What do players want from your sessions?

When designing drills and practices, it is important to have one thing at the forefront of your mind – what do players want from your sessions?

Understanding the motivations of young players will allow you to keep them engaged,  breed confidence and accelerate their development.

Here are the five key key factors in designing effective and enjoyable sessions...

The core: players want to play

At the heart of any rugby session is one simple desire: players want to play rugby.

While fun drills and exercises can be helpful, overcomplicating sessions with non-rugby elements risks diluting the core experience. 

Remember that players, particularly at older age groups, attend sessions primarily for rugby itself. For younger children, social interaction and exercise might be part of the motivation, but, as they mature, their focus shifts to improving their rugby skills.

For example, by the time players are 11 or 12 years old, they expect rugby to be the dominant activity at training.

It is critical to strike a balance between fostering fundamental movement skills and maintaining the rugby-specific focus. 

While there is value in building agility and other athletic abilities, these should not overshadow rugby itself.

Three key takeaways

• Players come to rugby sessions to play rugby.
• Fun activities are important, but should always lead back to rugby.
• Balance rugby skills with physical and social development.
  
  

The role of fun in learning rugby

Fun is central to effective rugby coaching, especially for younger age groups.

Seven- and eight-year-olds are egocentric, meaning they want the ball and also want to run with it. Drills designed around sharing, or strategic play, might not resonate with them in the same way as older players. 

Fun, engaging activities, that still develop rugby-specific skills, should be the cornerstone of any session for this age group.

Small-sided games, for example, allow children to engage in enjoyable, competitive play, while still learning the fundamentals. 

These games can also be tailored to encourage children to pass, run and make decisions, without imposing rigid rules out of place for their developmental stage.

Three key takeaways

• Fun should be an essential part of every session, especially for younger players.
• Small-sided games are a great tool to mix enjoyment with learning.
• Drills should be designed to cater to players’ natural egocentric tendencies at younger ages.
  
  

Building confidence through engagement

Confidence is key to improving as a rugby player, and you should design sessions that encourage players to feel more confident with the ball in hand.

For children who are less inclined to run with the ball, games can be designed to gradually build their confidence. 

A good example would be a tagging game, where players must be tagged by multiple defenders before passing, giving them more chances to hold the ball and make decisions.

This celebrates the individual skills of each player and helps reinforce the idea that everyone on the team has something valuable to contribute. 

By fostering an environment of support and development, players can build confidence not only in their rugby skills, but also in their role within the team.

Three key takeaways

• Design games that build confidence in all players, especially those who are hesitant. 
• Recognise and celebrate individual contributions to team success.
• Create environments that encourage players to experiment and develop their skills.