Primary Game

1. Primary Game Rugby Football League

2. 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?

3. Primary Game Resource

4. What Demotivates Young Players? Coaches Responsibility Club Environment Not welcoming Has established cliques No social activities Facilities • 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

5. 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

6. How can you make your sessions more motivating?

7. 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

8. 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

9. Coaching How would my players describe my coaching… …“Coaches strive to improve players performance, confidence and character”

10. Rules of The Game

11. 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

12. 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?

13. Developing Players Observe Core Skill Hot Spot on resource Observe Skills Awards on resource

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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. DVD Observe clips and refer to questions on Hand out # 4

20. Coaching Environment Mixing Desk • Enjoyable Environment • Well Planned and Organised Session • Appropriate Challenge for Players • Constructive Feedback • Motivated Players

21. Q. How do we Create & Retain it? Q. What does it look like? Positive Game Day Experience

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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?

25. 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

26. 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.

27. So What? Q. What have you learnt from today’s workshop? Q. What TWO things will you apply to your coaching?

28. Thank you for your attendance