Here are two good reasons why you should: First, you need to be able to relay your plans to the players and you want to make sure you have covered all the elements. Second, you can check after the game to see whether you actually carried out the game plan as you intended.
Here is a helpful guide to rugby game planning. Have you wondered what a game plan is or looks like? And do you worry if you need one, no matter what level you coach at?
A plan for the game
A game plan identifies predetermined decisions you and your team are going to make in order to win that game.
It can be as long or as short as you feel appropriate and should be based on your perceived strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats posed by the conditions and your opponents.
The detail
A good game plan has enough detail to satisfy the key people: Your players. Too much and it is confusing, too little and they may be uncertain of what is required.
The best plan will identify a narrow range of options for the situations that you think will arise. It might also dictate a style of play in which your players can make their own decisions.
Example
A style: Keep the ball close to the forwards.
Detail: Catch and drive from lineouts. The back row moves between the two 22m lines. Switch back from inside centre. Kick for corners.
Construction
Constructing a game plan should be done by first stepping back from the detail as much as possible. It should also be done in pencil! If you can write down the exact plan first time, then you are either a genius or deluded.
It is better to put a structure down, put in some of the plays you are going to use and then adapt.
Player input
A game plan without player input is difficult to sell to the players and is unlikely to be implemented as effectively. Depending on the level of the players’ experience, you may need to guide them through the process, or let them decide.
Having a template set out beforehand can be beneficial. Rod Macqueen, the Australian World Cup winning coach in 1999, said that he found it difficult to sell the game plan to a whole unit (say the forwards).
Instead, he discussed it with his key players and they went to others with the plan. The plans were quickly accepted and implemented.
External influences
Any plan needs to be flexible enough to take into account that there are many factors outside your control. Weather and pitch conditions can change rapidly, referees can manage the game differently and the opposition may be playing in an unexpected way.
My suggestion is to have a couple of templates ready for wet, windy or dry conditions.
Cut and paste
One way to save time in the planning process is to have a list of your plays in a computer file, and then cut and paste them into your template.
I have gone further back to basics myself. I have one of my teams, in their units, write out all the plays on pieces of paper. We then pinned them on to a board under various categories.
Apart from the fact it was interesting to see if they could remember all the plays, it certainly helped them consider the variety available and where they might use them. We also spotted where we didn’t have any answers in some areas of the pitch.
Key areas to consider:
This article is from International Rugby Coaching. Issued monthly, this journal is ideal for professional, semi-professional, senior, aspiring and experienced rugby coaches.
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