1RugbyCoachBlog.com

Defence – How Do You Coach Communication?

Neil — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:31:59 +0000

Over the past few weeks, I’ve received several questions regarding how to coach communication in your defensive line? Some were concerned about only part of their defence talking while others were more interested in having an effective slide.

Both of these are to be addressed if you wish to have an effective defensive structure. Firstly I’d just like to point out that if you’re implimenting a slide defence, it should only be utilised when you’re out-numbered or stretched and you’re having to over work at reducing the threat.

A couple of coaching points to try are;

1. In your training sessions, try to split your defence into 3 groups, left, right and middle. So your left side wing, centre, second row, half, same for the right with the loose floating and the middle consists of your front row.

2. When performing defence drills, play them against each other with penalties for the losing groups.

3. Point out that every defender only has to talk to the guy next to them

4. Once the ball goes past a defender it’s his job to increase their talk. i.e. the talk always comes from the inside when a slide defence is in operation.

5. Stop the session if the line is breached and ask the players who was at fault and how could it have been averted.

Usually after a couple of errors the players become more aware and switch on to their particular role in the slide defence.

The other advantage of working in their groups in training is they gain more of a bond and it becomes quite competitive between the groups as to who’s performing the best i.e. where are the tries being scored?

For a more in depth view on defence drills plus video go to;

http://www.1RugbyCoach.com

Neil Harmon
http://www.1RugbyCoach.com

Concern#3

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:51:47 +0000

Concern#3 “So What’s It Going To Cost Me?”

I’ve been getting tons of questions from coaches wanting more details about the upcoming launch and the 3rd most asked question is “What’s this going to cost?”

Now I’m still working on the final website bonuses but would like to address your “price” concerns up front. (I can tell you that you definitely won’t need to take out a 2nd mortgage:-) )

Bur before I get specifically into price, let me warn you that this information is positively NOT for everyone.

It is FOR YOU if you are already doing some coaching in one way or another. If that’s the case, then I can promise you, “This information which I’m going to share with you WILL be responsible for every one of your team improving his/her Core Rugby Skills and hey, even improve yourself as a rugby coach.

It’s an absolute no-brainer and shoe-in (unless you have a ‘know it all’, ‘seen it all’ attitude.) Or you like to whine and complain. In that case, please, please, please do us both a favour and save everyone a huge headache by allowing somebody else to take your spot and profit from this information. (You should probably stop reading right nowJ)

It is also FOR YOU if you are a complete newbie but very very serious about improving as a rugby coach.

This is a golden opportunity to be provided with a true shortcut and road map from multiple sources who have a huge amount of experience in rugby coaching.

So back to the original question and what kind of price tag should I put on this information?

Frankly this is going to be one of the biggest bargains you’re going to get form me.

I recently attended a 2 day elite coaching seminar in Australia which cost me £177 and that’s not including airfare, hotel, food etc and one colleague argued that I should charge at least twice this amount for a “12 month subscription”.

I seriously considered this £29.50/month (£354/year) but in the end I decided against that.

I wanted to put this into the hands of as many serious amateur coaches WITHOUT price being a barrier so I’m thinking of charging £14.75/month (£177/year) which works out at less than a couple of beers after each game.

At this price it should put it into the reach of anyone who really needs and wants it.

Now none of this is set in stone yet so don’t hold me to it.

I’m not 100% sure about the price, or that I’ll increase it, however, since I’ve had so many people asking me about the price I wanted to pull back the curtain a bit and give you a glimpse into what I’m thinking. If you’d like to voice your opinion, please post a comment below and stay tuned for more updates.

Speak soon

Neil
http://1RugbyCoach.com

No Related Post

Concern#2

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:30:30 +0000

This update covers the Concern#2 about our 1RugbyCoach membership site. We’ve already addressed the #1 concern here;

http://1rugbycoachblog.com/concern1

Concern#2: With the amount of info that’s going to be shared will I have to be a level 4 rugby coach to understand and implement it?

Background: When we released the “Spy Photo” or sneak preview of the site lots of people were stunned by the amount of info and I got all kind of emails from people worried that if these are the drills that the pro’s are using they wouldn’t be able to implement the drills or understand the templates. Lots of folks thought you’d need to be a pro coach to understand it.

Answer: While the concern is understandable, this is clearly one of those “NO Worries” situations. This site is easy to get around and the drills are all video’d so you can watch them as many times as you like.

They are easy to grasp and have an audio explanation to go with the video.

YES, there will end up being a lot of drills (new drills added every 2/3 weeks)

YES, there will be a lot of material – however it is EXTREMELY understandable.

I’ll give you an example;

Craig was my assisstant at Leeds University last season and over the summer he got the chance to coach an amateur side in Leeds.

In his words, Craig was dreading going it alone and thought he wouldn’t be able to handle a full side on his own but after going through the videos and drills on 1RugbyCoach.com, Craig stated;

“I was completely surprised at how easy and well the sessions went and more importantly how the guys loved the drills and many commented that they’d never been shown some of the correct technique before!”

This led to Craig being asked to be the head coach for Bradford University Student RL and he can’t wait to get started.

And here’s the kicker, Craig only used less than a quarter of the stuff on the site and he didn’t have the 4 week skills program, Brian Noble video or the Clive Griffiths interview for reference!!

The 1RugbyCoach.com membership site will be available on Tues 20th Oct 2009.

If you havn’t already, join our 1RugbyCoach announcement list by clicking one of the links below. If you already have one or all these bonuses then relax as you’re already on the list and will be kept in the loop:-)

http://1rugbycoach.com/new_video.html

http://1rugbycoach.com/4weekskillsprogram.html

http://www.1rugbycoach.com/clive_interview.html

And don’t worry, we will respect your privacy and won’t share your email address with anyone for any reason.

Enjoy your rugby

Neil
http://1RugbyCoach.com

No Related Post

Concern#1

Neil — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:36:01 +0000

Over the past few months, we’ve heard 3 major concerns from our coaches about the impending launch of 1RugbyCoach.com and this update will address the #1 concern…

Concern#1 : “If we publish our 1RugbyCoach membership site for amateur coaches, then our killer tips tricks and techniques for coaching especially in video will be shared by everyone and will not be as effective.”

Background: A couple of months ago we let it slip to our interested coaches that we were getting ready to launch a 1 stop shop Rugby Coaching site aimed at all amateur and semi-professional coaches.

That little note in our update set of a bit of a firestorm of email from our coaches and surprisingly enough, the biggest concern was one that we just hadn’t anticipated. Our coaches told us that once we peel back the curtain and reveal these tips, tricks and techniques especially in video form, it would let the cat out of the bag and the drills would either level the playing field or become less effective.

After thinking about this, I came to the conclusion that there are literally hundreds of thousands of amateur coaches across the globe so what are the chances of all of them accessing this information.

But the biggest fact for me was that most of the elite clubs all use these drills week in week out but there are always winners and losers so it obviously comes down to the implementation of the information.

Bottom Line: With that said we are going to share this information with amatuer coaches such as yourself and you can use it as you see fit. But I will guarantee that just by using this information, you will already be putting yourself ahead of your competitors as most will not even be privvy to these core skills techniques.

Stay tuned for more details. Our anticipated release date is Tuesday 20th Oct 2009. The best way to stay informed about the launch is by joining our announcement list through one of the 3 giveaways below.

If you’ve received one or all of the bonuses below then you don’t need to worry as you’re already on the announcement list and you’ll be kept in the loop

Ex-International Rugby Coach Interview

4 Week Skills Program

Ex-Dual International Rugby Coach Interview

Enjoy your rugby

Neil
http://1RugbyCoach.com

No Related Post

Clive Griffiths Interview

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:51:32 +0000

Clive Griffiths International Rugby Coach

In the run up to launching 1RugbyCoach.com, I wanted to share some great content with amateur rugby coaches across the globe and after the Ex GB Rugby League interview with Brian Noble I wanted to interview someone with knowledge of both codes.

This led me to an interview with dual international player AND coach Clive Griffiths. After collating hundreds of questions from amateur rugby coaches from both codes across the globe, I placed them into categories and put them to Clive for his expert opinion.

I think you’ll agree after listening to this 63 min interview that it was well worth the listen:-)

Click Here To Go and Listen to the Interview

Please leave your comments below

Enjoy your rugby:-)

Neil Harmon

30 Min Q&A With Elite Rugby Coach

Neil — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:06:05 +0000

Over the last 12 months I’ve been asking amateur rugby coaches what questions they would ask an Elite Rugby Coach if they got to spend 30 minutes with them and I received questions from 4,322 coaches….which took me a while to go through:-)

Anyhow I grouped all the questions that were similar and wrote down the top 20/30. I then asked Ex GB and current Wigan Warriors Head Coach Brian Noble if he would answer these questions from amateur coaches from both codes.

I’m really pleased that he agreed and I videoed our Q&A session.

Now for those that don’t know Brian, he’s one of the most respected rugby league coaches in the world and has won every domestic honour in the English game whilst coaching the Bradford Bulls a few years ago. He is also a regular summarizer for Sky TV.

One of the biggest reasons I asked Brian first is, he is a huge advocate of improving core skills which I’m a massive believer in.

To watch the 30 min video, please click the link below and be sure to come back and leave me your comments.

Click Here for your Q&A session with an Elite Rugby Coach

Enjoy:-)

Neil
http://1RugbyCoach.com

Drop Kicking Drills

Neil — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:40:25 +0000

Drop Kick

I seem to be getting quite a few questions about certain types of kicking drills and here’s one that is quite common;

“I am coaching a youth team so the child will be u15 and only just starting as a defined kicker at this point he is only going to restarts as we do not play for drop goals as we encourage running and scoring tries, He will mainly be doing drop kicks from restarts and 22 drop outs.

My kicker for poles is someone else at this time. With regards chasing kicks I have defined people and others know they have to drop back to cover the lines and assist the full back. I am having difficulty with my drop kickers technique at htis time. Can you help and send me some drills I can have him working on?”

For the answer, please download the following word doc;

Drop Kick Drills

Till next Time

Griff
(David Griffiths)
Kicking Coach

Rugby Kicking Game – Kicking Question Answered (0)

Rugby Skills Drill Video

Neil — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:55:19 +0000

This is a simple drill used by several professional Rugby League Teams in both the UK and Australia.

It can be used as both a warm up drill and/or part of a skills conditioning circuit. The aim of the drill is to improve

catching
handling
passing

This drill forces the player to concentrate on hand/eye co-ordination by using smaller objects such as a tennis ball or golf ball.

After the initial square exercise, you’ll notice the coach has the players 3 attackers v 3 defenders. This is the more advanced option and I suggest you start with 2 v 1 then build up to 3 v 2 and finally 3 v 3 once the players have progressed.

Let me know your thoughts about this drill and whether you have any success with it by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page. Anyhow here’s the drill…

Neil

http://1RugbyCoach.com

Twitter and Rugby Coaching

Neil — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:51:03 +0000

In case you’ve been in a cave the last few months, you may well have heard about the new social media site ‘Twitter’. For those of you who are already using this, my apologies for being a bit behind the time:) For those who haven’t heard of Twitter, then all I can say is, YOU WILL.

I must admit when I was first introduced to ‘tweeting’ (get me with the lingo), I thought what a waste of time as you can only write 140 words and what’s the use in that! But once you get into it, this micro-blogging is not only fun but enables you to communicate with hundreds/thousands of people that happen to be interested in the same subjects as yourself.

So for months now I saw and heard the buzz about Twitter, but it wasn’t until I came across this little $17 ebook ‘Twitter Treasure Chest’ that I fully understood its marketing implications and how I could use it to speak to Rugby Coaches worldwide. Now I can clearly see how using Twitter can help me further build relationships with coaches, and I am going to be ‘tweeting’ frequently! In fact, I have already started.

What I liked about this product is that it also came with 11 videos going through step by step from simply setting up your account to integrating some cool tools and even how you can make sum cash!

Follow my updates on Twitter by clicking the image below and then ‘click’ the follow button.

Rugby Tips – General Q&A

admin — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:32:05 +0000

Q. I have a large squad of players to pick from each week and I really struggle when I have to drop someone. What’s your advice on how I can make this easier.

I’m afraid there’s no magic bullet when it comes to dropping players as its part and parcel of a coach’s job to drop players who are not performing.

What I will say, is in my experience as a professional rugby player, the best coaches I’ve played under where the ones who seemed to handle this part of the job exceptionally well. There is no easy way to tell a player they are being dropped as everyone that’s part of a team wants to be playing in their team every week otherwise they shouldn’t be in there in the first place but the best way is to be up front and honest with the player.

Take them to one side and explain your reasons for not selecting them and ALWAYS give them something to work on that you think they need to improve in their game. I say this because although some players might not agree with you and there’s nothing worse than being dropped for a match without the coach explaining WHY.

A large part of coaching is about man management which I wrote about a few months ago on my blog “What makes a good coach a great coach” http://1rugbycoachblog.com/2008/01/page/4/ and if you can learn to talk to players and explain what they need to improve on to put them back in contention, then you’ve a good chance of that player going away hungry to improve and prove they are worth another shot.

To summarize,

• Be honest with your players
• Give them feedback on what they need to improve to get back in.

Q. What would you say is the ‘best quality’ a rugby coach should have?

There are a number of qualities that a good coach should possess but if I had to pick one, I would say it’s the ability to manage people.

Throughout sport most of the elite coaches are excellent man managers. There are hundreds of exceptional technical coaches who know the game of rugby inside out but I think the factor that separates them from the elite rugby coaches is their ability to understand and manage players. They just seem to know which motivational methods players respond to and what the key factors are in bringing out the best in their squad.

Q. “What’s the single most important lesson you’ve learned”

This is a difficult one as there’s been so many but I would have to say the most important lesson I’ve learned is that ‘the more you know, the more know you don’t know’. In other words you never stop learning and never assume your way is the only way.

Q. “What’s it like to play at the elite level and be one of the best in your field at what you do?”

I can only speak as a professional rugby player, not as a coach as I’ve only been coaching for 2 years as opposed to a 19 year professional playing career which I can only describe as awesome.

To be paid for doing something that you love has to be one of the best experiences in your life. I was also fortunate enough to play for Great Britain and Ireland and visit several countries playing rugby league.

However, I wasn’t the most gifted of players that was blessed with natural skill and fitness. I had to work extremely hard to achieve what I did and one of the things that I learned from my playing days that I’m taking into my coaching career, is that whether you win or lose as long as you learn something from each game then you’ll actually win in the long run.

So as a player or a coach, after every game, ask yourself;

•    What did I do well
•    What can I improve on for next week
•    Take action and do it