Does winning Matter?

admin    Free, General     coach, development, enjoyment, fun, learning, losing, preassure, skill, Tackle, try, Winning

Kids having fun playing Rugby League

When I started coaching I was 25 and started with a team at under 10s, everything that I did was about winning the game the following week. If that meant changing positions to put my biggest lad against the oppositions smallest then I would or if we could just barge through them up the middle then that became the game plan but the outlook was very short term, sure at under 10s and 11s we where winning games but does that really matter?

All those years ago I would have argued with anyone until I was blue in the face that winning mattered to both the kids and the parents and no one could have swayed me otherwise however over the last 5 years that outlook and those views have spun 360 degrees and as I prepare to take on my next team at under 10s I really couldn’t care if they don’t win another game for the next 3 years, let me try and explain why.

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Straights and Diagonals

admin    Free, Handling     Catching, Coaching, drill, Handling, League, Passing, Rugby

INTRODUCTION

This is a basic Rugby League handling drill which allows the coach to look at things like passing, catching, communication, running and passing in front of the man.

Dummy Runner or Option Runner

admin    Free     attack, Coaching, Communication, Decision Making, Defense, dummy, games, Handling, kicking, League, option, Rugby, runner, support

When I started coaching I got into the habit of asking players to be a ‘Dummy Runner’ in certain situations and very quickly they became used to being that ‘Dummy Runner’ which created problems further down the line. As the team progressed we then started getting the half backs taking on the line and picking the correct option which then caused a problem with our Dummy Runners.

What had happened is that the players had got used to running the lines but didn’t expect the ball but the halfs where giving them the ball because they where actually the correct option as they had a gap infront of them. Argutments ensued and the whole issue had to be addressed and thats when I realised a mistake had been made that slowed down our progress.

As an example take a look at the X Ball Video

This video is a basic introduction to the X Ball which introduces the players to the lines of runnall ing but we dont talk about running the X at the line and picking the correct option.

The X ball simply sees the widest runner go straight and then run across the front of the inside man who runs a line behind him. When I first started teaching this move I taught it that the Front runner was a dummy runner who never got the ball when  in reality as you see by the second part of the video the front runner should be an option.

The reason is simply that you never know where the defenders are going to go and they could spot the man going behind and all slide towards him leaving the front man going through a hole, simply you then want your half back to hit that runner and put him through the hole.

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