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Posts Tagged ‘Rugby Union’
The Rugby Union and Rugby League Guaranteed to Succeed Game Plan
Is it just me or does it seem like every coach involved in rugby league and rugby union has the same game plan?
With all the money spent on coaching, analysis, technology, video, training programs, performance enhancement, player development, facilities, equipment, ball technology, strength training, conditioning, wrestling, leadership development, boots, nutrition, psychology, protein supplments etc etc you would think that rugby league and rugby union would be havens for innovation, creativity and genius.
So why does it seem like every team, every coach and every player is reading from the same play book when it comes to game plans?
July 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tags: Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union
The Greatest Assistant Coaching Article Ever Written (i.e. because we think it’s the only one): 50 of the best Tips on how to be a World Class Assistant Coach.
By Lindsay Gaze, Michael Foley, Dave Claxton, Craig Tiley, Scott Johnson, Bill Sweetenham, Andrew Friend, Keith Davies, and Wayne Goldsmith
Foreword:
Leading international Rugby Coach, Head Coach of USA Rugby (and former Wallabies Assistant coach) Scott Johnson and I were exchanging emails about coaching. Scott said, “You read a lot about coaching and plenty about being a head coach, but where is there something written about being a great assistant coach”.
I accepted the challenge, contacted some coaching friends and colleagues and this is what we came up with.
Sincere thanks to Lindsay, Michael, Dave, Craig, Scott, Bill, Andrew and Keith for their ASSIST-ANCE.
WG
June 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tags: AFL, American Football, Athletics, Baseball, Basketball, Cricket, Diving, Football, Gymnastics, Netball, Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, Triathlon
Improve your Coaching by NOT Coaching
You read right - improve your coaching by NOT coaching.
Coaching improves performance.
But too much coaching - over coaching - can have a negative influence on performance.
Who OVER coaches?
Typically five types of coaches OVER coach:
- Young, inexperienced coaches who are trying too hard;
- Coaches who lack real belief in themselves and who try to make up for it by giving too much information. These coaches will often want to be liked - and feel the more coaching they do, the more the athletes will like them;
- Coaches who lack belief in their athletes and feel the need to control every element of preparation and performance;
- Coaches who are being evaluated or assessed and aim to impress by being SEEN to control every element of the training session, i.e. they believe that great coaching is talking more;
- EGO driven coaches who see athletes / players as a vehicle to promote themselves and their reputations.
May 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tags: AFL, American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Netball, Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Triathlon
It’s not the head coaches fault……not all of the time that is.
Here’s a typical football Club scenario. Pick a club - any club - any code - it doesn’t matter.
The team loses a few games, has a couple of bad seasons and the decision is made to sack the head coach.
In fact, Legend AFL Coach David Parkin once said, “There are two types of head coaches. Ones who have been sacked and ones who will be sacked”.
So the club sacks the coach, goes through a search process, finds someone else to be head coach and prepares for the next season.
Next season the team loses a few games, has a bad season and surprise surprise - the Club starts looking for another head coach.
Some Clubs have recruited and sacked several coaches over the past ten years and have not had a change in their on field performance.
Many of these same Clubs have had the same Board, CEO and management team in place throughout that same ten years.
So what they are saying is, “we are doing everything right, we have all we need to win a title, we have a great culture and leadership - all we need is a great head coach and we will be back on track”.
Is it just me or is this a really silly way to run a business? Read more
May 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tags: AFL, American Football, Football, Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer
You can’t buy a Football Premiership.
Read the title of this article.
Now read it again.
Read it one more time.
Now, just to be sure you get it - You can’t buy a football premiership!
Here’s why.
April 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tags: AFL, American Football, Football, Football (Soccer), Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union
Finding the Right Head Coach
With all the movements and changes in the NRL head coaching ranks at the moment, it is worth having a closer look at how to go about hiring the right coach.
The most important step for any club, is to first clearly understand what they want from a head coach!
Do they want a leader - an inspirational head coach?
Do they want someone who is an expert in change management - someone who can make hard decisions and radical changes to the Club’s culture and performance environment?
Do they want a technical expert - someone with great skills in one element of the game, e.g. attack?
Do they want a coach skilled with dealing with the media?
Do they want a hard nosed, disciplinarian with a strong work ethic and uncompromising nature?
Do they want someone who can build effective teams and get people working together towards a common goal?
Do they want someone with knowledge and skills in sports science and performance enhancement?
Do they want someone who has played the game at the highest level and has an understanding and empathy for the playing group?
Do they want someone who can create leaders in the player group and create a player driven culture?
Do they want an innovator? Someone who can accelerate change and implement new ideas?
The answer most clubs will give is - “all of the above”. Read more
April 9, 2008 | 1 Comment
Tags: AFL, American Football, Football, Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer
Winning Against the Odds
Question:
How may times do you actually go out on the field with all 15 of your best players 100% fit and healthy and in the best form of their lives?
Answer:
a. Sometimes
b. Often
c. All the time
d. Never.
If you answered d. Never - give yourself a round of applause.
March 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tags: AFL, American Football, Football, Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer
Making Sense of Testing Athletes
A renowned swimming coach was walking up and down the side of the pool working with a world record holder. A younger, relatively inexperienced coach who was eager to learn, asked, “How do you know how your swimmer is going?” “How do you know when she is ready to do her best?”
The senior coach replied, “I just know”.
Testing does not replace the skilled eye or instinctual feel of an experienced and talented coach. It aims to provide measurement and objectivity to some of the elements of performance that coaches “see” and “feel” and “know”.
This article discusses some of the current issues in the testing of high performance athletes and looks at the crucial aspects of the measurement and evaluation of elite sports performance.
February 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tags: AFL, Athletics, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Netball, Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer, Swimming, Triathlon
Sports Science: Observations of Philosophies in Sports Science and Sports Medicine in High Performance Sport
Sports Science has to Change
Over the past year I have had the fortunate experience of working with some of the leading sporting nations in their quest for elite sporting excellence. I write this article as a plea to all sports scientists, regardless of discipline, to evaluate what they are doing and think about being more innovative and creative in their methods and practices.
February 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tags: AFL, American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Coaching, Coaching Tips, Cricket, Cycling, Diving, Football, Hockey, Netball, Rowing, Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer, Triathlon
Analysis and the Era of Negativity
Seems like every coach has a video, a camera, a DVD player and some analysis software these days.
Coaches spend more time behind a desk, staring at replays and performance analysis data than they do actually working and communicating with athletes and staff!
Modern analysis techniques and equipment have given us the luxury of detail- the ability to evaluate, measure and analyse performance in far greater depth than ever before.
Most analysis techniques used in elite sport evolved from research methods used in the academic world, where a wide range of analysis tools are used to systematically investigate technique, movement, skills, decision making etc as part of a the study behind a journal article, research project or thesis.
The problem with all this analysis is that analysis, by its nature is destructive. Analysis breaks down performances, techniques, skills etc into component parts or measureable events. It looks to identify what went wrong with an athlete or team and what problems, faults and mistakes led to a poor performance.
The biggest challenge in the analysis era is to learn to use what is ostensibly a destructive activity for a constructive purpose - the enhancement of performance. Read more
February 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Tags: AFL, American Football, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Netball, Performance Science, Rugby, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Triathlon
