I have just finished a rugby coaching course organised by the RFU. I've found it quite refreshing to be at the receiving end of some tuition for a change and to reflect on the philosophy that the RFU embed in their programme.
The player is placed at the centre of coaching. This might seem obvious but it isn't. It is too easy to coach by rote: this week we are doing handling, next week is contact, the week after is kicking, etc. For some players and teams that might be fine, for others it won't be. So, it is always the player's needs that should be considered when planning a coaching session. All players should gain from every session although some players may benefit from a session more than others, depending on their starting points.
There is an emphasis on coaching people through rugby and not simply coaching people to play rugby, which is a really enlightened approach. We were made aware that most of the barriers to player's improvement are due to social, personal and emotional issues but rarely due to any rugby related skills or talent. The RFU encourages coaches to actively nurture these aspects of players in their sessions. This should not only make them better rugby players, but in some sense, better people. They acknowledge that only a tiny percentage of players will 'make it' but that it is important to encourage all players to stay in the game as long as possible whether as players or in other roles. There is certainly no elitist agenda at work. I have to say that this emphasis on nurturing the individual can be lost in British schools today; I have never heard anyone advocate nurturing people through English, or Maths, or Geography, or...
Players should be encouraged to solve their own problems and create their own solutions which will give them greater confidence, more ownership and give them a greater understanding of the game. The days when the coach is the seat of all wisdom and the players are his minions should be over.
Most coaching should take place in a game environment - but not full contact 15 man rugby. The games should be devised to bring out the skill or tactic that is the objective of the session. The game environment will encourage creativity as players will have to solve problems as they arise in the game situation.
To sum all of this up, coaches are encouraged to coach less but to get more from the players who are the focus of the process. Coaches are expected to create an environment where players can grow as individuals through playing rugby. All players are valued no matter what their ability but the coach should enable all players to improve from their own starting points.
As a set of principles, I think that these are just as applicable in the classroom as they are on the training pitch. Learners should be at the centre of their learning and they should all be able to make progress. I want my learners to solve their own problems and to create their own solutions. I really want to concentrate on developing people through my subject rather than simply getting the best exam results out of them that I can - and they are really not the same thing at all. If I can do this, then the course will have been worth it - and I might be a better rugby coach too!
The player is placed at the centre of coaching. This might seem obvious but it isn't. It is too easy to coach by rote: this week we are doing handling, next week is contact, the week after is kicking, etc. For some players and teams that might be fine, for others it won't be. So, it is always the player's needs that should be considered when planning a coaching session. All players should gain from every session although some players may benefit from a session more than others, depending on their starting points.
There is an emphasis on coaching people through rugby and not simply coaching people to play rugby, which is a really enlightened approach. We were made aware that most of the barriers to player's improvement are due to social, personal and emotional issues but rarely due to any rugby related skills or talent. The RFU encourages coaches to actively nurture these aspects of players in their sessions. This should not only make them better rugby players, but in some sense, better people. They acknowledge that only a tiny percentage of players will 'make it' but that it is important to encourage all players to stay in the game as long as possible whether as players or in other roles. There is certainly no elitist agenda at work. I have to say that this emphasis on nurturing the individual can be lost in British schools today; I have never heard anyone advocate nurturing people through English, or Maths, or Geography, or...
Players should be encouraged to solve their own problems and create their own solutions which will give them greater confidence, more ownership and give them a greater understanding of the game. The days when the coach is the seat of all wisdom and the players are his minions should be over.
Most coaching should take place in a game environment - but not full contact 15 man rugby. The games should be devised to bring out the skill or tactic that is the objective of the session. The game environment will encourage creativity as players will have to solve problems as they arise in the game situation.
To sum all of this up, coaches are encouraged to coach less but to get more from the players who are the focus of the process. Coaches are expected to create an environment where players can grow as individuals through playing rugby. All players are valued no matter what their ability but the coach should enable all players to improve from their own starting points.
As a set of principles, I think that these are just as applicable in the classroom as they are on the training pitch. Learners should be at the centre of their learning and they should all be able to make progress. I want my learners to solve their own problems and to create their own solutions. I really want to concentrate on developing people through my subject rather than simply getting the best exam results out of them that I can - and they are really not the same thing at all. If I can do this, then the course will have been worth it - and I might be a better rugby coach too!
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