Rugby Coach Weekly

Send us Fan MailWilbur Kraak, a senior lecturer and rugby researcher at Department of Sport Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, has recently published his findings on the effects of a skills specific coaching education programme on the skill level of mini-rugby players.Working with Jacques Basson, their conclusions shed further light on what good practice design looks like and what we should be encouraging coaches to focus on.In this podcast, I ask Wilbur aboutThe background to the researchHow they split the coaches and teams into a control group and experimental groupWhat skills were they measuring and how?How they upskilled the coaches of the experimental group and how they reacted to thisWhat skills programme did they follow and how would they improve on thatWhat is meant by the fundamentals in movement skills and game skills?Which skills really improved, more than expectedconfirm or change views on what practice design looks likeEffect of a skills specific coaching education programme on the skill level of mini-rugby players | Basson | South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation https://ajol.info/index.php/sajrs/article/view/191634To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

Send us Fan MailCraig Gunn and I tackle some of the more difficult parts of coaching, especially with younger players.First, we talk about how a coach can help a player who's frustrated that their team mates don't try hard in every training session. This often happens as players reach their teens.Second, Gunny has been inspired by his recent visit to St David's College, in Llandudno (wait for him to try to pronounce that!).We discuss how important it is to differentiate in training, what's practical to do and how you might do it with your team.As usual, Gunny provides us with a range of evidence-based solutions which he's either used or seen work in practice.For more on Gunny and the great work he does go to:craiggunn.orgOr visit him on Twitter@c_gunny73To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

Send us Fan MailAn insight into Wasps Ladies Director of Rugby, Giselle Mather’s coaching journey and her top tips and advice for coaching rugby.Giselle played for England, winning the 1994 World Cup. She then went onto coach England women's development teams, before working with London Irish Academy and Teddington mens, with great success.She is a trailblazer in women's coaching and the first holder of a Level 4 coaching badge.She talks aboutWhat she learned from the journeyHow she is herself and authentic is the way she deals with coachingHow she persuaded doubting men of her ability to coach"If you can it, you can be it""The revolution is on its way!"To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

Send us Fan MailJamie Taylor, former head of academy at Leicester Tigers and now working with English Institute of Sport, challenges us to be better as coaches.In this podcast, we discuss the following areas:How to manage the complexity of coaching Your coaching approach must suit the developmental needs of the playersHow former players can make great coachesDifferent language and outcomes for different playersWhat are the best ways we can intervene into coaching situationsThe importance of using delayed feedbackWhy "drills" (not his word!) can play an important role in skill developmentHow a tackle pad is still valid for contact work, but in the right contextHe challenges himself, says we need to challenge ourselves and always make coaching interventions for a specific reason, not just because we've seen someone else do it.To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

Send us Fan MailDale Sidebottom is a leading motivational instructor and coach educator who works across sport and business. He has inspired plenty of other coach educators to create better environments to maximise learning.In this bumper podcast he shares his methods and some of the best ways to make a real difference in coaching.How to make ice breakers really engageFirst steps to creating the right cultureHow do work with those who don't want to engageWhere we go wrong with games, and how to make them better Introductory level gamification - how to help the novice coach make sense of the powerTo find out more go tohttps://fitnessgameszone.comWhen you check out to get 50% off the membership use the code word ‘ENERGETIC’ https://energetic.educationhttps://www.jugar.lifeTo find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

Send us Fan MailSam Jarman works with coaches and athletes across a number of sports, including golf, rugby, football and cricket.In this deep-thinking, revealing and practical podcast, we discuss...How our thoughts create our experienceIs what happened in the past a reliable guide to the future?What to say (and not to say) to players before a big gameEvaluating the evidence around performance – Can a thought really affect the flight of the ball?Misconceptions around confidence Nerves; understanding where they come fromEvaluating and interpreting performanceSam Jarman golfSports PrinciplesTo find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

Send us Fan MailIn this hugely positive podcast, Jennifer Fraser PhD, discusses with me how we define bullying, what it looks like and how we can reduce the impact of bullies. She has spent many years researching this area, particularly the neuroscience around the relationship between coach/teacher and children.I was keen to know if, as coaches, we inadvertently bully our players. She was able to point to the research around how children react to pressure from coaches to perform. Crucially, we drew lines around what is acceptable and unacceptable. We talk about language, experiences, childrens' brains, positive steps and ways to deal with bullies.Jen is an author and educator. Her book, Teaching Bullies, is an alarming story of how the authorities didn’t deal effectively with bullying in a school environment.It is a call to action those who want to protect children from bullying especially when it's done by teachers and coaches.For more information, please visit her website:www.NeuroParadigm.comTo find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

Send us Fan MailBird Burgess, fresh from being appointed as the first woman on the WRU council, talks to former international team mate, Rachel Taylor. When this was recorded, both were still reeling from a famous victory for the mens' team against Australia in the World Cup that morning, but much of their focus is on the women's game."Tails" is also trailblazing in the coaching world, with WRU roles in age grade rugby, and more recently becoming the first woman to be a regional skills coach with the North Wales academy.She doesn't hold back as she discusses the reality of developing a culture with a team. She also gives a honest and open insight into the differences between the men’s and women’s approach to rugby.She talks about how spending time to get to know your players and finding out the ‘real' person behind the rugby player is an invaluable coaching tool.Her motto: Every day is a school day!To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

Send us Fan MailKeri Lovell, a WRU hub officer, head coach with Vale U15s in the Dewar Shield and working across local schools, describes how he changed his approach to coaching.He tells us how he made a big adjustment after chatting to Russell Earnshaw, and discovered how much more comfortable he could be dealing with the balance between winning and performance.In the podcast we find out:How he connects with playersWhat he does to give them more confidenceHow he adjusts games in training to develop playersWhat he has changed, and continues to changeThe importance of mentorsCreating excitement around the game and improvementsTo find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

Send us Fan MailKatleho Lynch is a South Africa U17s elite development coach. His passionate about defence training U18s teams at schools, plus working with provinces, clubs and universities.He has learned his trade from all parts of the rugby world and brings his energy and purpose into his sessions.In this podcast, he outlines:The key techniques he looks forHow he builds techniques into skillsWays in which you can make tackling more gamelikeHow he drives his players to higher standardsWhat systems suit what situationsTo find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach WeeklyTo find out more about our Partner Club offerCLICK HEREAlso, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!