'I do, we do, you do'

’I DO’

• The coach demonstrates, in slow motion, the role of the tackler
• Includes talking through as the action takes place and then demonstrating without the action

• A group of three demonstrates
• The coach checks for understanding
• Then, the players go off to practice
• The coach corrects any common areas as a group or provides individual feedback

• Put into game situations
• Only stop and feed back on common errors
• Only go back to ’we do’ phase if it continues to be inaccurate

What might this look like on the field?

Example activity: the tackle and competing for the ball at the breakdown/ruck 

’I do’ phase

• The coach demonstrates tackle, release, back to feet and securing the ball/counter ruck. The coach uses a large tackle bag to represent the tackled player.
• The coach demonstrates each step once through, with narration/explanation.
• The coach repeats the process again with narration.
• The coach repeats the process for a third time without narration.

’We do’ phase

• The coach picks three players to demonstrate to the rest of the team (tackler, tackled player, opposition player).
• As the players demonstrate, the coach stops them at each phase and questions the team about what is happening, what needs to happen next and why.
• Players go off in threes to practice.
• The coach moves around the trios to offer feedback and question each of the groups.
• If there is a common error being demonstrated by multiple trios, the coach may ‘stop the bus’, bring all players back in and correct the common error by demonstrating it again.
• This continues until the coach is happy all players can practice this accurately without input.

’You do’ phase

• The coach sets up a game situation and explains to the players that this drill/process is the main focus.
• The coach watches the game and ‘stops the bus’ every time players don’t do this accurately.
• A coach can then decide to go back to the ’we do’ phase or continue with a game, based on the levels of accuracy being demonstrated.

Can this model still work for processes with lots of players and multiple moving parts, such as set pieces or set plays? 

Yes. Here’s how it can work... 

’I do’ phase

This can be a high-quality video of the exact move that you ask the players to watch together, or, prior to the session, watching an older (or different) team do it in training, or the old-fashioned cone = player scenario. 

What is crucial is that you narrate to the players what’s happening and what to do as the set piece/move takes place. Again, you can do this multiple times. 

’We do’ phase

Walk it through as a group.

• Set the players up in each position, one by one, explaining to them and the rest of the team what their role is. 
• Question players in each role about what they need to do, when and why, before setting up the next player and repeating.
• Then, simulate it – walk it through multiple times first.
• Blow your whistle and ’stop the bus’ every time a player doesn’t carry out their role accurately and repeat the process.
• Ask the team why you stopped, elicit a correct response and then go again. 
• Increase the speed of the walk-through until players run it without any mistakes. 

’You do’ phase

Run the play/move until players can’t get it wrong. This might be three times – or 10!

The key should be that your model/demonstration shows the players precisely what success looks like, chunked into small steps and sequenced logically, accompanied by a well-scripted explanation. 

Questions to consider

• Why is it essential that players are exposed to a process in small, narrated steps? 
• Why is it essential for players to practice multiple times before applying it independently? 
• Which skills/moves do your players require more practice with?
• Which elements of the ’I do, we do, you do’ model could you incorporate into your current coaching repertoire?
• What drill/skill could you script and model using this in an upcoming training session?