Return to play: Three ways to make games part of your sessions

Let's discuss the different ways on how to plan and structure a coaching session using games and other practices based on your session or longer-term intentions.

It follows up my last article on games-based approaches to coaching with a progression and some top tips on practice design.

DON'T LET THE GAME BE THE TEACHER

A few years back I used to hear the ‘game is the teacher’ a lot when it came to games-based approaches. However, this phrase could perhaps be guilty of leading to coaches becoming onlookers and referees.

In games-based approaches, the coach is very much a teacher, facilitator, manipulator and architect of the learning environment. The game as discussed in my previous article is a decision-making rich environment, overflowing with information and opportunity for action… the game, in this case, becomes the "classroom" (Harvey & Light, 2015).

Yet, the complexity and chaos of the full version of our game (15v15 in a competitive environment) may make it too difficult for our players to make sense of all of this information and opportunity, so we need to design practices that allow all to learn within our coaching context (Passos, Araújo, Davids & Shuttleworth, 2008).

THREE WAYS TO PLAN A GAMES-BASED SESSION

I am going to look at three ways to plan a game-based session.

1. Using small-sided games
2. Game zone - skill zone - game zone
3. Plan for adaption but cater for all

Each has games at the centre. But you still have to follow a clear set of coaching principles to get the most out of the session.

Intention is everything. Design your sessions around this, your practices and games should be opportunities for players to explore and interact with the information that helps develop the skills and decision-making capabilities needed to meet your intentions.

Avoid over-coaching/planning. You do not have to empty your whole repertoire of tricks every session. Design practices that are inclusive, engaging, intentional and meaningful.

If using skill zones have a form of pressure or competition, repetition without repetition and maximise all players… avoid queues of players doing nothing.

Plan for your constraints… but also plan for interaction. It is important you have some plans about how you can manipulate the environment to help your players get the session intention, it is also important you plan how you might stretch and challenge individuals within the games.

Ensure you think about the questions you might ask the group and individuals. You know your players and context, so this is a highly individualised process to get the best from all in your environment.

Context is key. You may have seen the greatest session ever circulating around the internet BUT remember just copying those sessions will not give you the same outcomes. Those sessions probably look great because they were specifically designed for the group they were delivered to. There’s no silver bullet formula… but knowing your player’s needs, having a specific intention and creating an engaging learning environment for your context is key.

Give players the opportunity to push the boundaries, involve them. Players can be very creative. Ask them how they would develop the sessions, allows them to add constraints and make sure you question them on their why and how? We need to try and see the game through the eyes of the players.

1 USING SMALL-SIDED GAMES

Here's an example of small-sided games (SSG) session which can work towards my session intentions. You would split into two groups. One would play game 1 and the other game 2. There is a question and review session before you move into the larger game for everyone. Then the groups swap SSGs.



It is positive initially because is it allows you to introduce the two different intentions in a practice. It not only exaggerates opportunity to achieve these intentions, but it allows players to get more opportunity to do this due to fewer players on the pitch.

Players can explore the constraints in an environment that looks like a game, although may look less like the real version of rugby. There is plenty of research to highlight the number of opportunities for action smaller-sided versions of established sports allow (7’s, Futsal, 5-aside) (Vilar, Duarte, Silva, Chow & Davids, 2014).

Adding constraints such as players in the wide channels can roam offside or wide defenders have to drop off will create an opportunity for attackers to see and exploit opportunities out wide, but also asks the defence to think about reorganising and defending the "backfield".

After an in-session review of the SSG, where coaches can question and collaborate with players, the larger-sided game then allows them to use the decisions, skills and ideas in an environment with more chaos that is more representative of the full version of rugby.

In this instance, I have kept a points scoring system for different areas of the pitch and kicking and have asked the defence to defend with a back 3. This, again, gives the attack a different picture but also asks the defence to think about how they might defend the space in behind the initial line of defence.

After this, players would rotate to the SSG they haven’t played before finishing with the larger game again. Thus, ensuring all players get the same opportunities to engage with the SSG throughout the session but also put those learnings and idea into practice.

2 GAME ZONE - SKILL ZONE - GAME ZONE

This session utilises a variety of skill zones for players to engage with between games, these games will all link to the session intention and can help the player when the games get larger, more complex and chaotic.



I try to stick to a few certain principles when designing skill zones.

• They must have a form of competition, pressure, opposition. You can vary to what degree, maybe start with less pressure and create more, add more competition. But it is important there are still cues and clues to allow players to make decisions.
• Repetition without repetition. No two passes ever look the same, so it is important players get a chance to repeat a skill with variety. For example, different start points, a different initial pass, a different outcome or a different defensive picture. We must train for variability and to be adaptable (Renshaw & Chow, 2019).
• Maximal opportunity for action. Avoid queues of players waiting for a chance and try to create a practice that gives all an opportunity to be involved in different roles (for example, defender, first receiver or widest player). If players are resting, how can you engage them in a different way? Do they offer another perspective on what is unfolding?

Much like SSG, skill zones can provide lots of opportunities to try a skill in an environment with a scaled-down amount of chaos. It also allows the coach a chance to work with a small group of players, have more interactions, help players understand the how, why and what and help players gain confidence in their ability to use a new skill.

Our role is to help players make sense of the information in the environment. Skills zones allow us the opportunity to do this at a micro-level.

Bringing the session back into the larger or progressed game gives the opportunity for a player to use the information from the skill zone in the more representative environment.

However, "skill zones" are not a silver bullet for skill acquisition, they are just part of an ongoing, messy process.

3 PLAN FOR ADAPTION BUT CATER FOR ALL

Planning for adaption session plan that takes the most coaching skill to execute. You stay in the game and manipulate the environment as the session unfolds.

This, to the casual onlooker, may look like ‘winging it’ or ‘just playing a game’. However, this takes careful planning.

1. Plan your constraints for different eventualities.
2. Plan regression (less chaos) and progression (more chaos)
3. Plan for interaction (What questions might you use to help your players? What players need to be asked what?)
4. Use a co-coach to support and talk to players, ask questions, give players challenges and use a third co-coach to take small groups away from the game for a skill zone.

There are two ways I do this. Either build gradually or start with lots of chaos and work backwards if needed.

You may just initially start to constrain the defence: for example, only one defensive player in the wide channel (you might not tell the attack that) and see how the players adapt, use your questions to help them.

Add or remove constraints in a calculated manner. All players need to be stretched and challenged, so think about not just game constraints but individual constraints to ensure people are not coasting. For this version of practice design, you need to be clear on your intentions and what constraints will help you and the players get to the outcome.

References

Passos, P., Araújo, D., Davids, K., & Shuttleworth, R. (2008). Manipulating constraints to train decision making in rugby union. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 3(1), 125-140.

Harvey, S., & Light, R. L. (2015). Questioning for learning in game-based approaches to teaching and coaching. Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education, 6(2), 175-190.

Vilar, L., Duarte, R., Silva, P., Chow, J. Y., & Davids, K. (2014). The influence of pitch dimensions on performance during small-sided and conditioned soccer games. Journal of sports sciences, 32(19), 1751-1759.

Renshaw, I., & Chow, J. Y. (2019). A constraint-led approach to sport and physical education pedagogy. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 24(2), 103-116.