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Here are three versions of popular training games to help your players develop their creativity, awareness, resilience, decision making and self-organisation. In other words, the RFU coaching development core messages.
To run the games, quickly explain the set-up of the game and then let the players layout the pitch. This promotes a certain amount of buy-in, whilst you will be directing them. For example, I show them a layout on a piece of paper, and they interpret it.
In the future, they can lay it out for themselves.
I will let the game run, with my only role as the referee. I won’t shout any praise. The noise has to come from them.
Finally, I will give them short “tictacs” bursts. Tictacs is a reverse of tactics. It’s tactics that they come up with, not mine. However, these bursts are on a very strict time limit. I will count down from 15. This energises the players to get into a discussion quickly. They may also start to do this in-game too.
Each game has a quest. It’s an adventure with lots of possible ways to win. You let the players find out themselves which way to complete the quest.
Challenge the players to find their own solutions. Give them space to make mistakes by standing back from the games. Each quest has risks and rewards from decisions. Use these games as a basis to create your own quests for the players.
Note the rules are few. Get into the game as quickly as possible. If there is a question over a rule, make a quick decision, or even better ask the players to decide.
Any area.
Four “goals” – which are 2m circles about 10-15m away from each other.
Any
One safe zone circle of about 7m diameter.
One try line circle about 30m diameter.
Any
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