Welcome to Rugby Coaching Notes!
This website is about the mechanics and methods of coaching rugby union and the approach I've taken is to concentrate on the "whys" of rugby playing and coaching -- why things happen, and and what we as coaches and players can do to make the good things happen more often and how to avoid the rest. It also deals with how the game is played, of course, but in a general way rather than in exhaustive detail.
Introducing:
Six comprehensive downloads - "The Lineout," "Kicking" and "Ball in Hand" are available NOW
- covering the Fundamentals of Rugby Union based on my popular GRASSROOTS RUGBY CD but completely re-written and up-dated to include the proposed Experimental Law Variations in effect since August 2008.
The remaining three downloads will be available within in the next few months! Each Download is priced at € 2.49 - a lot less than the price of a pint!
THE COMMANDMENTS
1. TICKER is the most potent quality a team can possess. Helping to build the team's TICKER is everybody's business, every day.
2. Your first task on the pitch is always SUPPORT.
3. Move FORWARD.
4. Challenge your team-mates to TAKE THE BALL AT PACE.
5. POSSESSION is paramount. Guard it wholeheartedly and use it wisely.
Don't drop the ball -- or throw or kick it away, either!
6. Boost your AWARENESS in matches AND at practice. You can't make good decisions unless you look and analyse!
7. It's NEVER over till it's OVER! Take the field committed to play full out for 90 minutes.
A few other announcements:
Great news! Because we've recently reached our preliminary sales target for
GRASSROOTS RUGBY
we can now offer the CD for the unbeatable price of £9.95 or $19.50 which is, close as dammit, a 50% reduction!
Please note that this price still includes delivery costs WORLDWIDE.
A new drill for backs has been added. I'd previously added some Pick and Go drills to the the Drills page and have begun a general expansion of this page. See
Backs drills
Rugby Coaching Notes has been an ad-free zone for more than ten years but I've decided that it's time to try to make some money from it. To do this I've set up affiliate relationships with some quality merchants - you'll see their links on the right. If you're contemplating buying rugby gear please use them. For my part, I undertake to upgrade the site regularly and, hopefully, become even more relevant to your rugby experience. I have quite a few ideas for improvements and expansions - watch this space!
The website has been in existance for more than nine years and has evolved and developed over this time. Part of its original content has been re-written, expanded and amplified and is now presented in my rugby coaching CD
"GRASSROOTS RUGBY - playing and coaching rugby union in the minor leagues." This CD was written for schools, junior and minor league teams that don't usually have the benefit of regular coaching and it contains vital information on the seven key phases of play that a team must master to be able to progress.
In fact, the website is still evolving as the game changes and as its readers make suggestions and ask questions. I always welcome your input so please send me your questions, comments, suggestions or criticisms
Perhaps you're wondering who I am and why I think that I can help with rugby coaching and playing?
My name is Alan Hutchinson and I had a pretty humdrum but vastly enjoyable rugby playing career - grammar school, university minor teams, a little provincial representative rugby and then twenty years or so when rugby never entered my mind.
One caveat: I usually don't much give a damn for Political Correctness
but it is very important to me that female players and coaches are treated
with the respect they absolutely deserve. Hence, may I just
ask them to excuse the fact that this page might seem to be directed exclusively to men? Irrespective of the 'he's' and 'him's', it isn't!
Coming back to rugby I got involved with a local club and ended up 'coaching' one of the minor league teams. As luck would have it my team went to the playoffs - nothing to do with me, I have to admit, I just did my best to provide a little organisation on the field. As a result, however, I spent a few years trying to coach until it finally dawned on me that I actually knew very little about rugby or about coaching and that my choice was to either learn something or hang up the boots for good. So I moved to a place where rugby is a religion, landed a minor coaching job and started taking things seriously - even to the extent of making notes! The rest, as they say is history. The notes turned into Rugby Coaching Notes and then
GRASSROOTS RUGBY and I coached and guru'd at senior club level. I know a bit more about rugby now and having made most of the coaching mistakes possible a bit about coaching too. Hopefully, some of what I know is to be found on this website.
By the way, if you need a more comprehensive rugby manual I still recommend "Total Rugby" by Jim Greenwood (4th edition) even though it would benefit from a re-write. Having said that his sections on the scrum and back play are indispensible.
RUGBY COACHING NOTES Copyright © Alan Hutchinson 2009
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