The Ideal Training Template (Coach)

If you are like me then you have been privy to some pretty mundane training sessions that really lacked any point, focus, intent, direction or purpose. If you are suffering from this seemingly unavoidable situation then read on becasue I want to share with you a template I use for keeping things...shall we say...honest on the training pitch.

As a coach you will find that alot of baggage follows the amateur rugby player...work..family...realtionnsips...kids...traffic jams..so how do you get that out of their heads..quickly allowing you to get the most of out of THEM?

The onus lies on your firstly. If you have a start, middle and end of the session then invaraibly it is easy. Soem days I have winged it but the bottom line is that I know what I wanted from a conditioning session. I know where I wanted to start and where the boys or girls should be ending up...on their knees..feeling great...lifted..mentally broken. You have to make that decision.

1) Laps of a Field

Before you click your back button..hear this out. This is NOT a way of getting your player's fit. Merely a way of getting hte shite out of your player's heads. Two laps of the field. I make it clear that they need to get whatever baggage they have out of thier heads. when they get back the business starts. It also allows for the latecomers and there are always one or two.


2) Dynamic and Shock Warm up

I allow 15-20 minutes for a dynamic warm up involving moving stretches and some shock tactics. Shock tactics can involved commando crawls the length of a field, bear crawls the lenght of a field, wheelbarrow races, fireman carries, wrestling drills. No weight needed just each other and alot of toughness. Again the art of coaching comes in when to deliver the handgrenade. (thanks to strength and conditioning coach, Phil Richards for this)

3) Drills

It is best to work into stations with the same drill performed for 10-15 minutes. I think it is important to never aim for pefection - just a standard that allows for constant engagement and focus. The players need to knwo that they will be working for a set period of time. If things drag out so does the standard. You could work on handling, rucking height - whatever - this is the skills element.

5 minute rest

4) Conditioning

This is then the fun starts. Tyre flipping races, more commando crawls, phosphates, spider tests. I think it is important to always make this competitive. The losers loses and loses hard. If people are not working hard then never punish the individual - punish the group. Let the group sort it out amongst themselves.

5 minute rest

5) Move back to another station of drills

Move back in your groups to the drills. It could be another 10 minute block focusing on another area of the game.

5 minute rest

6) Move back to conditioning

Move back into another 10 minutes of conditioning. Mix up your drills. Keep the stimuation high.

5 minute rest

Depending on time you could finish with a small sided game. However, my focus normally with this type of training is that this is all out conditioning (balls-to-the-wall-stuff) and should be emphasised that way.

It works well. It keeps the stimuation high and the output high too and that my friends is the key. Afterall if you can make training harder than the game then more often that not, the players will be chomping at the leash to get stuck in on Saturday.

Training this week...

Well done to Jim Jam who cranked out a 170 box squat!

This was him straining all 5ft 1 of him for a 140kg. Just a few technical adjustments (not many though) and he worked his way up. This is great for him. If there was an award for consistency then this little hooker wins them all. He works hard. Really hard.

May has been a write off for me in terms of sustained focus. June will be the month of easy back in and preparing for a new season. I will post my training schedule up shortly.

I also had a great session with another client there yesterday morning. We focused on upper body strength and worked up to a 3RM in the Bench.

A) Bench Press 8 sets up to 3RM

some assistance work with a weighted press up for 4 sets of 8 reps and a single arm row for the same. As with all training sessions you can see how complicated it is :). No there are no trap 3 raises or incline DB presses at 30 degrees washed down with some 'erb. These guys just want to get strong and have lives.

Just some Random Thoughts Friday

I am off back to the UK this weekend although it is not after nursing more aggravating injuries. we are coming to the end of the season now and the tension is hotting up in the camp.

A spate of last minute losses have won us some hard fought bonus points to keep us clear of the drop zone but we are still 'in-it' so-to-speak.

Our training this year has been great. Training with purpose and structure. It has given us the chance to fight hard to the end. But the onus now lies not with the coaching team but with the players.

We need to toughen up - mentally. This was laid out very clearly by our head coach last night.

How? With a dose of honesty and focusing on indivdual jobs on the field. Yes - perfection is nice to aim for. But what happens when you don't reach it? You often find excellence. I will take that any day! So remaining positive with this mind-set will be enough to find the extra 10 per cent needed for a win.

It is funny how one comment can 'snowball' on the field into the house of cards falling down. But that is the truth.

I for one can't wait for next weekend when we travel to Cork. It is going to be a fast, tough and physical encounter.

In the meantime I am off for some traction after pulling up short with a neck strain, then it is off to the pool after a field session with a client.

Have a great weekend - come on the Paddys!

Frighten Your Team

It has been a while since my last post - I was away last week spending some time with the mad welshman, Phil Richards.

after nearly seeing my breakfast after his 'tunnel of love' drill i can firmly say the man is a genius in getting the most out of a team and pushing you to your limits with 'head wrecking' drills.

What it did bring home though is that to build a winning mentality requires more than hard work.

Ocassionally you HAVE to scare your team with the ferociousness of training. That way they will look forward to match day knowing that they have 'one in the bag' from Tues or Monday or whenever you train.

so don't be scared of unleashing a hellish session on our troops. The key and art is to know when and how far. Couple this with optimum recovery and nutrition and there will be no stopping you.

one drill involved a leopard crawl the length of the field..... as a warm up. Try it. You may just find out what your team are made up of.

John

Dynamic Rugby Fitness

One of the ways in which you can boost your rugby fitness is to use small sided games within your training sessions.

Do not underestimate the benefits of these:

1) They are small so there is no hiding! (tried to go for laps of a pitch and stop the slackers at the back from staying there?)
2) They are fun and mask the pain element :)
3) Thet allow the coach to see specific weaknesses as they happen
4) They put the player under more pressure which will allow them to express their skill base

Try this:

1) Warm up
2) Touch Rugby
3) Rugby League
4) Rugby 7s
5) Cool Down

Want more small sided games for your session then make sure you download my free report at www.rugbyfitnesscoach.com

Alternatively check out Get Fit for Rugby - this has it all laid out including out to turbo charge your team's fitness with a progressive D.I.Y programme for you to implement.

How about this for a warming email:

"By knowing the true definition of endurance, the requirements, the right using of tool in the gym, has stretch my eye to know what to do personally as a rugby player during training, importantly to be the best on the field. My endurance fitness now is far better than my pre-session before.

Once again big thanks to you John for the programme and God Bless"
Setareki Ratatagia.
Fiji Islands.

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