CRFU Coach Developer Nathan Brown offers some tips

This season CRFU Coach Developer Nathan Brown has kindly offered support and advice to our nine marvellous student coaches. 

Given that he has experience with young coaches in a range of contexts, we asked Nathan to package together some advice for next year's senior students who will help coach some of our junior teams. Here are the ten tips he came up with.

1.) Use a whistle

Human nature sees us respond immediately to the sound of a whistle. It's far more effective to blow a whistle to get attention and reset the flow of the session than to just shouting something out.

2.) Look the part

Coach the boys dressed as a coach. It's part of the deal to turn up looking as though you have changed into sports gear specific to being their coach. 

3.) Be prepared

Even younger players will sense coaches who are flying by the seat of their pants. Turn up with a clear plan and explain that content to them and why it's important. If you do so, it's much more likely that they will remain fully engaged for the whole session. 

4.) Set the tone early

Coaches need to be "firm, friendly and fair", but getting the "firm" part right early is really important in terms of having the boys understand who's in charge and respect your right to control the practice. Don't allow them to use bad language. If you allow disrespectful behaviour to creep in, it's difficult to turn it around after the horse has bolted. Being "firm, friendly and fair" is really important. 

5.) Coaching means giving feedback

Remember that within a practice you need to skilfully give constructive feedback to individuals in order to help them get better. And of course don't just point out their errors, highlight their well-executed skills or play. Also, don't think that just playing a game or doing a team-run replaces the need to coach them. Within those activities, coaching means you giving specific advice to help a boy improve. 

6.) Support the other coach

When your co-coach is running an activity don't just stand back and observe, get involved and reinforce his stated message. It's good for everyone when the coaches are clearly singing from the same song sheet. Clarify what the key things to say to the boys will be and say those things when appropriate. Things like: "Great follow through Johnnie!", "Hold you depth a bit more Andy!", "Really good early catch Cam!"  Your feedback should be specific, rather than things like: "Good pass John!" "Nice carry Ollie!"  

7.) The Basics

At junior school level real emphasis should be put on the basics of run/catch/pass, ball-into-contact, and tackle-basics. If you get this part of the equation right, results will come. Be "process-focussed" rather than "results-focussed". 

8.) The Squad

There are likely to be between 22 and 25 boys in your squad. Coach them all. Don't establish a "starting team and the others." This is the "fair" part of "firm, friendly and fair". 

9.) Sideline 

The coaches' behaviour on the sideline will be reflected by the players on and off the field. 

10.) Questioning

Use questions to guide the players towards confirmation of key points rather than just telling them. Making them think is an important part of the coaching process. 

We really appreciate Nathan's support of our 2020 student coaches and wish him well on his coaching journey in future.