Primary Game

Rugby Football League

1

Workshop Overview

• Primary Game Resource

• What motivates young players.

• Getting your team ready

• Core Skills, Skills Awards and Game Sense.

• Communicating with players and parents.

• What next?

2

Primary Game Resource

3

What Demotivates Young Players?

Coaches Responsibility

• Lack of variety at training• Activity too hard/too easy• Coach is scary (angry and

aggressive)• Too much chat• Coach has favourites (gives more

playing time, used to demo)• No praise or encouragement• Coach not sure of what he/she is

doing

Club Environment

• Not welcoming• Has established cliques• No social activities• Facilities

4

What Motivates Young Players?

• Fun and enjoyment• Appropriate challenges• Praise• Success• Rapport with coaches and fellow players• Lots of activity/games-not all chat!!!• Awards and rewards-Skills Awards• Feeling ‘caypable’ to undertake tasks

5

How can you make your sessions more motivating?

6

Motivating Sessions

• Varied• Appropriately Challenging• Can achieve levels of success• High activity levels• Game relevant• Time to play and practice• Space to learn from mistakes

7

Motivating Sessions

Beginners

•Demonstrations are vital

•Praising effort encourages players to continue to practice

Intermediate

•Use questions to encourage self analysis and technical and tactical awareness

•Balance questioning and giving positive and corrective feedback

8

Coaching

How would my players describe my coaching…

…“Coaches strive to improve players performance, confidence and character”

9

Rules of The GameAge Mini U7/8/9s

(Yrs 2/3/4)Mod U10s (Yr 5)

Mod Trans U11s (Yr 6)

No In Team Max 9 Max 11 Max 13 Min 11

Time Of Half 2 x 15min (Festival variance)

20 Min 5Min Break 20 Min 5Min Break

Size Ball 3 4 4

Scrum No Min 5 Player-Passive Max 6-Min 5-Passive

Size of Pitch 60 x 40 Max –50 x 30 Min

80 x 50 Max -60 x 40 Min

Full Size-Less than 13-Use Mod Pitch

Retire Distance 5m 8m (1 Marker) 10m (1 marker)

Kicking Allowed Conversion Only Re-starts each half, Conversions, kicks in general play

Re-starts each half, Conversions, kicks in general play

Technical Area Yes- 1 x 5 m Yes 10 x 5 m Yes 10 xm5 m

10

What is Success for You?

• Look at the continuum and identify what areas are important to you as a coach

• Winning• Player development• Development of young person

11

Team Ready

Q. How do you know what your players will be like in 5 years time?

Q. Have you the confidence to enable players to experience different positions?

12

Developing Players

• Observe Core Skill Hot Spot on resource

• Observe Skills Awards on resource

13

14

15

Skill or Technique?• Skill - The ability to select the appropriate technique at the

right time in the right environment

• Technique - the ability to replicate a given task on demand

Example; Passing lines unopposed is Technique, passing in a game involving decision making i.e. timing of pass, selection of pass execution of

pass becomes a skill

Games

• Starting point

• What is the skill you are trying to develop

• Create a reward within the rules for performing the skill

• Have clear rules that are consistently applied

• If working as a coaching team, one to referee and one to coach and positively reinforce and praise effort and performance

• You can have a group out watching, thinking about what they will do and observing the other team before rotating in

• Coach should have the confidence to enable the games to flow so that players make decisions and mistakes and have time to solve them themselves and intervene with reinforcement and advice when necessary

16

So Why Game Sense?• Emphasis on player thinking and decision making

• Coach as a facilitator, and creator of scenarios and problem situations

• Skills learned through this form of coaching delivery are more likely to be applied in a game/competition

• Players who do not respond positively to an authoritarian style respond very positively

• Players solve game problems by playing enjoyable games, practising skill in an enjoyable environment

• Change the context of the game i.e. manipulate defence to challenge decision making of attackers

17

5 Benefits of Game Sense Coaching

• Players enjoy games • Players learn better when playing games.• Better for reading the game and decision making • Right skill at the right time• Better long term learning

18

DVD

Observe clips and refer to questions on Hand out # 4

19

Coaching Environment Mixing Desk

• Enjoyable Environment

• Well Planned and Organised Session

• Appropriate Challenge for Players

• Constructive Feedback

• Motivated Players

20

Positive Game Day Experience

Q. How do we Create & Retain it?

Q. What does it look like?

21

How do we Create & Retain it?• Pre-season meeting with parents/guardians (led by appropriate

person)

• Players development and enjoyment is key

• Coaches will adopt a developmental approach-

• allowing players to get fair game time

• enhancing their development by playing in different positions at training and games

• Ask parents/guardians to volunteer for Touch Line Managers roles

• Inappropriate behaviour must be challenged

• Match days will be evaluated to ensure that standards are maintained

• Remember RESPECT Campaign

22

What does it look like?

• Meet and greet opposition• Supportive parents/guardians showing sporting behaviour• Respecting opposition and Match Officials• Clearly marked out areas on and off the field• Coaches showing good behaviours such as

praise/encouragement/sportsmanship/respect to all players, Match Officials, opposition coaches

• Coaches to display a developmental approach by allowing fair game time to players

23

Communicating with Parents & Guardians

• What do you currently do to communicate with parents?

• What could you/ the club do?

• What advice would you give to parents to appropriately

support their child?

24

Advice to Parents and Guardians• Don’t Coach (encourage your child to have fun and do their

best)• Support and encourage your child • Support and encourage all players on both teams• Behave Appropriately (be encouraging to all and praise fair

play and effort)• Consult the Coach (Be confident to ask the coach if you are

not sure)• Reality Check (think from a players perspective, not yours)• Look at the RESPECT campaign and adhere to the messages

25

Workshop Overview

• Primary Game Resource

• What motivates young players.

• Core Skills, Skills Awards and Game Sense.

• Getting your team ready

• Communicating with players and parents.

26

So What?

Q. What have you learnt from today’s

workshop?

Q. What TWO things will you apply to your

coaching?

27

Thank you for your attendance

28