USA

Not so long ago having arrived early for rugby practice at a local sports venue, I decided to watch some youth football training. I’m unsure how old the kids were practicing that night but they were probably no older than 13.

I walked over to the field and observed “coach” barking orders at kids during a tackling drill – an essential part of football and definitely something that should be practised. But to hear coaches shouting at a kid “are you gonna hit someone? Are you gonna smash someone? Hurt them!” and to hear the kids shouting back in almost military fashion “YES coach” was a little surprising to me and I really wondered whether these kids were having fun? Were they enjoying being thrown in to a gladiatorial arena, either praised or as it was for the most part berated and belittled in front of the rest of the group? Students should receive positive encouragement and if they have to be corrected it should be done in a constructive and positive manner.

Were the students that night playing the sport for fun, through fear, or in the hope  of achieving a high school scholarship as the first step to making the NFL? Whatever their motives this isn’t a bash against Football, rather an observation of coaching style.

Surely, one of the main objectives when we coach should be to make learning FUN. At Play Rugby USA we truly believe that the more fun a student has during a session the more likely they are to learn and develop. We also find the attitude an attentiveness of the students during sessions involving lots of games is far better than in sessions that are purely drill based – because playing games is FUN! Of course, this is not rocket science but it is worth thinking about the games you enjoy playing and coaching to put things in context.

We have all likely heard of “Game Sense”. It is after all the underlying theme of USA Rugby’s Coach Development Program. However, mastering the techniques and skills to deliver an effective Game Sense session may take years of practice. So, here are a few basic starting points for running a fun coaching session:

1.Have a plan. Pick a theme and objective for your session and a few games to compliment it.
2.Set the tone. Briefly communicate your objectives, including any safety considerations. This should help facilitate a fun, safe learning environment.
3.Get ‘em going. Pick a fun, simple warm up game. Keep the rules basic at this stage. Keep away and tagging games often work well for this.
4.Move on.  Kids have short attention spans. Seek their feedback to modify games around the theme and objectives. Changing things up every few minutes.
5.Facilitate success. Especially early on in the session. For example creating a larger offensive team in a group passing game may encourage more successful passes to be executed.
6.Don’t be afraid of competition. Just keep it positive and constructive around your theme and objectives.

This is not meant to be the coaching gospel. There’s clearly a lot more to effective coaching than creating a fun environment. It’s also not based upon years of research. It is however derived empirically from what we have observed and learnt along the way out in the trenches – the gyms and yards of New York City, and maybe for some of you new to coaching, it helps?

What works for you? How do you keep your players engaged? Whatever your thoughts, have fun out there!

There is a discussion forum on the PlayRugbyClub dedicated to the talk of best practice and coaching methods where educators, coaches and players can share fun games, activities and drills. It’s free to join and has a large selection of resources for coaches and players alike.