What makes a great athlete?
Hore went on to say this about differentiating between a great, as opposed to a good, athlete:
"A great one is prepared to do whatever the other bloke isn't. So it's the guy who is prepared to, if he gets an injury, ice it every two hours, whether it means waking up through the night or not.
"It's the guy who is prepared to be disciplined with his eating. It's the guy who will go out and do that session which no one else will do, or listens to his body and is honest enough to say "I can't do that session today, I'm going to do something else instead", and it's for legitimate reasons. So the differences are an innate honesty and drive to be the best."
Steve Black, Jonny Wilkinson's former conditioning coach, elsewhere said:
"The difference between winners and also-rans lies in the head and, as all players are individuals, you have to treat them differently and find out what makes them tick."
Power is for everyone
A more powerful player will be better in contact, assuming they maintain the same skill level, no matter what position they play. It also reduces the instance of injuries because players can absorb more of the stresses and strains of a physical game. It is not just pressures in the contact situation, but stresses from the changes of direction and speed that need a more athletic profile.
You, the conditioning coach
In a one man coaching team, you will be the conditioning coach. If you are serious about coaching rugby then you need to embrace as much as possible the need for improvement in the area of strength and conditioning.
Gym work v field work
A good player will need to be in the gym, working on core exercises to improve their profile. There is some debate over the difference between slow repetitions of heavy weights and quick repetitions of light weights.
Game fitness is different and should be worked on as a separate part of the player's development.
"In ten decades of attending major championships I have seen superbly conditioned athletes win medals with poor techniques, but I have never ever seen a poorly conditioned athlete with a superb technique win a medal."
Max Jones, former UK National Athletics Coach.
Interested in improving your players fitness and conditioning? Click here to buy the Skills Conditioning and Fitness for Rugby DVD.
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