Great question, Joris, and one that impacts lots of coaches in their early years.

New coaches need "less" than you think, and certainly less than they think.

However, you also need to recognise that they will have several key concerns of their own.

1. Anticipate some of these concerns with clear information ahead, for example, safety, cover and contacts.
2. Ask them what they are additionally concerned about by using these two questions: "Many new coaches are worried about how to coach tackling...we will cover the basics and rest assured, you won't need to coach this until you are confident. What is your main concern about coaching this?", "Apart from tackling and the main laws about how to play, what else are you concerned about?".

Then, I would get them to play some walking rugby and develop some of the key points from there.

I can see a webinar coming on this very soon!

Dan, how do I practically approach such a session in your opinion? 

I've worked out a little something. Is this what you would expect from such a session?

thank you

Train the Trainer – Youth Rugby (ages 6-11)

Session Objective

• Teach new coaches basic rugby concepts

• Learn methods for coaching young children in a fun and safe way

• Instill confidence in working with young people and encouraging a love of rugby

Duration

2 hours

__________________________

Program

1. Introduction (15 min)

• Introduction and discussion of expectations

• Why youth rugby? (Values: teamwork, respect, fun, fair play)

• Prioritize safety and fun

2. Basic Rules and Principles of Rugby (20 min)

• What is rugby? Overview (objective, basic rules, game setup)

• Explanation of simple basic rules and concepts

3. Practical exercise: basic techniques (40 min)

• Warm-up and motor skills exercises for children (game formats)

• Passing technique explanation and practice (focus on backward passes)

• Running and finding space with the ball

• Simple tackling technique

• Non-contact game formats for younger children (ages 6-8): e.g., relay race, tag with a ball

• Using small-scale games to develop technique and game insight

4. Training with young children – pedagogy & tips (15 min)

• How do you keep children motivated and engaged? • Providing positive feedback and dealing with different levels

• Fun over performance: learning through play

• Emphasize safety and respect during training

5. Practical training plan for youth (15 min)

• Sample training schedule for ages 6-8

• Sample training schedule for ages 9-11

• Training structure: warm-up, technique, game format

6. Closing and questions (15 min)

• Summary of key points

• Q&A

• Opportunity for further coaching/guidance

• Tips for follow-up: resources, videos, contact with experienced trainers

This is really interesting - I think the challenge is understanding the learning journey for this coach.

Watch this space!

Introduction to New Coaches

Learning intentions

• Understand what the game looks like for your age group
• Learn how to help players understand and enjoy their game
• Identify what you can do now and what you need to develop next

Session plan

1. What the game looks like

Aim of youth sport

Q&A: draw out values such as respect, activity, teamwork, fun
Reinforce that development and enjoyment come first

How do you win a game of rugby?

Score tries and prevent tries
Q&A prompts

How do you score a try?
How do you stop a try?

Introduce what a safe tackle looks like
How do you avoid being tackled?

Passing, evasion, support

What happens after a tackle?

Simple explanation of ball placement and continuity

Main laws to know

Tackle safety
Passing backwards
Scoring a try

What happens when a rule is broken

Activity

Play a short game of walking touch to show flow, spacing, teamwork and safety

2. How you help players learn the game

Use drills sparingly

Drills build competence and confidence
Demonstrate basic handling, tackling and ruck behaviours (if relevant to age group)

Use scenarios

Give players decisions rather than instructions
Show:

A 2 v 1 or 3 v 2
A three-phase 5 v 5 example with tackle, ruck and continuity
Optional: overload attacking numbers to show space recognition

Use games

Create dynamic environments shaped by constraints
Example: after a touch, ball carrier goes to ground and presents the ball
Show two game-based activities and discuss what each develops

Coaching principle

Every activity is a small layer added to their understanding
Keep information simple and focused – one point at a time
 

3. What you can do now

Practical coaching practice

Demonstrate a simple drill and ask a coach to lead it

Repeat with a simple game
Discuss what went well and what could be clearer

Creating a session plan

Warm-up game
Two skills in rotation
A skills-based game
A final larger game

4.  What you can do later

Where to find resources
Where to find coach support and mentoring
Suggested next steps for development

5. Finish

What GOOD looks like

• Clear, calm explanations
• Safe and enjoyable activities
• Simple coaching points
• Lots of ball-in-play time
• Players learning through doing
• Coaches observing, guiding and supporting

Interesting topic;  thanks for bringing this up, Joris.

I agree that the rugby-specific content is important.  However, when training young children, the general coaching basics are at least as important. If the “how” isn’t done well, the “what” won’t reach the players, no matter how good the technical content is.  For U6 - U10, the way how activities are delivered has often more impact than the activities themselves.

A few simple principles can make a huge difference for new coaches.  However, keep in mind that the theory is simple but for many new coaches putting this in practice is really difficult:

• Short instruction, fast play:   kids learn by doing, not listening

• One attention point at a time:   too much information gets lost

• Keep it simple:   simple rules, simple flows, simple games

• Give players time:   don’t rush corrections - let them explore and try

• Demonstrations are key:   show it rather than explain it

• Don’t change organisation too often:   keep formats stable so learning isn’t interrupted

• Use games instead of drills:   games is what rugby is about and are fun.  So instead of focusing on static drills - which might be necessary at some time - try to use as much games as possible

If your train-the-trainer session highlights these basics before or at least alongside the rugby elements (passing, movement, simple rules, etc.), new coaches will feel more confident and the kids will get much more out of every session.  

Further, I think that these basics are for many coacher harder to grasp than the rugby technical aspects as sometimes it requires a shift in mindset of how they are coached.

Pieter