Whether you won or lost this weekend, I expect you are thinking “there’s still so much to do”. No matter if you are just starting the season or mid-season, it always seems to be the case.
Here is the good news: all the other teams are in the same predicament.
The way forward? Balance your current needs with your future requirements. The current need is for instant improvements. This is important for both your side and for you. Your players want to see themselves as better players, and feel they are making progress.
What gives you this sort of instant success? Fitness is always a winner, as is building on your strengths. Both make sense. Fitter players, executing good skills better, will demonstrate improvement.
But you also have to consider building a team for the future – and developing tactics and techniques, which takes time. In which case you say the following to your team: “We need to improve our [INSERT HERE YOUR TECHNICAL/TACTICAL WEAKNESS], and will implement a plan to have to be better in [INSERT NUMBER] weeks’ time”.
Every week, you can build up the sophistication of that tactic and technique. Small doses, layer on layer of learning and testing. I did this twice in detail recently – once with a defensive system and once with our contact area.
For example, we had no proper ruck chain (a defensive system around the ruck) which could pressure the opposition on slow ball. I told them it would take time, and we built it up in stages. We spent ten to fifteen minutes each week – first on getting players into position, then on moving forward, then on arriving from different situations.
It worked in its full form after six weeks, the time when I said we would judge our progress. Patience paid off for developing higher order skills.
Fast line speed around the breakdown is crucial when trying to shut down an attack. Use this defensive activity to get organised quickly and put the opposition carriers under pressure. MORE
This session works on balance and reaction. Players enjoy the challenge of moving backward before racing forward with the ball or to tackle. There are lots of chances to use good communication and teamwork. MORE
Last week, I accidentally did something good. And then I realised that I should have been doing it from the start. I had set up an exercise which was based on an activity my son had suggested. I was so concerned with making the activity work, I became overly focused on one aspect. By the... MORE
Play games where there are 360 goal lines or multiple angles to score from, so every player in attack and defence has to be moving and communicating off-the-ball to help score or prevent scores. MORE
Shuffling and cross-over steps are essential skills for a defender to react to a change of direction of an attacker. Work on these in the development of your players’ tackling progression. MORE
Use this game-skill-game approach to develop your players tackling skills and game awareness of how to complete the tackle. It focuses on footwork and shoulder contact. MORE
Tackling in pairs helps players work together to bring down the ball carrier, and gives weaker players the confidence to make a contribution in the tackle. MORE
Develop attacking skills in a narrow channel with multiple scenarios created by random interventions of support players and defenders. This exercise allows for plenty of invention, creativity and thoughtful defence. MORE
Complete the tackle by getting back into position to challenge for the ball, but under pressure. Know the tackle rights but also what the referee looks for. The tackler can’t enter the tackle contest from any angle. They must come through the “gate”, just any other player. They can also easily be penalised if they goes... MORE
Help the second defender at the tackle situation choose whether to make a difference at the tackle or leave it alone to be ready for the next tackle. Defenders need to trust their team mates to make a tackle. They should only step in if they feel the tackler is beaten or they can create... MORE
