tackle, check these out
Issues which may arise
Mainly can occur around line-outs and 1 on 1 tackling as if an additional attacking player joins in and binds on the ball carrier it is incredibly hard to throw them to the ground facing the defence. Also, similar to the grab and hold technique, it requires the defender to make contact above the hips and legs and therefore can lose yardage on impact which gives forward momentum to the attacking team.
3) The Old School
I call this the old school as it is the tackling technique that the world of rugby have been coached and trained to do since we start the sport. It is the basic front or side tackle where the defender’s contact with the shoulder is below the hips, with the head around the buttocks of the attacking player and the arms are locked around the legs cutting off the power of the attacker. When done with the proper technique and force it cuts of any attack straight away and also allows close defenders to get their hands on a ball and instigate a turnover. Watch the following clips on different types of “old school” tackling and see if you can see something in common?
Were you able to see that there were more penalties in the clips for the old school than for the grab and hold technique?
Issues which may arise
Of course there are still issues with this technique such as the ability of the ball carrier to off load in the contact situation, however if the contact is with enough force then the off load may be disrupted as well. The other is getting the technique wrong, if you use the wrong shoulder leaving your head crossing the front of the attackers body, place your feet in the wrong position when entering the contact of the tackle or just making contact with your arm instead of your shoulder…. All these could cause you to be knocked over and the tackle is missed and in many cases this could cost you your place in the team.
So which is best?
All the tackles, as long as they are done with proper technique will bring an attacker to ground. It purely depends on what you want as a coach or as an individual player. If it is to stop the momentum of the attacking team then it would seem that the “old school” techniques should be employed… Just have a look at these photos if you should doubt it.
So as you can see the “Old School technique” can force a team backwards in attack whilst the “Grab and hold technique” allows a forward momentum for any attacking teams.
Now I hear you shout “Well Nathan that is obvious as in the grab and hold he is coming off a scrum so OBVIOUSLY he is going to be beyond the tackle line!” This is a fair point…
Ok so let’s look at it off a ruck in general play:
The “Grab and Hold” in general play.
So in my mind the only way to stop momentum of an attacking team is to use the “old school” technique. If you want to put a two man hit in, then great! Just send in one defender low around the legs and the next defender around the upper body. This will stop the off-load and if the second defender abides by the new laws and releases the attacker then he can go for the ball and more than likely get the turnover or penalty. Watch the Ulster vs Leinster game again and you’ll see that both teams were awarded penalties for not releasing after an “old school” double hit was put in.
So if you are a young player still learning the game or a new player coming into the game or even a coach in the game… Tackle technique is important… no that’s not true… it’s vital to rugby and I hope that the above thoughts and analysis can help in encouraging your players or bettering your future playing.
Welcome to Blog 1 of coaches corner:
Question – What is it? Answer – A weekly blog exploring and developing the theme of COACHING
Video Analysis, Ideas, Opinions, Facts, the melting pot is explored here.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
ARTICLE 1: Is there a place for every coach?
When asked to compile some words for Intouch magazine regarding coaching techniques and assistance it seemed such a daunting task. It felt like seeing an incredibly attractive person in a bar with their incredibly unattractive friend… You knew you had to get rid of the mate but you just didn’t know where to start…
So I thought about it (the coaching side of things, not the ugly friend) and decided to start at the beginning and have a look at exactly how we coach and whether there are benefits of different styles and approaches.
A simple search on-line will bring up all the different styles of coaching out there and not just within the sporting world but indeed business and life coaching… I am only 31 so will not be discussing any life experiences but with having coached for 12 years within differing levels of rugby and within the IRFU Ulster Branch I have seen a variety of coaching styles.
The bog standard response to the question of coaching styles is that there are three out there, the Autocratic, the Democratic and the Laissez faire styles. If you were to attend most coach education courses within all sports you will come across these specific approaches. Put simply:
• The Autocratic – The coach centred approach and a “do as I say” approach to coaching a session. You run the show and will tell the players exactly what you want, what structure they will play, how they will do certain skills and pretty much anything to do in the sport they play.
• The Democratic – A more player centred approach, with the coach explaining what they would like and then asking the players in their charge what additions they may like to add. If the coach agrees with the input then it is added to the sessions.
• The Laissez faire – This is the laid back approach the coach will let the session run itself with the players dictating how the training goes with minimal input to the session, a kind of “throw the ball in and let them play” attitude.
At this point most coach education courses would ask you to think what style you adopt or in what situations would each approach be suited to. Before I would leave you with any question of coaching styles to mull over I would like to add some meat to these bones and divulge some deeper research into the Leadership/Coach debate.
We as players, remember the coaches we really liked and those we really didn’t, albeit for differing reasons, a player goes through his sporting career being coached by different people and sometimes will settle at a club with a coach they like, or may even move to the club that that coach was moving too. In my 23yrs of playing rugby I have had many coaches I like, although there are two which come to mind who were completely different in their coaching styles, but yet equally respected by both myself and my team-mates. One was more of an Autocratic coach whilst the other would have been more of a Democratic one, although both coaches at times showed they could easily move into another style. This leads me to my next thought…. Is it the coaching style we like? Or is it the person behind the style? As in, is it actually the behaviour of the coach that we truly like?
As a sports scientist I feel it better to state an opinion when I have looked at scientific studies in a specific field and the good thing for whoever reads this is that I will not be retelling the studies, which would probably have you sleeping, but stating my own thoughts on sporting matters based on the findings of those studies.
So that being said back to the thought of whether it is the behaviour behind the style… There has been research conducted into this area, which has found that whilst the autocratic and democratic styles display the behaviour of the coach, it is the substance that the coach brings to a team, as well as his style that is most important. When researching what made good leaders in sport three extra strands where added:
• A Training and Instructing strand – reflecting how the coach goes about improving the performance of an athlete.
• A Social Support strand – reflecting the extent a coach would be involved in ensuring the needs of their players were satisfied.
• A Rewarding (positive feedback) strand – A factor which is crucial in maintaining the motivation of teams and players.
So it could be taken that you could use any type of style as long as the substance you bring to your team is good enough for the players and that they see a benefit to them. In fact when reading through other research it was thought that male athletes would in fact like an Autocratic coach as long as he was supportive whereas female athletes differed on this opinion, which would open up another line of discussion maybe one for another day regarding the differences in coaching men and women in sport.
Whilst much of the research on coaching styles seems to be contradictory, there is one thing that remains constant and that is the preferred behaviour of the coach/leader is dictated by the members of the group/team and something that all coaches should be wary of. It is also thought that different styles would be suited for different levels of sport (grass-roots to elite or youth to senior), which is reflected in the IRFU’s Long term Player Development Model guiding coaches on how they should approach coaching the different age grades and stages of player development.
So this brings me back to the original thought and question… Is there a place for every coach? We see examples of autocratic coaches in everyday life and in true story Hollywood films like “Grid Iron Gang” and “Remember the Titans” where it is the coach’s way or “no play”. Granted in the “Grid Iron Gang” having a democratic approach to juvenile detention inmates is probably not a good idea. American sports movies are full of examples where these types of coaches have success but not always have the support of the team in the end, like in “Varsity Blues”. I wonder if, in this autocratic environment, had those teams lost the first few games of the season, would they still have accepted the long season of listening to the coach yell at them? Or be prepared to do another pre-season of what many players term as “beasting”?
Society is changing and how we treat players, which may once have been acceptable in the past, is now becoming scrutinised, does this mean many of us as coaches need to change our coaching style? I try to make it a habit to reflect on my own coaching after every session I take and have seen that my own approach and style has changed hugely over the last number of years as I have coached differing levels and indeed genders. I have worked in all sections of rugby in Ulster, Mini-rugby, Club’s youth sections, Schools (high school and Grammar), FE College, University rugby, Ulster representative and also Senior League Men’s rugby and there is a different approach for all sections.
Autocratic coaches could not function well in Club youth sections as you rely on the players wanting to turn up for training and if they are not leaving each night with a fun experience then the numbers will drop and youth teams may disband. This is similar to women’s rugby, FE colleges and some Grammar or High Schools who may not be as strong as opposition teams and run the risk of losing each week. Players will take a coach who yells and dictates at them if they are winning week in week out however a coach who acts like this could lose his/her appeal if the results are not going their way.
As coaches we must be flexible and open to changing our own styles to get the best out of our teams. It was once said to me that a coach needs to have a strategy suited to the team members they are working with and not to his/her own ideal strategy. In some cases you can always train a team to the way you want to play but if you are in a coaching role which is offering you financial assistance then results are the important factor and you may not have the time to adapt your team.
So in summary what is my advice? I am not going to try and tell you to become something you are not…. But be aware of some of the evidence out there in the sporting environment. You can be the autocratic, shouting and forceful coach as long as you are able to provide the support and improvements that your players are seeking as well as ensuring you give them positive feedback when they do something right. Therefore if you are confident and believe yourself to have top experiences in the sport then this may be an approach you will use. Ideally if you work in School boy rugby this approach may well be beneficial but do ensure that the substance you bring is also at a high level.
For longevity in a club, I would recommend the democratic approach to coaching even if you believe yourself to know more than the players do. Players like to know that their opinion is valued and if they believe that they have an input into either the way the team plays or how the training is structured then they will also take responsibility if things go wrong. This can be achievable in the school set-up as well; all that is needed is to take one or two of the more respected players in the year group and discussing some of your thoughts with them and also to be able to gauge what the thoughts and feelings of the players are. As long as the players know there are firm boundaries and that whilst they have an input the final decision lies with you then this could be beneficial in ensuring a harmony within the squad. True this may only really work with U15’s and above but there is evidence out there that shows this has been a success.
So I believe there is a level and place for every coach but I do also believe that we as coaches need to be able to adapt ourselves until we find our team and players that suit our style… All we need to contend with then is the Senior Officials in the club…. But that is another story!
