With so much to cover when coaching young players, it can be a daunting task to know the basics... now there's help

Including More than 100 Drills and Games for Coaching All the Basics
From the desk of Dan Cottrell, a practising RFU Level 3 Coach, a Welsh Rugby Union Tutor, and Skills Coach for the Young Ospreys.

Dear Coach,

Anxious about coaching rugby to children? Maybe you're already coaching, but sometimes struggling to get your points across at training?

Perhaps you sometimes simply run out of preparation time? Possibly you're feeling your sessions are getting dull?

Do you want a few new skills to boost your player's skills now? Or to help your players develop the techniques for seasons ahead? Maybe even the core skills for their whole rugby playing career?

Here's the answer...

Coaching Rugby is my report created for new and aspiring coaches of junior players. It is designed to help you build your players' techniques, skills and understanding of the whole game from ages 8 to 16.

“The Coaching Rugby Manual goes beyond the standard qualifications to describe exactly what needs to be taught in practical terms. It emphasises not just the “how to manage a group of players”, but also “how to coach”, “what to coach”, and “what to observe and analyse” if players are not performing a skill to the correct “outcome”. It is an authoritative source, full of proven training techniques and coaching plans to lead new coaches through the minefield of their first coaching year.”

John Schropfer, Regional Community Manager for the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU)

  • Contains everything you'll need to do and say at training. Covers everything from health and safety, to long term athlete / player development (LTAD)
  • All the exercises and sessions you'll need for the year ahead. More than 100 training sessions, rugby games and developments to take you through the whole rugby coaching year… and for seasons to come
  • Ideal for beginners. Supports new and aspiring coaches, coaches working towards their level 1 courses and beyond, coaches covering unfamiliar areas, and more experienced coaches looking for a fresh approach
  • An unique resource for schools and clubs with junior players. Covers the key technical aspects of the players' long term development from ages 8 to 16
  • Provides a solid base for all the core skills your players will need throughout their rugby playing careers

“This resource is excellent. I'm sure that it would aid any new coach in the game.”

Warren Robilliard, Coach education Manager, Australian Rugby Union (ARU)

Divided into two parts, part one focuses on the basics of working with young players in a safe and rewarding environment.

Part two contains more than 100 training sessions, games and developments to coach and enhance all the basic skills of rugby union.


A sample page from the manual

The training sessions will take the players' initial skills to the next stages. The game situations and developments will then allow the coach to revisit the sessions and reinforce the skills a number of times during the season – and then for many seasons to come – whilst ensuring that training remains fresh and relevant.

It is, in fact, entirely possible for a coach to build a whole season's training around the sessions contained in Coaching Rugby.

"This Manual is a coaching one-stop-shop... Ideal for those who are looking to step across the touchline for the first time and who aspire to deliver meaningful coaching sessions without endless hours of research and preparation."

Nick Lambert, Coaching Co-ordinator for Ealing RFC Mini Rugby Section, England
 
"I wish this had been available when I started coaching, it would have made my life so much easier.

"I found this a truly comprehensive manual, different types of pass, tackles creating space, back plays, along with all the usual forward set pieces. The nice thing is there are also drills to make it more interesting, both for the coach and those being taught.

"I thoroughly recommend this to Level 1 coaches and even those going into Level 2."

Don Compton, Head Coach U12s, Blackheath FC, London, England

About me

So who am I, and why am I qualified to give you advice?

My name is Dan Cottrell. I've played and coached rugby for 30 years.
I know I can help you.

My love of the game started back in 1976, when I was nine years old. I developed eventually into a player for Bath and then Bristol, at divisional and county standard.

In my time I've been lucky enough to work with and learn from some of the greatest modern players and coaches.

At Bath, my influence was Jack Rowell, before he went on to manage England. I'm one of many followers of the hugely talented Brian Ashton, the current England coach. And I played under former England supremo, Andy Robinson when he was captain at Bath.

While at Bristol, I was taught to kick by Dave Alred, soon to earn fame as Jonny Wilkinson's kicking guru.

Today, I'm an RFU-qualified Level 3 coach, and a Welsh Rugby Union course leader. I live and breathe rugby every day as coach with the Ospreys Club in Swansea, South Wales. I'm the Skills Coach of the Young Ospreys, working closely with kids and young adults, developing these talented players into the stars of the future.

Until recently, as Head of Rugby at Cranleigh School in Surrey, England, I had responsibility for 16 school teams. And I'm still helping out with Under 12s, Under 10s and Under 8s.


Primarily written to support new coaches, coaches working on or towards their level 1 courses and beyond, and coaches who are covering unfamiliar areas, the Manual also provides an excellent resource and fund of ideas for more experienced coaches looking for a fresh approach to their regular sessions.

All coaches can use the Manual in conjunction with their own long term athlete / player development (LTAD) programme. Click here for details.

 

COACHING RUGBY CONTENTS

Part 1: Working with young players in a safe and rewarding environment

Coaching Rugby enables the coach to match the players by their age groups and LTAD stage with the sessions included, to construct an appropriate programme for the players and the team.

"I found the Manual very informative and easy to use. It contained drills and advice on areas of the game that I have been unable to find anywhere else. We used the drills for improving body angles at the ruck and saw a marked improvement in the boys."

Simon Jones, U11 Coach, Mumbles RFC, Wales

Part 2: More than 100 training sessions, game situations and developments to coach all players the basic skills of rugby union

Tackling: This chapter will show you how to coach both how to tackle and be tackled. The sessions will give you all the information and prompts you need to coach:


Handling: This chapter will show you how to coach passing and handling, as well as angles of running to create space. The sessions will give you all the information and prompts you need to coach:

  • Passing and catching
  • The lateral pass
  • The spin or "torpedo" pass
  • The switch pass
  • Passing under pressure
  • The clearance pass
  • Simple loops - click here to download
    a sample page
  • Passing to create space
  • Offloading in contact
  • Handling in a narrow space
  • Handling and communication
  • Picking up the ball
  • Try scorers

Footwork: This chapter will show you how to coach the use of footwork to beat defenders and avoid contact. The sessions will give you all the information and prompts you need to coach:

  • The swerve
  • The side step
  • Improving evasion skills
  • More advanced evasion skills

Kicking: This chapter will show you how to coach kicking, as well as charging down and catching kicks. The sessions will give you all the information and prompts you need to coach:

The ruck: This chapter will show you how to explain and coach the ruck. The sessions will give you all the information and prompts you need to coach:

  • Setting up and joining a ruck
  • Core ruck skills
  • Ruck attack
  • Ruck defence
  • Ruck scan

The maul: This chapter will show you how to explain and coach the maul. The sessions will give you the information and prompts you need to coach:
The scrum: This chapter will show you how to coach the scrum, from building simple three player units, to creating an eight player scrum. The sessions will give you all the information and prompts you need to coach:
  • Scrum basics
  • The three man scrum
  • The five man scrum
  • Building a full scrum
The lineout: This chapter will show you how to coach the lineout, involving jumping, lifting and throwing in. The sessions will give you all the information and prompts you need to coach:
  • Lineout jumping
  • Lineout lifting
  • Lineout throw in
  • Lineout catch and drive
Match tactics: This chapter will show you how to coach the basic tactics needed to win matches. The sessions will give you all the information and prompts you need to coach:
  • Attacking channels
  • Second phase ball
  • Converting opportunities

Dramatically improve your team's performance

The training sessions within Coaching Rugby are full of fresh new ideas for squads of any size. They are designed to help you engage with your players and develop their core rugby skills…

… the skills they will use throughout their playing “careers”, whether that's simply for the season ahead or through adulthood.

Each session has a clear objective and should take no more than 5 minutes to set up. This will leave you more time to practise with the players.

Every training session includes these crucial elements:

  • Clear and powerful objectives. At the beginning of the session, you can tell the players how to achieve these, or tease it out of them as the session goes on. At the end, return to these objectives to see if you've reached your goals.
  • Explanation of how the session will work. Depending on the aim of the session, you'll see the exercises or moves the players need to practise. You can try them in slow motion until you get the drill right. Then speed it up.

  • Answers to vital tactical questions. Every session will throw up questions like, “How do I develop this session?”… “How would I put this into a game situation?”… These are all answered for you. In fact each session will prepare you to use what you've learned in a full game.

  • What to call out and what to look for. Apart from the usual words of encouragement, it's good to shout key instructions to players. I'll tell you when, how and what to call out for maximum impact. You also need to keep your eyes open for mistakes. I'll help you identify quickly where players might go wrong so you can quickly put them right.

  • Game situations and developments. Most sessions include at least one game situation to help you hone your players' skills and techniques within a competitive, pressured atmosphere.

  • Ways to get good feedback. Each session gives you the chance to challenge your players and the game situation, either by using feedback or asking yourself the most vital questions.

Coaching Rugby is a whole year's worth of coaching in one handy guide:

  • Contains all the training sessions you need to develop your players' core skills today and for years to come.
  • Will help you overcome your anxieties about coaching children, and the systems and positions you never played yourself.
  • Includes clear instructions and objectives to make your coaching more definite and less ambiguous, whilst offering suggestions about how to involve your players.
  • Will make each coaching session fresh, effective and fun.
  • Will keep your preparation time for sessions to a minimum.

Which leaves you time to go out and enjoy the training session!

With best wishes

Yours in rugby

Dan Cottrell



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P.S. Remember, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. You are completely protected by my money back guarantee. This means if you are not satisfied with the Manual you can cancel your order within 30-days and claim all your money back.

 


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